Two Wrongs Don’t make a Right

I have two kids. Both are still in diapers. I use disposables. But what makes it worse is that each time we have a stinky one, it gets wrapped and sealed in a plastic grocery bag before going in the trash. That’s two strikes against the environment in one fell swoop.

These actions are driven by both convenience and my OCD, but I have made a big first step given I am a creature of habit. I took my own fabric bag to Krogers. I can’t say I slept easier that night, but in hindsight I know I saved one plastic bag. Ok, maybe four – it is Krogers and despite the employee discount, I can’t get out of there for under $50!

So what inspired me? The Green Bag Lady. A friend of a friend forwarded on a link to an artist in Nashville donating her own time and resources to start a revolution of fabric shopping bags. She will send you a free bag, which she hand sews with material recycled from other supporters, with the premise you will use it (and hopefully only other fabric bags) for all your shopping needs.

She has given away close to 1000 bags (each with its own personalized number) to shoppers throughout the US and around the world. Her initiative is growing so quickly that she recently had to put a stop to all requests so she could catch up on e-mail and finish the bags in her queue. However, the site is still worth checking out. You can download her pattern to make your own (for those that can sew) or hopefully when she is taking orders again, you can get on the list.