By now, everybody knows the pitfalls of using disposable plastic bags. Happily, that means manufacturers are dreaming up better-looking (and much more environmentally friendly) alternatives for toting groceries, toys and books. Here's a sampling:
PRACTICAL
Made from 100 percent recycled materials, the Great A&P Tea Co.'s bags feature imagery depicting seashells, fruit and animals. And they're easy on the wallet, too: costing 99 cents at Long Island Pathmark, Waldbaum's and A&P grocery stores. (Pictured at left.)
Dubbed the new "it bag" by Teen Vogue, this Earth-friendly Baggu tote will help reduce your carbon footprint. Available in a variety of colors and made from sturdy ripstop fabric that will carry up to 25 pounds. Sold for $8 each or $22 for a pack of three at baggubag.com. (Pictured at right.)
Lightweight and waterproof, the Envirosax bag comes in a variety of unusual designs and colors, each sized just right for toting vacation souvenirs or beach gear. Costs $8.50 each or $37.95 for a pack of five at envirosax.com.
PREMIUM
In Asia, they were used as rice and feed bags for transporting various goods. In New York, recycled totes by Gecko Traders can carry your groceries, beach gear or anything else. These durable bags are made by a fully certified Fair Trade Co-op in Cambodia. Plus, no two bags look exactly alike. The recycled totes have even been vetted by Treehugger.com, a blog dedicated to green living. They cost $35.95 at reusablebags.com (Pictured at left.)
Made with 100 percent organic cotton and water-based inks, the oversize Beleaf tote can fashionably carry you through a weekend's worth of errands but withstand the weight of bulky grocery items, too. It's $36 at beleaf.com.
Read more about eco-friendly decorating, green celebrities and ways to reduce your carbon footprint on Newsday's section on "green living," newsday.com/green.
Comments (5)
Our company www.whatsurbag-usa.com is about to debut at the www.gogreenexpo.com in NYC on the last week end of April. We make reusable shopping bags that are flexible fashionable and socially concious. All of our bags are made in New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina Survivors. In fact all of our vendors are outsourced there. We wanted to give new business and jobs to a struggling economy in New Orleans. Our bags hold twice as much as a plastic bag because they are flexible and they bounce when you walk so whatever you are carrying seems lighter.The website is not done yet but we are almost ready to hit the streets. Stay tuned! Joan Elmore
PS part of our proceeds go to Hope House in New Orleans a charity that feeds,trains and helps the homeless find housing.
ECOBAGS (www.ecobags.com) has just come out with some great new bags, with fun sayings like "Make Love, Not Carbon (tm)" and "Talk Green to Me (tm)." Our company also sells the Gecko Trading bags, Chico Bags & reusable cotton produce bags, which eliminate the need for the flimsy bags in the grain and produce sections of the market. Our "do it yourself" option for today is our washable lunchbags, which can be decorated and personalized by kids and adults!
The Planet Bag, www.ThePlanetBag.com is a 100% natural cotton shopping bag. Larger than most, it also has 28" long handles designed for shoulder carry. It's machine washable and biodegradable. The Planet Bag is made under Fair Trade, Fair Wage policies. It retails for around $7, but is as low as $5 when bought in a set of six. The Planet Bag gives to charities every month in the name of "Those who purchased The Planet Bag" and then lists the charities and the work that they do on The Planet Bag website.
The sister company of The Planet Bag is The Planet Bottle, www.ThePlanetBottle.com . It is a water bottle and comes in PE (#2 non leaching) Plastic, or Aluminum, and both are designed to be used instead of disposable water bottles. The Planet Bottle gives to charities that provide clean, safe drinking water to people around the world who do not have access to it.
The motto of the company is "Because you don't have to be a superhero to SAVE the world." When we all do a little part, massive improvements to our environment will be the result.
Hi,
We are textile artists,and our small home based
studio is located in Euless,Texas.
We specialize in Handwoven rugs,many of which
are one-of-a-kind,making them more of a unique
handcrafted item.
We are happy to now be able to share our work
through our website.
www.genestrausweavingstudio.com
Please feel free to look around.We will be adding
more items soon,as we have several projects in
the making.
Please drop us a note with any comments,or
questions that you might have.
Thank you very much for your time.We look forward
to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Kelly Stewart
Kenny Nix
Gene Straus Designs Weaving Studio
www.genestrausweavingstudio.com
Euless,Texas
817-354-3885
PS:All of our handwoven rugs are made with recycled
materials.
I was blown away with the variety and quality of the bags offered by one of the sites mentioned ReusableBags.com - they also carry envirosax, chicobags and a few others mentioned in the article. Several made from recycled soda pop bottles too. i bought an envirosax set and picked up reusable produce bags (another great idea) and a reusable water bottle - they carry a huge selection of these too. They also offer a ton of great information on the plastic bag issue. What can i say - they won me over!