Better Bags for a Better Planet

"Dang it!" I mutter as I get to the front door of the grocery store.... I forgot to bring my cloth grocery bags in! "Next time" I would tell myself. I was attempting to think green and be kind to Mother Earth. My forgetfulness was so frequent that it began to irritate me. I thought about hanging a reminder on my review mirror or placing a post-it on the dashboard. This was now a personal challenge. Gheesh....how hard could it be to remember? I got honest with myself and admitted that Eco-bags would always be an afterthought until I changed my behavior and made it a habit. It took a good two weeks of getting to the front door, muttering "dang it" and swiftly turning myself around to retrieve the bags from the car. Did I know that Americans go through 1 billion plastic bags annually? Did I know that it takes an estimated 12 billion barrels of oil to produce all those plastic bags? Did I know that the average family accumulates 60 plastic bags in only four trips to the grocery store? I knew none of this, I just wanted to embrace thinking green and this seemed like a good first step. Now that I use cloth bags I am happy to report how handy and durable they are. The 8 or so plastic bags I used to carry are condensed to two cloth bags. I use cloth bags to pack food to go or towels and sunscreen for the beach. I don't have all those plastic bags cluttering my kitchen. Eco-friendly bags are a great habit once you make them just that. -Monica