Green Options

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Editor’s note: OK, most of us probably don’t really consider shopping bags an accessory. According to our friends at Life Goggles, though, Envirosax bags aren’t just functional and reusable — they’re also real eye-catchers! This post was originally published on Monday, May 26, 2008. If you really like these bags, make sure to check out Victoria Everman’s interview with Envirosax founder Belinda David-Tooze from last May. Also check out how these bags stack up against others with Life Goggles’ new reusable bag comparison chart.

Envirosax was founded in Australia in 2004 (now available in the US), and makes eco-friendly bags. Made from a lightweight polyester, they have reinforced seams in order to carry the weight of two plastic shopping bags.

The most striking feature (besides that they roll up really small) is the sheer number of cool designs they come in. The picture is of the one I’ve got, Mikado #5; however they have many designs in the Graphic Series (Mikado, Retro Graphic, Monochromatic, Flora, Amazonia, and Retro Kitchen). They also have a big Kids range (as in a big range, not a range for big kids…). My favorite being the Dogasaurus.

We remembered to take our bags to the grocery store last night and to use them!  The bagger thought we were buying the Halloween ChicoBags and tucked them into a different bag *eyeroll*, but other than that things went decently.  We ended up with two or three plastic bags in addition to the two canvas bags and two ChicoBags.  My mom says she’s planning to make bags for me, too.  And our Annie’s bag with Bernie on it is currently [...]

"There’s no free lunch" is an old axiom that surfaces everytime I think something for nothing is coming my way. This time it’s ethanol, and you’re probably already aware that less corn is going to your table because more of it is going to fuel. So we’re paying for cleaner air everytime we buy products made from corn.

Articles are showing up more and more by writers complaining about rising food

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I couldn’t pass this one up. Reuben Miller sent this to me from his Stumble site and it just seemed like too good an idea to pass up.

Imagine, driving, or riding, or whatever your shopping cart to the grocery store, detach the bike and wheel the cart into the store. Once at the checkout, no need for bags: just load the groceries into the cart, attach it to your bike

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Today's tip is so simple, but it's got to be said. Don't bag your bananas. Do you do it? Most people do. We're not sure why. Bananas are already kind of pre-packaged and ready to travel. They are even attached to each other; they almost provide us with a little handle to grab them by.

It's all just marketing, really. Product packaging has gone way beyond its original purpose of safety and freshness, and has turned into a nightmare. Packages are getting more complex, which means higher waste levels. What's worse, these new designs often make recycling more difficult.

One-third of all non-industrial waste in the US (and other developed countries) consists of product packaging. NYC.gov even tells us that for every dollar we spent on cereal, only 9

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Paper or plastic? Ug. Hopefully by now everyone knows that the right option really isn't in the question. What we hope everyone will consider is BYOBing it - Bring Your Own Bag.

It's March 2, and just sixty-one days into 2007, Reusablebags.com estimates that over 82.7 billion bags have been used so far this year. Other countries are doing better than the US on this, with several large chains in Europe and Asia now charging

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