Grocery Bags

One of the recent changes we made, that was long overdue, was to buy those reusable shopping bags for our trips to the grocery. I know, I know...not an overly revolutionary idea on our part. But simple changes in habit lead to larger changes in behavior. I've taken encouragement from thinking about how many of those plastic bags we used per trip. On a given grocery venture, of which we typically make 2 or 3 per week for our family of 3, I would estimate we would use at least 6 plastic bags. So perhaps 18 bags per week, which amounts to an astounding 936 plastic bags over the course of a year that we throw away!!! Apart from any statistics about how long these bags take to bio-degrade, how much waste goes into producing these bags, or how much carbon is needed to produce them, it is a remarkable testament to our family's ability to waste something without thinking about it. So, in conclusion, pay the $1.99 per bag to make a difference in your own consumption. It's easy, affordable and responsible. As an added bonus, I've found them extremely functional. They have flattened bottoms so they stand up when you put them down, long straps so you can throw them over your shoulder (which is helpful when you also have to tote a diaper bag and a child), and insulated so they keep your cold food cold. I only bought two of them so I may have to make an extra trip to the store per week, but that's small price to pay for progress. An inch at a time.