Eco Baggage

I have started turning green. Gradually green. Mostly pale green. Reusable cloth bags instead of plastic or paper grocery bags. I actually have given this a lot of thought. Even though according to the EPA, over 380 billion plastic bags, sacks and wraps are consumed in the U.S. each year, I needed to figure out exactly how saying no to plastic shopping bags was going to work for me. I mean come on, I couldn't get lost in the big picture of saving the environment---I had to reduce it down to how this impacts me (!). Will I remember to bring them with me when I go shopping? What if I need to make a quick and unplanned trip to the store? Do I need to keep some eco bags in the car? Where will I store them at home? How many do I think I need? Will the Mr. use them ? (no). Will the Mr. roll his eyes at me ? (yes). See what I do.

I bought these at our local grocery store. They were 99 cents each and are quite sturdy. I probably need to get a few more to cart home a week's worth of groceries. Yes, they are shown here in the back of my gas-guzzling SUV. Like I said, just a hint of green right now. Little green baby steps.

And then I thought. (See what I do)


And then I thought about all the plastic bags I come home with from other stores. Non-grocery stores. The white plastic bags with the red concentric circles. I really can't use a grocery store bag in a non-grocery store. Oh no. I should make eco bags for general use. There are a lot of great patterns available. Here is one from Lula Lousie. She includes a wonderful tutorial with photos that show how it's made. It's reversible.


I should go buy some fabric to make some. But then I wouldn't have an eco bag to put the eco bag fabric in. I might have to bring it home in a plastic bag. See what I do.