Reusable Bags NewsReuse & Recycle Eco Community

Now is the time for BYOB. Yes, bring your own shopping bag!  As we continue our journey through a busy 2010, it’s crazy to think about how much shopping we historically do here in America and world-wide. Whether it be frequent trips to the grocery store as we keep our kitchen’s stocked for wonderful meals and tasty treats or those sometimes dreaded (yet skillful) “6 bags on each arm” walks through the local mall, it all adds up to so much unnecessary waste.  One of the most blatant examples of this waste is disposable shopping bags.

An estimated 100 billion plastic shopping bags are consumed each year in the USA, according to the Wall-Street Journal.  Most plastic bags end up in landfills and the rest often end up in rivers, ponds, lakes, streams or in the sea, where animals can ingest or become entangled in them.  Considering how many shopping bags are consumed and wasted each year, the time is now to spread the word about the positive benefits of eco-friendly reusable shopping bags.  After all, most of us want to give back to our families, friends and communities as often as possible.

Adopting a BYOB strategy in our individual shopping habits is a simple way to do just that.  If we can raise awareness at this time, the positive impact for the environment is incalculable for 2010 and well into the future.  Several cities have already made gradual but significant progress in promoting the use of eco-friendly reusable bags in recent years.  Motivating consumers with plastic and paper bag bans, discounts at the register for reusable bag usage and tax motivations are a few to speak of.

Right here in America, the San Jose City Council recently passed one of the nation’s strictest bans on plastic and paper shopping bags.   This is a big victory for the Bay Area, which has 1 million plastic bags per year accumulating in and along the San Francisco Bay.  San Jose becomes the latest bay area city to enact some type of ban on disposable shopping bags; others include San Francisco and Palo Alto. Tracy Seipel of the San Jose Mercury News reported that it was actually ONE man who really jump-started the ban, another great example of the power of one person.  Here’s a an excerpt:

“While visiting his sister-in-law in Taipei, (Kansen) Chu (elected to San Jose city council in 2007) went grocery shopping and was surprised to get charged for plastic grocery bags. The next day, he brought his own cloth bags back to the store.  “I guess the question,” said Chu, “was, ‘Why not San Jose?’ ” He began a conversation with the city’s environmental services staff, which later moved to council committee discussions.

Save the Bay’s 4th annual report on the most garbage-strewn sites in the region further demonstrates the need for BYOB.  The 50-year-old environmental advocacy group focused on 10 specific bay-area sites where almost 15,000 plastic bags were retrieved in one day last year in their report.   Here’s an excerpt of an article in the San Francisco Chronicle by Kelly Zito.

According to (Save the Bay’s) research, Californians use about 19 billion plastic bags each year, 3.8 million in the Bay Area. The average use time for the bags – made using about 12 million barrels of oil each year in the United States – is about 12 minutes. In addition to the hundreds of years it can take for a plastic bag to decompose in a landfill, the bags also force downtime when fed into traditional recycling equipment. Typically, the bags get wound into conveyor belts or gears and must be cut out by hand.

Ten US cities have banned plastic bags so far, five within the past year. Even Mexico City enacted a ban on plastic shopping bags, which went into effect in August.  The city of 20 million now faces the realities of effective enforcement, which is not easy when the Mexico City Chamber of Commerce estimates there are 35,000 vendors in Mexico City’s downtown area alone.

Bans on plastic bags aren’t the only effective way to reduce harmful waste caused by disposable bags.  PlasTaxes, which tax consumers at the register for using plastic bags when shopping, were first introduced by the Irish.  John Roach of National Geographic reported in 2008 on the worldwide momentum that’s been building since Ireland instituted a PlasTax in 2003.  The Irish showed they could reduce plastic bag consumption by 90% or more.   Momentum is growing across the world, particularly in America.  From Washington, DC to Edmonds, WA to North Pole, AK, communities and governments are spurring an international trend to reduce the harmful environmental effects of disposable shopping bags.  In the great state of Hawaii, the legislature is currently considering a bill to ban single-use plastic bags (SUP), or to establish a small fee to use SUP bags.

Even major retail stores like Target and CVS Pharmacy are taking action by enacting discounts at the register for customers who choose to BYOB or just carry-out their items without a bag.  For the naysayers, it’s convenient to ignore recent momentum in reducing disposable bag waste.  But to some, the wide-spread adoption of eco-friendly reusable bags is inevitable.   Look at the way smoking is becoming taboo in America.  Indoor smoking bans have caught on like wild-fire.  In the same way, who is to say the use of disposable bags won’t become taboo at some point in the (hopefully near) future?  The use of eco-friendly reusable grocery bags is definitely gaining steam.  Our individual choices to bring our reusable bags can go a lot farther than we think.  That’s what BYOB is all about.

Of course, plastic and paper bags should be recycled and it’s important to remember most large retailers including Albertsons and Wal-Mart will recycle plastic bags for you (just need to bring them your accumulated stash).  That being said, a BYOB shopping strategy can make your life so much easier because there is no longer a need to accumulate that cupboard full of plastic bags or figure out what and when to do something about it.  Keeping a few non woven bags in your car or backpack is a good way to ensure you have them when needed. So give back this holiday season by remembering to BYOB!   Whether it be at a convenience store, the mall, or while grocery shopping, we can make a difference for the environment and help raise awareness one transaction at a time.  In the fight to eliminate disposable shopping bag waste, 2010 is our moment.   Have a great rest of the year!

In these tough economic times, shopping may be a luxury for most.  But if the things you use the most in life are wearing thin from use, such as your favorite kitchen, bed and bath linens,  buying organic is a guilt free way to breathe some life back into your favorite areas of the home.  Home entertainment is on the rise and it will lift your spirits to invite friends and family members over for a fabulous home cooked meal and “game night”. 

The Pristine Home strives to bring you the finest organic bedding, bath, and kitchen linens.  The owner, Lee Hemming, wants to provide her customers with a little bit of luxury. Organics cost a little more, so they want to be sure that you get more. You’ll get the softest, longest lasting sheets and the silkiest, most absorbent towels from The Pristine Home. The offerings are more limited than some other stores because they just aren’t satisfied with average, big store volume products. 

So invite your friends and family members over for a great dinner and game night and let The Pristine Home nourish your lifestyle. Clean, original, of the earth, “Pristine”.  And try this great organic smoothy recipe for plenty of energy too:

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces ice cubes
• 1-2 ripe bananas
• 1/4-1/2 cup organic vanilla yogurt (substitute flavor to suit your taste)
• 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
• 1 tablespoon raw honey
• 1/2 cup cubed fresh pineapple
• 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
• 1 cup frozen whole strawberries
• 2 cups orange juice

Directions

1. Fill your blender with ingredients and blend until smooth.  Change the fruit depending on availability.

I’d like to welcome Heather and her company Extinct Design to our eco community.  With a dream of taking forgotten designs from the past and weaving imagination into a new era. Here’s some more from Heather on her unique designs…

Recycled Vintage Clothing

What you wear can say a lot about your individual style, your creativity and now even your beliefs! Recycled clothing and vintage handmade eco fashion garments help reduce the need for mass produced “quick fix” clothing.

Extinct Design has been set up to celebrate this individual style, recycling of ideas and clothing whilst promoting quality on trend eco-fashion. The couture range has been hand-crafted and are all hand finished pieces incorporating vintage, pre-owned material in an imaginative and truly personalised way.

There is a range of exquisite dresses from the 50s, 60s, and 70s that will add colour and quality to your wardrobe.

Every girl deserves the perfect dress and Extinct strives to bring you just that! Quality handmade pieces that are meant to last more than one season. Heather Jones, Designer and Owner of Extinct says “I love making things, producing one-off pieces designed and tailored just for you. Making items to order rather than producing any unnecessary wastage. All neatly packaged up
using recycled materials.”

I would love to hear from anyone who is interested in creating their own home-made garments or re-styling their clothing, re-using the materials. A feature soon to be added to the site will include tutorials on updating items you may already have – free of charge.

You can always browse the store to update your look with stylish items such as our vintage coloured tights, handbags or shoes! Also unearthed treasures harking back to a bygone time where men were princes and ladies were glamour pusses can be found to adorn your home. www.extinctdesign.co.uk ~ breathing life back into forgotten clothing,
vintage dresses whilst restyling material into modern wonders….

Visit Heather’s visionary website today and check out all of her cool designs and read more about her vision.

I’d like to introduce Yvonne and her company Environmental Products Distribution Company (EDPCO) to our eco community. She distributes reusable tightly woven cotton coffee filters around the world to cut down on one-use paper filters! Here’s some more about the Eco Filter

Environmental Products Distribution Company was founded in 1993. EPDCO is the manufacture and distributor of the trademarked product, Eco Filter. Yvonne Amarillas directs the manufacturing and distribution through out the US from our headquarters in Hermosa Beach, California, USA.  In 1997  EPDCO introduced the Eco Filter to the European market and expanded its distribution.

Our primary goal is to preserve our precious trees, reduce waste factor and strive for all of us to breathe cleaner air. EPDCO is determined to make a difference by educating people about sustainable lifestyles. EPDCO is dedicated to the preservation of our environment for the future generation.

Eco Filter is made of 100% natural tightly woven cotton that  filters out all, but the most aromatic, smoothest tasting coffee possible.  Aroma is what Eco Filters deliver best. Easy to use, clean and its durability are considered it’s unique advantages over all other coffee filters.

We take great pride in manufacturing our product in the USA, and stand 100% behind our product ,satisfaction guaranteed.

Check out her website for more information on her cotton coffee filters.

I’d like to welcome Gordon and Wendy with BioGreen Systems to our eco community. Here’s there vision on the importance of raising awareness and green education…

The mission of BioGreen Systems Inc is to help educate and bring awareness
to the fact that there are safe, non-toxic, “green” alternatives available
to replace the toxic and potentially hazardous products the average person
now uses on a daily basis.

At BioGreen Systems, Inc. we take great pride in being able to provide a
complete line of high quality “Green Products” for Personal Care, Home
Cleaning and Laundry Care. These are the types of products that we all use
on a daily basis. What is most important to you in your search for “Green
Products” to use in your home or office? Is it the quality, the value, the
benefits to you and the environment, the availability, the company’s “green
integrity” or all of the above? Whatever your answer, BioGreen can meet your
needs.

BioGreen’s products are the very best that science and technology has to
offer, they are not tested on animals and are truly non-toxic, earth
sensitive, “green” products. They are not only safe, but also, cost
effective and multi-purpose. (Example: BioGreen’s EcoPure, mixed 20 to 1
with water, costs less than 50 cents per quart!) Most importantly, the use
of BioGreen’s products will help protect not only you and your family, but
also the surrounding environment. Our products are easily available, just a
“click” away when ordered online and shipped directly to you. Since
BioGreen’s products are so highly concentrated, (many are mixed with water
before using, saving you money) they require less packaging, which means
less fuel to ship, thereby having less of an impact on the environment. By
careful packing BioGreen is able to ship the products in the least amount of
packaging possible. With our use of packing peanuts made from cornstarch,
which are completely water soluble and are harmless to the environment, this
demonstrates just one more way that BioGreen gives evidence of our “green
integrity”.

Learn more about their green sustainable products on their website. We all need to be more concious of the toxic and unnecessary waste we produce on a daily basis. Wendy and Gordon are leaders in the green revolution!

It’s no longer a complicated process for anyone to grow their own healthy plants, fresh fruits and vegetables naturally. As a matter of fact, “as the demand for healthy, fresh fruits and veggies grow, so has the demand of individuals to organically grow their own.” states Dan DeLouise Founder of OrganicGardenGrower.com.
With that comes some new and wonderful innovative ideas that make it easier and more cost effective than ever to be a successful grower. It appears even those with limited experience or recourses can prosper as a grower these days. To help celebrate the second anniversary of the New England based company, OrganicGardenGrower.com has launched a new line of sustainable garden products. With the help of products like the EarthBox, ideal for extending the life cycle of the growing season (fall gardens) and the (counter top) AeroGarden, hydroponic garden a big favorite among chefs, anyone can grow fresh organic plants all year long. Many of these new products virtually create a self-sustaining environment keeping it extremely simple and fairly inexpensive to attain. Truly, most anyone can now have the same results as a seasoned gardener the first time around.

It’s no big secret that it’s almost impossible to buy good produce at the supermarket these days. Too often fruits or vegetables just purchased are found to be barely edible, not to mention pesticides or chemicals used to grow them, and the havoc they wreak on the environment. With the high cost and lack of quality of produce available in today’s market place, has become more and more popular, so much so that technology and nature are forced to begin to work together…..Read the entire Press Release here

I’d like to introduce Cindy and Sarah’s Essence whom offers AromaMists, Bath Salts, Jojoba moisturizers. Here’s more from her on the wonderful products they offer to put your mind, soul and body at peace…

Discover the aroma of pure essential oils to enhance your life with Sarah’s Essence®, created by Cindy Wolk-Weiss as an extension of her healing practice and interest in aromatherapy. She began hand-creating unique massage blends and aroma mists for her clients. Due to her concern about the ingredients she found in “natural” body care products and her own sensitivity to fragrances and chemicals she began her search for healthier products. Cindy then expanded into luxurious bath salts, gentle body powders and Jojoba blend face and body moisturizers.

All Sarah’s Essence® products contain the finest therapeutic essential oils that has been blessed with Reiki energy and assistance from Divine guidance into each individually hand blended product. Vibrational qualities of essential oils and gemstones are incorporated to influence the energetic body. All products are perfume free, no synthetic ingredients and most are organically grown or wildcrafted. ONLY the purest and quality tested essential oils are used not synthetic perfumes or fragrances. Products are made in small batches to maintain freshness. You will find these mists pleasantly mild and not heavily scented. Simple is best!

We give back and so do YOU! Sarah’s Essence® is committed to creating an environmentally sound product. We are serious about our commitment to the environment so we DONATE a percentage of all profits to The Jane Goodall Institute (and at times other quality groups). Jane Goodall’s mission is similar to ours, to advance the power of individuals to take informed and compassionate action to improve the environment for all living things.

May Sarah’s Essence bring you peace, joy & healing

Visit their website today to browse the many aromatherapy products and you will be at ease!

I’d like to welcome Cliff and Leigh whom are custom crafted woodmakers based in Los Angeles. They are “militant” about using reusable bags and we appreciate that on our Earth’s behalf. Here’s some more from Leigh about their unique craftsmanship.

Our Los Angeles woodshop services include commissioned furniture, custom modern and traditional cabinetry, wood finishing and refinishing. We are experts in sourcing reclaimed and sustainable materials.

We work with general contractors, architects, interior designers and individuals. We primarily work in Los Angeles, but we have sucessfully shipped furniture and custom cabinets across both California and the United States.

Our signature wood is “wine oak”. What is that, you ask. There’s a listing called CALMAX where people all over California offer used building materials. Sometimes they ask for money. Usually their objective is just to avoid paying for things to be hauled away. If you ever need dirt… there’s always dirt. Clawfoot tubs show up from time to time as well.

Cliff gravitated to a Napa winery’s offering of used oak—soaked with wine. He didn’t know what he wanted to do with it, but he wanted it. As you surely know, oak is used during the fermentation process to impart flavor to wine. This is mass production, the “inner stave” process, where oak is put into stainless steel vats, rather than being aged in the traditional
barrels. The 1/2 thick staves are stained through and through by the grapes. The Pinot Noir makes for the darkest stain while the Pinot Grigio leaves the lightest. The pictures show the deep walnut or honey tones. There is no “stain” used here, just wine.

It arrives coated with sugars and wine solids. Yes, the shop smells like a winery during the processing, but it goes away by the time it’s finished. We maintained an environmentally conscious ethic in choosing all materials. Except for the nontoxic adhesives and the plant based finishes, these cabinets are made from 100 recycled and up-cycled materials.

As with all our furniture and custom cabinetry, the highest level of craftsmanship ensures the pieces will last, our favorite way to be sustainable.

Inspired by the basic message of veganism and the need to spread awareness, Tippitappi was created by Jenni Shortt, a compassionate vegan graphic designer, at the urging of her friends. With designs as innovative and fun as those born under her pen, compassionate consumers everywhere are certainly glad that took the advice! Ever thankful for the support she has received on this project, she is just happy to be doing something good for the planet and the creatures that inhabit it as well.  She is also a happy mum and you can read her diary on the english version of “Il blog di tippitappi“.

Activism
Tippitappi’s t-shirts try to convey important and powerful messages about animal rights and environmental matters, without pointing fingers or coming off as offensive. It doesn’t take much to make a difference for those committed to a cause, and wearing a t-shirt with a slogan is an easy way to spread the word and draw the attention to things we care about.

Fairtrade
While Tippitappi itself is based in Italy, the shirts utilized are composed of organic cotton that is grown on independent and family-owned farms in Turkey. As opposed to the tactics of bigger commercial venues that would do anything to keep costs down, including exploiting laborers, ethical trade like this gives the laborers an opportunity to work their way out of poverty and depend less on aid.

Sustainable future
In addition to caring for animal and human well-being, Tippitappi is interested in making a lesser impact on the environment by using 100% organic cotton, recycled materials, and also supports waste recovery. All packagings are made with recycled and recyclable paper.
All our products are manifactured by ‘ALI Abbigliamento Naturale’, a small company in Treviso, Italy.

I’d like to welcome Helena and her home business Thanks Mama to our eco community. She is a work at home mom with a 14 month old girl who runs her business with the help of her husband offering cloth diapers for babies, here’s some more from Helena on her cause for both parents and the environment…

We offer cloth diapers, diapers covers, reusable potty training pants, reusable nursing and menstrual products for moms and safe, wooden toys for babies. We believe cloth diapering is a better option for everybody, better for babies, better for family’s budget and better for the environment! Cloth diapers today are as easy to put on and take off as disposables only instead of throwing them out and adding to the mountains of waist, parents wash them and use them again and again, even pass them on to other children. Many cloth diapering options are available on our website.

Check out Helena’s wonderful online store today and consider some comfortable cloth diapers for your baby!

Trees and Tots is an organic/natural web-based boutique that carries a spectacular array of merchandise for babies, children, teens and a few for the home.  We are a quaint company ran by a family raising our own children a beautiful shade of green, conscious of the environment and healthy.  We are very aware of the of the harmful chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, carcinogens and toxins in so much of the food we eat, clothes we wear, cleaners we use, bedding we sleep in and toys our precious children play with.  We realized that the safest, healthiest way to raise our family was organically and naturally; from food to clothing, cleaners to bedding and shampoos to toys.  Parents do want the best for their children and we can help you achieve this.  We at Trees and Tots want to help you raise your family green while being mindful of the world we live in and share.   We are dedicated to helping babies, toddlers and children lead a balanced, healthy and happy lifestyle while educating Mommies and Daddies on how and why to do so.  We want to be your one stop shop for all your wee one’s organic natural, safe and healthy needs.  Our web-store is open 24/7/365; you can’t beat those store hours.  We at Trees and Tots believe in doing our part to make our land a cleaner, healthier environment and are always striving to lessen our carbon foot print. 

We care about the trees and tots in the world and their prosperous future, so therefore do what we can to preserve Mother earth.  We appreciate all she gives us, her sheer beauty and want our great grandchildren to enjoy the same wonderful natural amenities.  We  make a conscious effort and it a common business practice to reduce, reuse and recycle.  We carry 100% certified organic clothing, 100% all natural products and everything is earth friendly.    Our company policy is to only purchase and support fair trade products and small handmade toy makers because I feel they are made of superb quality and are unique. 

We are always looking out for new amazing and safe products to carry in our on-line retail store to offer parents.  A goal of ours is to help clean up our planet, have less pollution and chemicals emitted in the air we breathe, save the nearly extinct animals, have a few less diseases to attack us and to live a longer meaningful life.  Our simple mission now is to provide excellent products and superior customer service, while being mindful of the earth we live in and share.  We have a resourceful Blog, insightful green living articles, organic kid-friendly recipes and also sell previously loved organic clothing and toys to give them a second life and keep them out of the landfills.  We truly do care about the trees and tots in the world!

This is courtesy of Tracy at Trees and Tots. Welcome Tracy and thank you for your dedication to the environment and children, the two most important aspects of our Future!!