Tip of the Greenberg…

A. Paper Bags
When faced with the inevitable grocery store check out question of “paper or plastic?”, I would always pick paper. Logically, paper bags seem like a safe choice, right? Paper bags are made from a natural resource (trees), and they only take a few months to biodegrade. Unfortunately, it turns out, the process of manufacturing a paper bag takes four times more energy than it would to make a plastic bag, produces 70% more air pollutants and 50% more water pollutants. And to throw another statistic into the mix: 14 million trees need to be cut down per year to keep up with the American demand for paper bags. Next option please…

B. Plastic Bags
Plastic shopping bags are made from polyethylene, which is made using petroleum. Yes, those plastic bags that you are given at any grocery, bargain or shopping mall store are made from oil; that non-renewable, ever talked about, ever argued about fossil fuel. Furthermore, the chemicals used to make plastic bags appear in the EPA’s list of the 20 top chemicals that produce hazardous and toxic waste. The EPA also reports that the U.S. uses nearly one hundred billion plastic bags a year. That calculates to about 1000 plastic bags per U.S. household per year! So you’re doing some spring cleaning and you notice a huge bag of plastic bags under your kitchen sink, or piled high in a cabinet. This year, instead of throwing them out, sentencing them to a few hundred years of biodegradation in a smelly landfill, you want to recycle them. But in most cities you can’t put plastic bags in your recycling bin, and finding a place to take them to be recycled will prove difficult as well. Turns out, recycling plastic bags is more expensive than just making new ones. Roughly, it costs $4000 to recycle 1ton of plastic bags, which can then only be resold for $32. No wonder the recycling industry isn’t jumping to accept your bag of bags.

C. None of the Above
If you haven’t figured it out yet, “None of the Above”, the always risky option on a multiple choice test, is the one to pick in this case. Bring your own bags along any time you go shopping! And not just to the grocery store, but to the mall, or to Target, or even to Neiman Marcus. Keep one in your car just in case you decide to make a sponatenous shopping stop. Recently, tote bags have become my latest collection craze. I’ve acquired them in all sizes, some with cute graphics, and some that are more functional than stylish. Most grocery stores sell them now, and for only a few bucks a piece. I can definitley recommend the Trader Joe’s canvas bags. I bought 2 of them a few years ago and they’re still as good as new. For more stylish totes, check Target or your favorite mall store. I was in Forever 21 a few weeks ago and they had some really cute canvas bags with eco-sayings and graphics on them. Or, you can go a step further and invest in organic or fair trade bags. A few friends of mine in LA started an eco-friendly goods company called Hybrid Roots. They sell fabulous organic hemp and cotton tote bags, on their website, http://hybridroots.com/greengoods/

So from now on, don’t get caught in the paper or plastic conundrum. Bring your own bags and leave with a smile

And here’s some Bacon (the dog) and her new hair cut to make you smile right now. Took these pics with my Polaroid camera today. Feel like I have to get my fill before Polaroid goes bye bye.