Monday, May 26, 2008

Green Monday

This is a new series I'm working on. I am trying my hardest to be more "green". Each week, I'll give you insight into the challenges and triumphs of this journey.

The first major step I took was to begin taking my own bags to the grocery store. Most stores sell them for 99 cents or 2 for $2.



What's surprising is the amount of food you can get into them. I'd say on average, we get 12-16 plastic bags on a weekly shopping trip. I now get all of that into 4-5 reusable bags, if packed properly.

The biggest surprise was that you get rebates! At Kroger for instance, they credit you 4 cents for each bag used. So I get about 20 cents each trip. How nice. The bag was only 99 cents so 20 trips and it pays for itself! At Whole Foods they give you a wooden nickel. Then you take it to a drop box and you can pick one of three local charities to give the nickel to. They add up the nickels and the organization gets a check!

The Challenge: I thought I would forget to use the bags. So, after unloading the bags I take them back to the vehicle and I keep them in the back seat so I can always have one on an unexpected trip. I now even use them when I go to Target or other stores.

Sustainability: This is something I could do for the long haul. It's not a burden and its better than trying to remember to take my old plastic bags to Kroger for recycling.

Tell us something GREEN you did this week!

6 comments:

Lakisa said...

Thanks for the review. I took one look at these bags and thought for a my family of 5, a grocery trip would take 20 of them. I'm going to try them out.

Sister P said...

@ Sis. Lakisa -Good luck with it! I'd start with four bags and if everything doesn't fit, then get plastic for the rest. Then on each trip buy one more bag until you reach the amount needed, but don't sweat it. Every little bit helps. I started with two and bought two more and haven't needed more for my family of three. (When shopping for dinner guests I need one more).

Itiel said...

Those are cute. I love my Trader Joe bags! I take them everywhere. I have to get to Wal-Mart!

Thanks

Don said...

Those bags seem like a great idea. I think they make much more sense than those thin plastic bags. Also, what are the bags made of?

I didn't do anything green. *sigh*

Sister P said...

@ SGLady- I have Kroger bags and use them in Wal-Mart, Whole Foods, Target, everywhere. They don't mind and still give you the rebate. WallyWorld doesn't give you anything back though.

@Don--The bags are made of some recycled materials and some new materials. They are pretty durable, but when these wear out (which I think they will if poked by too many sharp corners) I'm going to buy some canvas bags which may cost more per bag. Try one. If you can save 2-3 of those plastic bags a week, you did something!

Unknown said...

thanks for passing this on... this is what its about...