FOXe's Blog

INSPIRATION...

I think it's great that designers are trying to set eco-friendly trends. And, based on the line when the "I'm Not a Plastic Bag" went on sale...it's working.

Makes since to me vickilee. Anyone that can use a needle and thread can make a sturdy bag from a pair of jeans that they no longer wear. Not only would it be cute. It would be recycled.

Paper… Plastic… or Canvas? It's not what's in your bag that matters… but what it's made of.

If you are like most Americans… you're busy! And if you're like me, working full time… mother of a toddler and another baby on the way… then you’re really busy- and tired! So I barely have time to get to the grocery store… let alone think about what type of bag I'm going to put my groceries in. Just like me… you've probably walked past those canvas bags more than once- maybe even contemplated purchasing one.

They're not expensive… just a few bucks… but it's not about the money- it's about time. Who has time for that? I hadn't really thought that much about them until the other day when I actually saw someone using them in the check-out line … and then again a few minutes later in the parking lot.

I thought maybe I could be doing this… maybe I should be doing this. So I have decided… the next time I make it to the grocery store I will spend a few seconds… and a few bucks… and buy some canvas bags. The real challenge will come in having them with me when I need to go shopping!

I think I will just leave them in my car… unlike the emergency toys (for toddler), emergency snacks (for toddler and me), and emergency shoes (for me- pregnant women's feet swell) canvas bags won't become a harmful projectile in a crash!

Happy Shopping!

Let’s face it there are many people in this world that enjoy stylish accessories and many of those people also have a sincere interest in our environment. Every week I see many of them grocery shopping with their beautiful designer canvas bags with lettuce peeping out over the top of the bag. Wow what an investment but it sure looks good! It also sends me a subtle message that “I’m doing my little part to be environmentally friendly”!

Designer canvas bags: not for me but if they inspire someone else to cut back on or stop using plastic bags, that‘s great!
Non-designer canvas bags: absolutely.
Am I using them now? Ummm. Ask me again in a week. I’m embarrassed to admit that I have yet to implement the use of canvas bags in my shopping routine.
Yes, I choose paper when I have the option. Yes, I recycle the plastic bags that I do bring home. But I can certainly reduce the number of bags that even need to be recycled by investing in some reusable bags.
But I also need to take it a step further, as I learned in a recent visit to my favorite local market with my friends Jesi and Kathy.
Not only did they bring reusable bags to carry their groceries home, they also refrained from using any of the plastic bags that you see in the produce section of every grocery store. They put their fruits and vegetables into the cart without a bag, then placed them on the checkout stand in a group so that the cashier could put them on the scale at the same time and ring them up.
Since then, I’ve become more aware of the number of produce bags I use when shopping. I had always tried to keep my use of those bags to a minimum since I never used one for a single item. But I would use one when buying two or more pieces of the same kind of produce. Now I realize that I don’t need them much at all. If I'm buying cherries and brussel sprouts, yes. If I'm buying apples, onions and potatoes, no. As a result, the number of produce bags that I use and recycle has dropped dramatically.
Next task: getting some canvas bags