Day 1, or How I Begin to Save the World

Before beginning to describe my first eco-friendly change, I feel like I have to give a little bit of description of where I live and my "neighbor" to the right. I live in an apartment that borders an alley, and just to the right of that alley is the loading dock to an enormous Ralph’s grocery store. This means that the entrance to said grocery store is no more than 150 steps from my front door (out of curiosity, I counted yesterday). With Ralph’s no more than a two minute walk, I have gotten into the habit of heading there frequently, which at times can be up to 3 times a day (the record number of trips from my apartment to the store and back in one day taken by anyone staying or hanging out at my house is probably about 15). Really this isn't as bad as it sounds--I rarely leave the store with more than a handful of items. But what I realized is that I always return with at least two plastic grocery bags which quickly pile up in my pantry.

Now I've always known plastic bags aren't the best thing for the environment. In fact, I even recycle a bag full of them every few weeks or so. But knowing how often I go to the store, combined with the fact that each time I use a bag it is only to carry something a mere 30 yards, I figured there was really no need for me to be toting new disposable bags each time I felt the need to make a Ralph’s run. So I decided to do something about it.

But was it easy? Convenient? Could I do something about it and not take more than a few seconds of thought and very little extra effort? The answer, of course, is YES. I spent about an hour the other day searching for cheap and convenient reusable grocery bags that I could take with me each time I headed to the store. After a bit of searching I settled on the green bag, which is not only designed as a reusable grocery bag, it is made out of material that is recyclable as well. The bags are also non-toxic (which is great if you just toss fruit and veggies right in), non-allergenic and water/odor resistant.

And these bags cost only $3. I found them through EcoBags's website, and opted for the zip-up model, thinking it would encourage me to toss a bag in my purse wherever I went. Here's my bag stuffed with groceries, with another one zipped up by its side. Oh, and Slidell the cat is a big fan of the green bags as well.



So is this worth doing?

First, the facts:

Disposable plastic shopping bags are a convenience barely 30 years old. They weren’t introduced into grocery stores until 1977 and weren’t manufactured before 1973, according to the Film and Bag Federation. Yet in just 30 years they have managed to become so prevalent that the US alone consumes over 100 billion plastic bags a year (according to Earth Resource Foundation executive director Stephanie Barger). Why is that such a big deal?

Three key points about plastic bags:

1. Plastic bags are made from petroleum. Petroleum probably deserves a post of its own at some point, but in a nutshell it’s an environmental enemy for two reasons: the process of digging for oil is harmful to the environment, especially the ocean, and the process of burning oil for energy releases carbon dioxide into the air, which contributes to the gradual heating of the atmosphere, aka global warming.
2. Plastic bags are non-biodegradeable. This means that as they decompose, they break into smaller and smaller pieces but never completely disappear. Furthermore, those small pieces release toxins that get into the earth’s soil and water and are bad for you, me, and the animals around us.
3. Plastic bags are disposable, which means that after one time use we toss them in the trash, or worse, anywhere we see fit. Despite the scene in American Beauty where a plastic bag is cast in a poetic light, floating dreamily in the wind, the fact that plastic bags are lightweight and can easily fill up with air actually causes many bags to drift away, ending up on the beach, in the ocean, where they inevitably wind up in the belly of a sea turtle (who mistake them for food). (sometimes, being so close to the grocery store, discarded bags end up in my front yard too).

Next, the convenience:

Initial Effort: comparable to buying a book on Amazon. All you need is internet access and a credit card, and ecobags will deliver these to your door. (Plus they sent me a friendly follow up email the next week asking if I was satisfied, which I thought was nice)

Everyday Convenience: comparable to bringing sunscreen to the beach. Ok, it takes a tiny bit of effort to remember to bring the bags each time you go to the store (I still forget the bags about one in every 7 trips but i'm getting better). And sometimes you have to deal with confused baggers when you ask them not to use a plastic bag. But they weigh practically nothing, fit in your back pocket, and have handles for the trip back home. Plus they carry as much or more as a plastic bag (and actually the non-zippable versions are the same size as paper).

Feel good factor: comparable to dropping a dime in the homeless man’s cup who’s always parked on the bench down the street. Notwithstanding some awkwardness having to explain yourself to an occasional grocery clerks (although depending on where you live and what type of grocery store I imagine this could vary--southern California seems pretty used to this by now), you get the pleasure of knowing you are doing something good EVERY TIME you buy something. Plus at least in the stores by me, you get a 10 cent "bag credit" for not using a disposable bag. And even better, once in a while someone will notice what you are doing and say "hey, good for you!"

Impact:
So you've decided this is something you can handle. Or maybe you're still deciding. Either way, what impact does this actually have?

According to Stephanie Barger (see above), the U.S. consumes 100 Billion plastic bags a year, which comes out to roughly 552 bags per household per year. So assume you purchase just two green bags and lug them to the store every trip. With an average “Bag Discount” of 10 cents per bag, your purchase pays for itself in 60 trips to the store (which for me is about 6 weeks). And in just one year you have personally saved 500 bags from being used, discarded, and winding up as litter, poison to marine life, or decomposing in landfills, releasing toxic chemicals into the soil and water. Other statistics from the EPA:

· “In New York City alone, one less grocery bag per person per year would reduce waste by five million pounds and save $250,000 in disposal costs.

· When one ton of paper bags is reused or recycled, three cubic meters of landfill space is saved and 13 - 17 trees are spared! In 1997, 955,000 tons of paper bags were used in the United States.

· When one ton of plastic bags is reused or recycled, the energy equivalent of 11 barrels of oil are saved.

Overall, for $3 a bag and the mental power to remember to bring them each time, you personally will be saving over 500 bags per year; 5,000 bags in 10 years; or (assuming you are in your 20's and live 60 more years) 30,000 bags in your lifetime. Do you think that's worth it?