I'm Not a Plastic bag
Posted
Thursday, August 16, 2007 7:48 PM
Last week I was driving down Robertson Boulevard in LA and
was puzzled to see a crazy long line stretching out of the Anya Hindmark boutique. I later learned that the mob of
shoppers were there in hopes of getting their hands on a canvas tote with the
words “I’m Not a Plastic Bag” emblazoned on the side. These bags were designed
by Hindmarch to reduce the use of disposable plastic bags and draw attention to
the issues of waste and the environment, and with a price of just $15 they were
a huge hit, since other bags bearing her logo will set you back more like
$1000. They were first released in London and quickly sold out, and then went on
sale (and sold out again) in the US last week. I’m really excited to think that a bag with an eco-conscious
message created such a fashion frenzy, even though I suspect that most of those
shoppers lined up on Robertson were as much label whores as environmentalists.
Celebs are hot after the bag too...check out Keira Knightley toting hers.
Of
course you don’t need a special designer bag to haul your groceries and other
goods in. I’m a big fan of the
classic LL
Bean Boat and Tote bags for this purpose. They’re cheap, super durable, and timeless. I use one or two of the monster sized
ones for grocery shopping, and try to keep one of the smaller ones on hand for
trips to the drugstore and things like that. On the rare occasion when I forget
to bring them shopping with me I cringe when I have to answer the question,
“Paper or plastic?” (although both
are terrible for the environment in different ways, “plastic” is the best
answer according to a recent study.)
On the subject of
plastic, I just learned something really surprising about bottled
water. Turns out it’s probably not any cleaner or safer
than the H2O flowing from your tap, and it might even be less pure. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists,
the EPA safety standards for tap water are much more stringent than the rules
the FDA applies to bottled water, and of course, drinking bottled water has an
ugly environmental impact: 1.5 million barrels of oil—enough to power 100,000
cars for a year—go into making plastic water bottles. Plus, only 10% of water bottles are recycled, and plastic
recycling isn’t a very energy efficient process anyway. So this summer I’m trying really hard
to remember to bring a bottle of tap water with me instead of buying a plastic
one when I’m out. I just bought the Marahadsha
bottle from Sigg, a Swiss company that makes aluminum bottles in a variety
of cool designs like polka dots, paisley and even skulls. Have you discovered any clever ways to
cut down on your plastic bag/bottle consumption? Or cut down on disposables in general? I’d love to hear
about them.