Reusable Grocery Bags…
I’m trying my best to do my part to be more eco-friendly in 2010. Last week I stumbled across this personalized market tote by annemichelledesigns on Etsy.com (I am SO addicted to this site), and promptly contacted her to order my own.
I wanted one with my company name on it to match my logo design and colors. She contacted me today to let me know it was ready and I can’t wait to see it in person. I can just see myself strolling through the local farmers market with it on my arm (another 2010 resolution – buy local).
So it got me to thinking about my weekly grocery shopping trips and how annoyed I get over the plastic bags that usually don’t hold up too well, and tend to get thrown away. Data released by the United States Environmental Protection Agency on U.S. plastic bag, sack, and wrap consumption, somewhere between 500 billion and a trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide each year. Of those, millions end up in the litter stream outside of landfills—estimates range from less than one to three percent of the bags. In November 2009 the New York Times published this article that really sheds some light on where a lot of our garbage ends up, you would be surprised as to how much of it ends up back on your plate at dinner.
Vincent Cobb, an entrepreneur in Chicago, Illinois, recently launched the Web site http://Reusablebags.com to educate the public about what he terms the “true costs” associated with the spread of “free” bags. The website sells reusable bags in a variety of styles, sizes and colors. You can also find several independent vendors on Etsy that also make them.
OR, you can just make your own, they will just be as chic, cool and better yet…ORIGINAL! So if you are with me and feeling a little crafty, here are a few free patterns and tutorials to get you started.
Martha Stewart has a great tutorial for repurposing an old T-Shirt into Grocery Bag.
I ran across this blog by Wendy called Wisdom of the Moon and she has a great tutorial for Cheap & Easy Fabric Grocery Bags by repurposing some old sheets. You can make a bunch of these up for less than $2 each, and how cute would it look to have all your groceries in bags that are all the same pattern. It’s a simple design with sturdy webbing for the handles.
She also has a great tutorial for fabric produce bags made from repurposed window sheers.
Burdastyle.com has a free downloadable pattern that is easy to make, and even easier to tote with you, since it folds into its own pouch! I love the user photos that have been uploaded, it just shows the endless possibilities of what you can do to incorporate your personality into these bags.
~Z
