04.17.08
Bag the bags
In further honor of Earth Day (or “annual reminder of things you should do all the time”), I bring you a selection of my favorite Oakland-themed, plastic-free shopping bags. I keep a stash of the green ones in my car for the supermarket, a couple of canvas ones in the kitchen for the farmer’s market, and a rip-stop nylon one that’s compact and cute in my purse for shopping emergencies.
Aside from the politics of plastic, which have been getting a lot of media and city government attention recently, consider how much less waste you create when using canvas and how much litter could be stopped if we all carried a reusable bag with us. Last weekend, I went to see the San Jose Earthquakes’ season opener at the Coliseum. The amount of garbage beneath the BART overpass was depressing - and most of it was unsightly, wadded up plastic grocery bags. And while it’s true that the bags can be recycled, only five percent ever are.
So do your part to reduce reliance on bags. You can even do it right now from your computer. Online, check out customizable Oakland totes from Gemini65 on Zazzle or snag a now classic “I Hella Heart Oakland” canvas tote at CafePress. I also like Place it Here’s interwoven oak tote. OaklandUnwrapped and OaklandPride (whose proceeds benefit OaklandUnwrapped) also have a selection of totes. The best by far is “Plastic Bags BLOW Away”.
A final note: Many supermarkets, including locally owned Piedmont Grocery (which has been promoting bag reuse for years), will give you a bag credit or make a donation when you BYOB.
