Going green(ish)
June 27, 2007 § 15 Comments
As the end of my commuter existence nears and intown-living’s return is within sight, I decided to make yet another small change in how I live my life: going grocery bag-less.
It started as I fumed my way through traffic from work to TJ’s. While checking out, I realized that I didn’t lug as many groceries per trip as I used to (more fresh food/ less packaged food = trips more often). It’s a manageable amount for someone to, say, bring her own reusable bags. Ding ding ding! That someone could be me!
I had already made the switch when IKEA started asking people to buy their reusable giant blue bag to shop there, so I figured this would be an easy transition. In addition to that one, I got myself a handy insulated tote from TJ’s for cold items, plus a cute cloth bag from bean blossom goods on etsy. All three are large enough to hold more than a week’s worth of groceries, fold up easily to be kept in my car’s trunk, and are, most importantly, reusable.
Brian laughed off the idea as silly, but even though it’s something small and probably not going to make an earth-shatteringly amount of difference, it will be a difference. To me. And I’m pretty happy about it.
mingaling 
I’m not laughing. We all need to start changing our personal habits for the sake of consuming less energy. Today it’s bags. Tomorrow it’s something else.
The IKEA people need to sell a smaller version of their giant blue bag.
A friend of mine is selling his late 70s diesel Mercedes, which you can run on clean biodiesel fuel made in Atlanta from recycled cooking oil.
Booster-ish? Who? Me?
i’m just not sure how i’m going to get by without publix plastic bags. with time i’ll adjust.
Having all those plastic bag at home means I don’t have to buy bags to pick up Dog’s poo. !changing
Better watch it, or Duane’s going to call you a gay basher. He’s getting desperate.
Heh. Or even worse – a baggie-using self loather.
The amazing part about what he writes is not only is he amazingly ill-informed but he’s also amazingly deluded that he’s right and everyone’s wrong. Amazing!
You’re heading for a blacklist, girl:
I’ve given up trying to make sense of anything he says.
Be nice or he’ll un-ban you so he can re-ban you.
We got these great grocery bags (large, tough, plastic, colorful, flexible) from a somewhat remote source –a market in Oaxaca, southern Mexico. But there are probably similar ones inexpensively for sale up on Buford Highway…
I’ve also taken to bringing used Whole Foods bags to Trader Joe’s and used Trader Joe’s bags to Whole Foods, because, oh, I dunno, I enjoy the clash of logos. The (few) DeKalb Farmers Market bags we accumulate do the trash duty around the house.
Ready for a new inistallment of the blogosphere says what? The timing seemed right:
http://atlmalcontent.typepad.com/atlmalcontent/2007/06/the-blogosphere.html
Good girl Ming, we ditched the plastic bag in favour of the paper one that disintegrates whenever any kind of moisture is within a light year of it. Kinda sucky, but every little helps
I love bitches that talk shit just under the radar. Fucking pussies. If you had stones, you would bring it, but alas, it is clear you don’t. How pathetic.
Lori, good for you on the bags! I have thought about getting my own as well… We have WAY too many plastic bags at the house as it is!
Don’t worry Duane, in the future I’ll inform you every time I poke fun at you.
There’s really no need to; you can represent yourself as the underground bully if you want. I don’t see what gets you so worked up, really, but if it gives you something to do, I guess I am glad to be able to provide that for you.
Okay, kids, take it back to the playground.