News Tips from Our Friends at ReusableBags.com

The Whole Foods Market chain announced that it would stop offering plastic grocery bags, giving customers a choice between recycled paper or reusable bags. It will take effect by April 22, Earth Day.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown of the United Kingdom signaled that he will use the law to stop supermarkets giving away free plastic bags within the next 12 months. He has praised Marks & Spencer, which announced that it would impose a 5p charge on bags. Reminded of the scale of the problem every week when he saw the number of bags his family's shopping generated, the prime minister said that he was now willing to use compulsion to ensure that others stores followed the M&S lead.

After five years of the plastic bag tax, Ireland has changed the image of cloth bags. Vincent Cobb, president of ReusableBags.com said: "Using cloth bags has been seen as an extreme act of a crazed environmentalist. We want it to be seen as something a smart, progressive person would carry." In 2001, Ireland consumed 1.2 billion plastic bags, or 316 per person. PlasTax, introduced in 2002 reduced consumption by 90%. Approximately 18,000,000 liters of oil have been saved due to this reduced production. Governments around the world are considering implementing similar measures.

We use 60,000 plastic bags in US every 5 seconds and 2 million plastic beverage bottles in the US every five minutes. Want to see what that looks like? http://reusablebags.typepad.com/newsroom/2007/09/running-the-num.html

As part of Clean Up Australia Day, in one day nearly 500,000 plastic bags were collected.

The real cost of “free” plastic retail bags: http://reusablebags.com/facts.php?id=2

Loving the Earth You Are On

April 22 is Earth Day, a day we think about our home and how to protect it. What small thing can each of us do to consciously demonstrate that this globe we live on is the only home most of us is likely to have? Here are some ideas for single-handed actions each of us can take in honor of this home that has been pretty darn good to us so far:

Take a paper bag out with you on a walk and pick up all the trash you see and put it in a trash can.

Recycle more of what you use. Some of us get busy and don’t want to take the time to clean out that peanut butter jar so it can be recycled. We don’t break down cereal boxes and other cardboard packaging that can be recycled.

Buy reusable cloth bags and keep them in your car so you remember to take them in with you when you go to the grocery, Target, Wal-Mart, or the drugstore. Don’t only use them for groceries. Take them anywhere you will have purchases bagged.

Buy reusable bags for your family and close friends as gifts and encourage them to do the same.

Call an environmental organization in your area and volunteer to man a booth or help out with their Earth Day event.

Ask your grocery store to observe Earth Day by putting a display of reusable bags at the check-outs and have clerks call attention to it.

Walk to more appointments and save the environment your auto fumes and gas consumption. If you don’t need many groceries, take a backpack to the store with you and walk there.

Combine trips to avoid a lot of short trips for one errand.

Make a list of environmentally friendly things you have trouble with but resolve to do and post it in a prominent place where not only you, but visitors will also see: on your refrigerator, on your office wall, etc.