Random Acts of "Greeness", Just BAG it!

I like to think every little bit helps. Although I do wonder sometimes just how much an impact the individual really has against the flood. One less package thrown away is a bit discouraging compared to the mountain of garbage everyone else throws away. I think this idea is what keeps people from going green. Granted, I am not going to let that idea stop me :P

I am glad to see reusable (and recyclable) bags becoming a bit more popular. I would like to see retailers get behind this. Perhaps a customer discount program to encourage people to use their own bags is in order. I wouldn't mind saving 2-5% off a purchase in return for using a tote bag. Of course, retailers would be worried about theft with everyone lugging around their own totes.

There's a Whole Foods just down the block from Huddler HQ and we frequent them quite a bit...they have this thing where you can either get five cents off your total or a token for every bag you bring.  Then you can take your tokens (if that's what you choose) and put them in one of three little donation boxes.  There are two boxes for some San Francisco arts organizations and the one that's usually the most full (and I must admit, the one that I stick my tokens in) is for grid alternatives.

Of course, 2-5% off my total would be nice too.  But I like the idea of donating just a little every time I save Whole Foods a bag.

Safeway gives 3 cents off per bag, when they remember.  I like the donation idea.

On a related note, it really bugs me how wasteful people are with plastic bags.  Like you buy tic tacs, and they put them in a plastic bag!  And each item seems to need its own plastic bag.  It annoys me.

The co-op we shop at donates 5c per bag you bring in to a food shelf. That always makes me feel good about bring in the bag.

I generally agree that being/doing something green should be "happy" and easy BUT... some things that we as a society need to do are not going to be easy or happy.

Our local Whole Foods store takes at least 10c off your purchase (maybe more but I am not sure right now) if you bring your own bag. We do that anyway at every store and it really is not the crowd that shops at Whole Foods that needs the incentive, but it's a nice little reward. Trader Joe's enters you in a drawing (if they remember). Aldi, has been charging for bags since the beginning. More supermarkets should do that though. I also love the donation idea!

Edited by eris - Sat, 08 Nov 2008 02:41:39 GMT

Donations are a wonderful idea. I still think that the main problems behind not adopting byob (bring your own bag) is theft fears and sheer laziness and thoughtlessness on the account of the public.

I worked at a grocery store for 9 years and was shocked at how many people would request a bag for a gallon of milk or even just a bottle of pop! I always found it oddly funny how angry they would get when they had to request a bag for a single item.

What I found most interesting was the fact 70-80 + year old people would often bring their own bags or not want their groceries bagged versus the younger groups who wanted everything bagged. Perhaps this conservation done by the elders is an offshoot of living through the Depression.

If that is the case, I think that the current economic problems the US and the world is facing could be a good thing in the end.

 I love all the reusable bags that the stores have now! I think I have bought one from most of the stores I go to (thank god I don't like shopping so much).

And yes, you definitely should try and bring your own bags when you go to a store. Doesnt matter if the store uses good or bad kind of plastic. 

I really like IKEA's idea that you have to pay for your bags, this way you think twice before double-bagging everything in 40 different bags! 

Those of us who care should ALWAYS take our own bags, period.

And not just to the grocery store, but also the drugstore, hardware store, every store.

I've been doing it since my first trip to Europe in the Sixties. Everyone carried a mesh bag and the merchants expected you to. Nobody complained.

It soon became second nature.

I hang my reusable bags on the doorknob, and when I go out, I grab them and put them in the trunk of the car. Inside of them are some of those thin produce bags, which I use for the tomatoes, grapes, etc. I'm amazed how long they last.

Trader Joe's stores, at least the ones in my area, give you one ticket for each bag you bring to a drawing they do each week for $25 to spend at Trader Joe's. I'd bring my own bags even if I didn't get tickets, but what a bonus. I shop there weekly and have been entering for the last 2+ years. I have yet to win (grrrr....!) but I love that they've added that extra incentive to bring your bags every time or to run back to your car to get them should you forget.

Edited by co2h2o - Tue, 24 Feb 2009 19:58:31 GMT

Kroger was my first ever job, even though I started as a cashier, I had to take a training course for bagging.  Yes there was a training course, a 6-hour one to be exact.  We had mottos like "Strive for Five" to make sure that we put as many items in a bag as possible.  And we were supposed to group cold items, and non-perishables, and we were supposed to not bag large objects like drink containers.  When I'm not going to Whole Foods, I go to a local Kroger, and of course no one follows the bagging rules.  If I have too much to go through the self-checkout, I ask to bag my own.  If I let them do it, then they only put a few items in my canvas bags and the rest in a dozen plastic bags -very frustrating.

Luckily it is becoming more normal.  Before, if you went through the self checkout and tried to use your own bags, the machine would get angry that there was extra weight on the platform and you had to wait for the cashier to clear out the system alert.  Now it asks you first thing, "Do you have your own bags" and if you say yes, then it resets the scale according to your bags.  Pretty nifty and extremely helpful, since the cashier usually isn't paying attention.

It's definitely frustrating when baggers use more bags than necessary.  I actually was in a shop the other day and the bagger asked if I needed a bag.  I said no, that I could just put whatever I bought in my purse...but she clearly wasn't listening at all and gave me a bag anyway!
 

That's great Kroger has incorporated that into their self-check out!  I'll have to pay more attention to see if Safeway does that too.

Because of my long-time experience with a food coop (b y o bag) and my children's need to nag me, I now carry two nylon bags in my purse at all times (thank you, Chico).  I also have several nice hemp (thank you, Earthlust) and heavy plastic bags with handles (go Cavs!) in my car, but the ones in my handbag get used just about every day.