We’ve been trying something new for about a month. Publix sells "reusable grocery bags" for around $1 per bag. The same or very similar bags are also sold at Target, Wal-Mart, and Whole Foods and appear to differ only in color and logos.
My wife picked up 10 bags at Publix about a month ago, and I have been pleasantly surprised at the results, in spite of the initial cost.
Lately, I have been reading about plastics. More specifically, I have been reading about BPA, PVC, phthalates, and the effects they may or may not have on us. I have not seen any definitive research that settles the question of how poisonous they are, although some countries have labelled them as carcinogens. So, there is a strong argument that continued exposure to plastics and associated chemicals has an effect on human health.
Regardless of the argument, here’s how I feel about these: I do not like the idea of plastic in the food I eat, the drinks I drink, or in the air I breathe. We did not evolve eating plastic. Regardless of how little we ingest from one little plastic item, we handle a hundred every day. Surely the constant exposure accumulates.
So, what to do?
I have to give props to Publix. If you don’t know them, Publix is a large chain of grocery stores. We shop there regularly, at home and often while traveling. Every Publix that we have visited has a recycling center at the front of the store.
They make it easy and obvious to recycle their bags, so you don’t have to spend a lot of time being green. They even have a well written corporate policy on the environment.
But what about other stores?
There is a great article in The Commercial Appeal(a Memphis newspaper) by Stacey Wiedower. It appealed to me because it is written from an average person perspective and deals with every day issues.
She starts out:
I’m an all-out follower—believer, even. Whatever you want to call it, just know that if it’s chic to be green, I’m totally chic.
I didn’t follow Leonardo, Cameron, Brad or even Al down the path toward an eco-friendlier lifestyle. My green obsession sprang from a more practical reason: I became a mom.
