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.
It appears that the worlds leading retailer, that is viewed as part of the evil empire by many, is getting greener. One of Wal-Mart’s newest stores, the Las Vegas Supercenter, will open this week using a new cooling technology to cut overall energy use by up to 45 percent compared to stores build in 2005. The areas where they are reducing their impact on the environment are in areas of lighting, refrigeration, water flow and now a new cooling system based on water evaporation for total energy savings of between 35 percent and 45 percent.
The design is tuned for use in the dry western states where evaporation works better than in the humid southern states. The system consists of water evaporation chillers installed on the store roof that chills fluid that is then circulated under the floor of the store. Basically the same design as a radiant heating system just used for cooling instead.
Since Wal-Mart is stated to be the largest private user of electricity in the world any savings they can implement in their stores can have a major impact. In addition Wal-Mart shares their environmental best practices with other retailers to help them improve their energy efficiency.
It’s certainly a step in the right direction.
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?
Take a look at the pile of music CDs you have purchased and the cases that came with them. Now think about everything it took to get that pile to you. Consider the manufacturing, shipping, packaging, store, etc. etc. Surely there has to be a better solution.
I think there is, and chances are you already have a piece of the solution nearby.
Go digital!
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?
