1 » I will store one reusable tote bag in my vehicle and bring it into the store the next time I go shopping. Those plastic bags that stores dole out by the zillions are made from petroleum, and only about 1 percent of them are recycled throughout the world each year. Most end up in landfills or in the oceans, where they wreak havoc on sea life. One good deed leads to another, and soon you may be toting all of your groceries home in reusable bags.

Yeah! Number one! If last year wasn’t “the year” for reusable bags, then it’s coming for sure now. The knowledge doesn’t stop there, though. She has four more resolutions, and all of them are not only excellent, but simple and practical, because Ms. Butters knows that New Year’s resolutions are easier said than done.

The whole concept of going green or making environmentally responsible lifestyle changes can be mind-boggling. There are so many suggestions out there and so many products proclaiming planet-friendliness that it’s sometimes easier just to stick with the status quo than to try and figure out where to start. That’s why I’ve come up with five New Year’s resolutions that provide simple ways to green your home, from the food pantry to the cleaning closet. Clip this column and post it on your fridge or bulletin board — someplace where you’ll have it as a handy reminder of how a few little changes can end up making a big difference. You can even check ‘em off as you go. Remember, no matter how resolved we are, lifestyle changes don’t happen overnight. Go easy on yourself and stay positive. This is an ongoing process that gains momentum by simply putting one foot in front of the other.

Interested in seeing what else she has to say? Check out the article, and if you own the newspaper already, get clipping. If you don’t, print it on out — or better yet where the environment is concerned, simply bookmark it.

Originally today I was going to write about the state of reusable bags in New Jersey, but considering it’s been a while (what with the holiday and all) I thought you might want to hear something a little bit cheerier while still on the environmental front. Then I read over at Ecorazzi that Architectural Digest is giving Brad Pitt some major recognition for his efforts toward sustainability in New Orleans, and I thought: perfect.

The magazine is spotlighting Pitt for his work in New Orleans through his Make It Right Foundation. “I couldn’t believe nothing was going on,” he said of his first visit to the devastated Lower 9th Ward. “I recalled the pictures of people on roofs, begging for help and I couldn’t believe that this was our America.”

As we now know, Pitt resolved to make a difference and brought together architects, residents and community leaders to draw up guidelines for rebuilding. Not only would the new homes be affordable, but they would also embody green technology, sustainable design — and most importantly — be adapted to survive the tumultuous weather of New Orleans.

The Pitt crew have 150 Pink Project homes slated for completion to date, which is a pretty big deal. Check out the official Make It Right Foundation website and see exactly what they’re all about — there’s a mission statement, fully laid-out plans, and information on how you too can help and even sponsor a home. It’s a great project, laying down foundations for some majorly awesome change.

Photo via Flickr!

• Oh snaps, son! The plastic bag war gets snarky. [Oregon Live]
• It’s easier being as green as you can be. [Tracey French]
• “Critters” is such a strange and amazing word. Save them! [News & Observer]
• Palm Springs decides to take things to a vote. [My Desert]
• More on making back-to-school a green experience. [Peekaboo]
• Speaking of back-to-school, more colleges getting green. [Oak Grove Today]
• Coca-Cola takes a stab at sustainability as well. [Ecorazzi]
• Breaking news: recycling is not enough! [Idaho Statesman]
• Just a friendly reminder to call your legislators. [Heal the Bay]
• Quite simply: just say no. [Five Flower Mom]

Image via Deadlines and Consequences!

That said, I do like a post I read this morning regarding California’s struggles with the reusable bag proposition, for the simple fact that it strongly counters a common opinion that shops and consumers would more readily get behind a proactive recycling program than a tax or ban.

As much as I would love to believe that a full-blown marketing and public relations campaign would not only educate every Polk County citizen on the importance of using canvas or other types of reusable bags for shopping, but also spur in them a burning desire to actually do so, I can’t persuade myself to be that optimistic. Here’s why:

Even the store clerks don’t seem to buy into the notion that reusable is the way to go. Or that too many plastic bags make it into the landfill each year.

It’s true, of course, and how are consumers supposed to get behind something if the stores they go to push in the opposite direction? But just saying so isn’t enough, and this story would be nothing without evidence:

A couple of months ago, my husband and I bought a pair of leather flip flops from the Beall’s in the North Lakeland Best Buy shopping center. I had forgotten my reusable shopping bags in the car, so I told the sales clerk that I didn’t need a bag (it was just one pair of flip flops, after all). The girl told me “we have to give you a bag.” Perhaps, but I don’t have to accept it. I repeated that I didn’t want a bag and grabbed the shoes as my husband paid. The girl acted positively pissed.

On Sunday, my husband and I rode our bikes to Walgreen’s to get some milk and some soup that was on sale. I told the girl as she was putting the milk in a plastic bag that she didn’t need to double-bag it. After all, we were going to put it in our backpacks. She pulled the milk out of the bag altogether. I thought, that’s fine, I really don’t need the bag. Then she took the unused bag and threw it in the garbage. I made her pull it back out and put my soup in it. I didn’t want the bag. But I quickly did the math and decided I’d rather her give me the bag because at least I would recycle it, rather than throw it in the trash.

So my question is this: have either of these scenarios ever happened to you? (Perhaps not exactly to the dime, but close?) If the answer if yes, then do you truly believe that stores — and, as runoff, consumers — would embrace and actively participate in more extensive recycling and waste reduction programs? And if the answer to that is yes, then I ask you: why haven’t they already, then?