The plastics companies don’t like this notion, for obvious reasons. They have hired swarms of lobbyists and spokespersons to represent them in communities where these laws have been considered, offering up some impressive arguments in favor of keeping the status quo: namely, the use of billions of non-reusable, non-biodegradable plastic bags every year, many of which end up as litter. As you might expect, the arguments against a sensible step towards environmental responsibility can be interesting, if not especially compelling.

One representative speaking before an Oregon Senate committee stated that a nickel charge for a paper bag amounts to a tax. Everyone hates taxes, right? Except that a tax is meant to provide revenue for the government, and this nickel you’d pay for a paper bag goes to the grocer, who can use it for whatever purpose he likes – such as paying for paper bags. The fee that is built into the purchase of every bottle of soda or beer you buy is returned when you recycle it. People got over that concept a long time ago and our streets and beaches are several billion cans and bottles freer because of it.

Another argument designed to appeal to the politics of the moment is the notion that banning plastic bags is a curtailment of personal freedom. According to a lobbyist for plastic manufacturer Helix, the Oregon legislature would be impinging on the (Constitutional?) rights of Oregonians by denying them the right to have plastic bags to throw away when they get home from the grocery store. You probably won’t find anything about this in the Constitution, but it’s a question of what the Framers intended.

It’s likely that the Framers weren’t ratifying the right to ignore common sense. Recently a new Maine legislator introduced a law to roll back the requirement to wear a seatbelt while driving because in his opinion, it is an undue violation of personal freedom. Said legislator declared in the same breath that he always wore a seatbelt, wouldn’t back out of the driveway without one in place. But it should be a matter of personal choice, he declared. After half the police departments in the state and a whole lot of parents showed up to testify on the bill, it was quietly shelved.

Using cool Reusable bags make sense. Reducing litter makes sense. Let’s hope that the Oregon legislature finds some sense in the support for reusable bags that is developing in the other forty nine states.

You can still get your lunches made just right and do it in an environmentally friendly way. The first thing you will need to do is make sure you arm your pantry with the right tools to get through the year. Here are a few tips that can help you pack a plastic bag-free lunch for your student.

Get reusable lunch bags! There are also many reusable snack containers that can be reused all year long. We at reusethisbag.com sell a customizable insulated lunch bag that’s a hit with the ‘pack your own lunch’ crowd.

Some more tips for make lunches completely plastic free:

Opt for natural wax paper to wrap your sandwiches in, if you don’t want to use reusable containers. Most health food stores offer natural wax paper, which is biodegradable and can be put into the recycling bin after each use.

Skip purchasing single serve items, like applesauce and other fruit cups, opting instead for larger jars. This will help you avoid using plastic, as you put single servings in reusable containers each day.

Send real utensils in lunches, rather than plastic disposables. If you don’t trust sending your good silverware, pick up a couple of forks and spoons at the store or thrift store that can be used just to be packed in lunches.

These tips work for the adult lunch as well as for your child’s lunch. As people learn more about the unhealthy effects that plastics have on our health and environment, they are searching for ways to reduce their use of it. Since you may be making school lunches for 185 days or more this school year, you can save a lot of plastic by opting for more environmentally friendly options.

To me, there can only be 1 culprit can be behind it. That culprit would be the makers of the plastic bags themselves! I mean really, bringing your own bags to the market can now make you die! Ecoli virus among countless others!!!
Well, I tell you what……I myself have been using my own reusable bags going on my 5th year.  In all my carries,  eggs, poultry, vegetables, and anything else i may buy I have never, not once, even had a spill of any considerable size in one of my reusable bags!   If i did, I would simply take out the bottom plastic insert and wipe free any “contaminates” that may be there and we would then be free and clear of the problem.  If it were that bad, i would wash my washable reusable bag in cold water and line dry. 

Problem fixed.

It is clear to me that the makers of the plastic bags are acting purely from greed and cash money is their objective.  They do not care that coral reefs are dying by plastic bag strangle hold.  They do not care that the los Angeles River looks like the trash dump from the original movie Star Wars!  They don’t care that  plastic bags waive from trees in Central park like Christmas ornaments, they do not care that CA spends $30,000,000 dollars per year on trying to contain their plastic disaster and barely scrapes the top of it.

plastic bags have a strangle hold on our seas!

The bottom line is that plastic bags are one of our great plagues in the world and slowly but surely people are being made aware of it.  As rap group “Public Enemy” once said, “Don’t Belive the Hype!”  Its propaganda, and it simply isnt true.

If the plastic bag manufacturers had any real amo they would be showing us all the bacteria and sickness’s that have arose from places like Ireland and Austrailia who are bothworking on 10 years free of plastic bags.  If there were any truth in any of this they would maybe start there.

Bottom line, plastic bags hurt the Earth, stay strong, keep bringing your reusable bags, and dont believe the Hype!  It simply isnt true!

 It is our hope that the rest of the country will follow suit and do the same within the next 5 years!

A bill being considered by the California State Assembly THIS Friday would enact a statewide ban on single-use bags at grocery stores! Click here to see the story by KPBS !

Let us take this day to be thankful for all that is Earthly! Fresh fruits and vegetables, snow capped mountain peaks, waves we ride, rivers that run, foggy mornings on the beach, Fish in our oceans, trout in our streams, the sun rising and falling every day, bonfires, the smell of pine trees, the smell of sea salt when the surf is big, wildlife in our forrests……

Add your thoughts!

Contest.

tell us the difference between biodegradable and compostable bags in 300 words or less???
Send your responses to doug@reusethisbag.com

first 10 correct entries get a reusable Bag kit from us

Reusable wine bags are the green way for wineries to give you that wonderful Cabernet. A stylish custom bag with the winery logo that will cut down on the packaging waste.

Remember the last time you bought several bottles of wine? You either got this huge cardboard box, or a double bagged plastic bag with each bottle in it’s own paper sleeve. It’s time for this wasteful insanity to stop!

At ReUseThisBag.com we’ve had these custom bags available for some time, but soon we will have a separate custom wine bags page on our site with all the details.

We’ve also have some other cool web upgrades in store for you soon!

Reusable Bags Make great marketing ideas

May sound strange the first time you hear it but recently it has come to our attention that some of our best clients and building every month are car dealerships. It sounds strange at first but the reality is that reusable bags go hand and hand with car dealerships for more than one reason.
The first and most obvious reason is that car dealerships rely on marketing for sales. I can think of no better reason than handing out thousands of reusable bags with your name on it to get the word out. For starters these bags last up to 300 uses, and this means that if you bought 5000 bags and they were all uses 300 times you would have 1,500,000 opportunities to get your name out. If 2 people looked at your bag (the person in front of you, and the person in back of you) at the market, thats 3 million direct impressions your order of reusable bags would have! Now you tell me, does that beat the local paper that runs once a week or what?
Other than that, I have heard this one that seems to be real popular with the car dealerships. “Come in and visit us and get a package of reusable bags! A package would refer to 3 reusable grocery bags, 1 hot/Cold insulated bag, and 1 6 bottle wine bag! Now i am no marketing professional but if i were in the car buying mood, that little package would definitely peek my interest!
Lastly, how about this idea. You take your car to trade it in and you find a new car to buy. (This has happened to all of us!) – The salesman says, great, congratulations on your new car- now here is a plaastic bag- “go clean out your car.” – Well how about the salesman handing you a nice reusable grocery bag! You then have a nice bag with handles on it to clean up all your cd’s,  trash, and junk in the glove box. Once home you simply dump the stuff out to sort- and are left with a great grocery bag with approx 299 more uses! The car saleman got the sale, the dealership got the marketing, and the cycle goes on.
What are your thoughts? We are Listening.

 I have heard so many times that church is a great place to do so.  Let’s face it though, Countless people between the ages of 30-40 don’ go to church at all. 

Sports clubs are a great way to meet people-though after 60 minutes of soccer the last thing anyone wants is to get close to someone and the most important thing then is a shower in all reality.

  How about using a dating service?  Some good some bad, this one seems cool: http://www.eharmony.com/

Well a couple of days ago while thinking about this it hit me like a ton of bricks!  The ultimate place to meet someone of the opposite sex and try your hand at maybe even starting a relationship is none other than attending a Beach Clean up.  Thats right, a beach clean up.

There are many reasons why a beach clean up is a great place for an introduction and here are a few.

-Beach Clean ups are typically early in the morning.  The reason this is good is because it pretty much guarantees you that the other person made a conscious decision to be there.  This shows they thought about it, and it was more important than hitting the bars drinking all night long.

-Beach Clean ups show the person is somewhat Eco savvy.  What i mean is that the person cares about the Earth, and wants to make a difference.  If he or she will get up and clean the beach of trash and cigarette butts, there is no telling what they may do for you! http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/07/no_more_butts_o.php

-Beach clean ups are great also because in a standard dating situation two people sit across a table from each other and converse.  Often times in new relationships this conversation can lull and feel awkward. http://datingisweird.blogspot.com/  Unlike a one on one date, with a beach clean up the two participants ebb and flow like the tide in and out of the shoreline as they share small stories and meander about picking up litter.  There are no awkward moments.  If you have nothing to say, you just walk out of distance for a minute or two while you regroup.

Beach clean ups generally happen at our most popular beach’s.  Typically our most popular beaches have lots of cute stores, breakfast spots and coffee houses near them.  What better than to show up on the beach, meet a nice guy or girl, help save the planet, and then finish the day with an invitation to someone to share a cup of coffee and reminisce the days events!

Finally, a great idea for a clean up is to show up with a reusable bag or two.  There is nothing worse than cleaning up a beach with a plastic bag that is out main culprit of the whole beach/ocean/trash issue anyhow.  Many reusable bags are washable.  You show up, fill up your bag, dump it, then go home and throw it in the washer!  http://www.reusethisbag.com/custom.asp

To conclude, have i sparked your interest?  Ready to attend a beach clean up? Surfrider foundation is a good place to start!  Odds are if you are on the West Coast, East Coast, or Gulf Coast there will be a Surfrider Foundation near you.  Contact them and they will be more than happy to set you up.  Here are some useful links.

Happy Picking!

DL

San Diego:http://www.surfridersd.org/beachcleanups.php

Los Angeles: http://www.surfrider-southbay.org/

San Francisco: http://www.sfsurfrider.org/

Seattle: http://www.surfrider.org/seattle/

Texas: http://www.surfrider.org/texas/

New York: http://www.surfrider.org/nyc/

Miami: http://www.surfridermiami.org/

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DL