By Emma Grady
New York, NY, USA | Tue Dec 09 12:30:00 GMT 2008
We love it when style and the environment come together: On your next journey to the grocery store—or better yet—the farmers' market set the eco-friendly example by throwing one of these five chic reusable tote bags over your shoulder.
Find it easier to just say "paper" or "plastic" at checkout? Think about this: each year 100,000 birds and marine animals die after encounters with plastic debris, mainly plastic bags. Plastic takes about 500 years to decompose, a fact that becomes even more sobering knowing that nearly seven billion plastic bags are used at store checkouts annually. Paper bags are just as bad (worse, some argue). In 1999, the U.S. was responsible for cutting down 14 million trees to produce 10 billion paper grocery bags. The good news is more and more efforts are being made to ban plastic bags and several major retailers, such as Ikea, are starting to charge for each bag handed out, a practice that is the norm in Europe.
This stylish roundup will encourage you to never leave the grocery store with paper or plastic again.
Why We Like It: The Beau Bag by Beau Soleil, toted around town by the likes of supermodel Christie Brinkley, is reputed to be the green 'it' bag of the moment. A nice perk: It comes with a handy exterior pocket for your cell phone.
Eco factor: Stamped in muted grey lettering with the worthy green phrase "Reduce Recycle Renew," this natural-colored organic cotton canvas bag is hand-washable and durable. Handles, also in grey, are made with recycled rope.
Size: 20 inches long by 15 inches wide, 4.5 inches in diameter.
Where: El Sueño Verde
How much: Currently on sale for $35
Why We Like It: The limited edition Kitchen tote is a whimsical tribute to the kitchen utensil. Part of an artist series, Kitchen is the brainchild of graphic designer and illustrator Nina Palmer, founder of Vancouver-based design studio Platform.
Eco factor: Color comes from all-natural vegetable dyes and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Nature Conservancy of Canada and local art communities.
Size: 17 inches long by 16 inches wide, 4 inches in diameter.
Where: Canada-based BYOB: Bring Your Own Bag or New York-based Nimli
How much: Currently on sale at Nimli for $33
Why we like it: The solid black canvas John by Phoenix, Arizona-based B. Happybags is a timeless, go-with-anything tote.
Eco factor: Made out of domestically sourced woven recycled plastic bottles, John is machine-washable and durable enough to withstand hundreds of heavy shopping days.
Size: 15 inches long by 12 inches wide, 8 inches in diameter.
Where: CarrotSeed
How much: $21
Why we like it: The Green 8 Tote by Reiter8 calls to the sporty sailor in all of us with its fresh, nautical design. Carrying a heavy load? You'll appreciate the 26-inch black nylon webbing strap, which is long enough to wear over the shoulder. Three inside compartments keep stuff organized and within reach.
Eco factor: The Green 8 Tote is made from sturdy recycled sailboat sails, which often end up in a landfill when a boat gets an upgrade. The interior is lined with chocolate-colored organic twill cotton. And don't forget that sailing is one of the greenest forms of transportation!
Size: 14.5 inches long by 14.5 inches wide with a 3-inch deep box bottom
Where: Reiter8
How much: $65
Why We Like It: A posh throwback to the 1950's, the Envirosax Retro Graphic Bag 3 weighs a mere 1.4 ounces, which means you can tuck it just about everywhere for easy access. It's also waterproof, insuring dewy veggies and sweating ice cream won't leave unwanted damp spots when you set your bag down and packaging stays dry when it rains.
Eco factor: True, it's made of polyester, but this machine-washable bag is inexpensive (the cheapest on this list), designed to last for years, and can hold the weight equivalent of two supermarket plastic bags—or up to 44 pounds.
Size: 19.5 inches long by 16.5 inches wide
Where: Envirosax Online
How much: $8.50 or $38 for a pack of five
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