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Holter Graham offers a behind-the-scenes look at Planet Green's Wasted and shares his eco adventures and advice.
OK, repeat after me:
Sokay, eyeowneedabag.
Got it: Try again:
Sokay, eyeowneedabag.
That's the phonetic version of "It's okay, I don't need a bag." That's what it sounds like when you're actually out in the world talking to store clerks and deli counters.
Just learn it.Then start saying it. You can start right there.
Most people don't help the planet because they never get around to starting a new lifestyle: it's too big a job, too large a step to take.
I have found that you can approach it backwards; sneak up on it, if you will, and then, all of a sudden, you're living green.
Just say Sokay, eyeowneedabag when you go to the store. Don't prepare, don't freak out, just say it.
Sokay, eyeowneedabag.
You will find that clerks and deli counters don't believe you. They think they misheard you. They're creatures of habit just like us. You'll get a bag anyway, and you'll LIKE IT.
But after a couple of tries you get assertive, or your local deli learns 'here's comes the lunatic who doesn't want a bag.' Eventually it happens more smoothly, and you don't get a bag.
OK, now what? Now you find yourself with two diet sodas, a granola bar, and a 12-pack of condoms, and no bag. Whaddaya do?
You figure it out. Most people wandering the streets in their daily routine actually already have a damn bag--be it their backpack, their purse, their briefcase, or just a bag they got earlier in the day. is there some biblical rule I don't know about that says that a soda bottle can't share space with your day-planner or your glasses? Did I miss that memo? "Oh dear, my gummi bears are touching my Gossip Magazine! What ever will I do?"
If you truly don't have a bag, you will have the sightly unpleasant task of getting home with a handful of stuff. Which, while not as bad as having your arm broken in a bar brawl, isn't pleasant. But it's not starving or drowning, either, which is what will happen if we all ignore the planet's complaints.
So, because you have inconvenienced yourself, you will change your habits, buy a one dollar reusable bag or two, and keep them on you.
Problem solved. You've backed into a green lifestyle. By making the small change, and saying
Sokay, eyeowneedabag
First, you organically created the situation wherein you, at your own pace and in your own time, changed your behavior. And, in doing, changed the planet. For the better. Thanks.
Read more about brining your own bag:
Bring Your Own: Reusable Bags, Cups & More
Dragon88 Launches Recycled, Reusable Bag Line
The Mini Maxi Shopper: the Reusable Bag you won't Forget
Paper Bags or Plastic Bags? Everything You Need to Know
Q&A: Retail Carry Bags - Paper or Plastic?
Anya Hindmarch's Carrier Bag
BYOB - Bring Your Own Bag
Bagging the Bag: A Revolt Against Going Green
Get Recession-Ready: Brown Bag It
Help Provide Food for the World by Purchasing a FEED 1 Bag
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