I did it!

Actually, I've done it twice now. I made it out of the grocery store with NO plastic or paper bags! I have been trying for several months now to make the switch to reusable bags and I've been running into roadblocks each time. First, I didn't have bags. So, I bought one of the store's bags as a start and Cindy was going to make us all some to use. Well, we were all sitting at Anna's one day discussing which bags would make the best pattern and Anna was pulling out different bags she had from conferences, etc. - and the light bulb clicked! I've got several bags that I've gotten at conferences and seminars over the years that would be perfect, so I came home and dug around in the closets and pulled out all those bags. I had 7 bags just laying around the house that never get used! Yeah, you say you'll use them but then they get shoved to the back of the closet or whatever and you forget about them. But they are perfect for their new use. And I also have a wonderful insulated bag that Anna got us from Trader Joe's when they went to California. It's perfect for the cold stuff!

So, now I have the bags - but I couldn't remember to take them with me when I went to the store. I would either leave them sitting right by the door when I left or my store trip would be an afterthought when I was already in town. So, after Cindy mentioned that as soon as she unloads her bags they go right back in the van - I went and put my bags in the car right then. I mean, what's one more thing in the back of my car, right? And it's helped - they are there any time I need to stop in the store to just pick up a "couple of things" when I'm already in town. And I had used them for that a couple of times before I actually did my first "full" shopping trip with them.

I wasn't sure I was going to have enough bags - but I have a couple of larger bags and they hold SO much! It's amazing how much you can put in them because they are sturdier and won't break under the weight - and they're not that heavy to carry either. So, I've made it out twice now with a buggy full of groceries and no plastic bags! It's a great feeling actually. So, go straight to your closets now and dig out all those bags you never use and put them to good use - but put them in your car first!

It's amazing how disposable our society has become. Now, don't get me wrong - we still use disposable plates, plastic wear, cups, napkins, etc. occasionally - but I certainly do think about how much waste it creates more than I used to. Cindy turned me on to cloth napkins several years ago - and mainly because they are so cute! We get ours from www. storksavers.com. Erin does a wonderful job and she does "special orders" even though She's gone back to work full-time outside the home. She does great work and she does so much more than napkins. You should check her out. We have lots of different patterns - I got ladybugs for Dakota one year and John Deere for Drake. The kids love them, too. And I read this recently on ivillage: "If everyone in the U.S. used an average of one less napkin per day, more than 1 billion pounds of napkins could be saved from landfills each year." That's huge!

So, I guess I've turned this into my Earth day tribute blog without meaning to - but I guess every little bit we each do will help in big ways. So bring on the ethanol fuel..........and if I could just figure out how to buy the food in the store without all the packaging????

What are you doing to be more Earth friendly? I'd love to hear everyone else's ideas. Maybe by sharing our ideas we'll find something new we could do, too.