Eco Art Chronicles : Reusable Sandwich Bags Changing the World One Lunch at a Time

Sometimes it's the little things in life that make such a huge difference. Something so trivial in our day to day lives, like a sandwich bag, generally slips by unnoticed. We are programmed to buy these on our normal trips to the grocery store, when running low never thinking twice....

Not until now, when Kwan of Granby Massachusetts thought of a small solution to a huge global problem. Tired of her boys tossing away tons of used sandwich baggies into the trash, and fed up with contributing to global waste product known as ocean and landfill plastic clutter, she took the initiative to come up with an eco friendly alternative.

Behold, the WasteNot Saks™ were born. These are handmade, reusable sandwich and lunch bags. You can wash them, rinse them, reuse them, and overall reduce trash and save money in the long run. Additionally, you can teach your kids how to get involved in something good - making an eco-friendly positive impact. From your lunch at the office to your kid's after school snacks, it all adds up.

Kwan indicates, "This reusable sandwich bag has the potential to take the place of more than 1,000 plastic bags in its lifetime. Not only does this save all of these bags from becoming non-biodegradable trash, but you will also save your hard earned money from the trash as well. " It is estimated by Kwan that an average family over time using the WasteNot Saks™ can save thousands of dollars on store bought products depending on family size and frequency of use.

How did this start? Kwan is a full time mom and part time pediatrician with a love for sewing. When her boys were getting older, she found they were using an incredible amount of plastic bags, for both lunchtime and school snacks. She asked them to bring home the sandwich bags so she could rinse and reuse them. Unfortunately, this never happened.

She took it upon herself to find a viable solution. She created reusable cloth bags out of their favorite fabrics. Enter a whole new appreciation for the common lunch or snack bag-ones they were quick to bring home.

The bags themselves are made to last and take environmental concerns into play during the manufacturing process. Kwan says, "Each eco-friendly bag is made with a stylish cotton exterior and lined with a water-resistant, FDA approved, food safe nylon. Our items contain no PVC, no Phthalate, no BPA, and no Lead. An added bonus of using nylon is that your food will not come into contact with polyurethane as it would with a PUL liner."

Her boys are more conscious of the environment now. Kwan indicates, "They treasure their bags and would not imagine just tossing them. They are now also more conscious about reusing and recycling in general. I have some incredible upcycled art on my desk to prove it."

Though her Etsy store has only been open a little over a year, she has sold almost 5500 bags. Recently she was inducted into the Etsy Recyclers Guild Team, a global team who believes in recycling and upcycling. She won the Monthly Member Spotlight Award for February 2010.

This is just the beginning of a very important role in life for Kwan, for she's saving the world one sandwich bag at a time. You can find out more about her bags (sometimes you'll even find doggie treat bags) at her shop on Etsy, under WasteNot Saks™.