Going Green: Your Bag

Many people currently are concerned about the well-being of their environment. However, there are still those select few that believe they are too busy to be environmentally friendly. One way that takes no time whatsoever is choosing the right bag at the grocery store. So, the question is, " What is your bag?" Do you choose paper or plastic?

The active environmentalist will generally reuse their bags and sometimes even bring them to the store as they shop. This is an excellent way to go green without a lot of effort involved. Be aware of what you are shopping for and how much so that you will bring enough back from home with you. This is a wonderful way to say that you reuse and recycle, plus you are helping to eliminate waster in the environment.

Paper bags, though they may be more environmentally safe, they too have their drawbacks. The amount of trees it takes per year in order to make paper bags is somewhere in the neighborhood of 14 million trees. So while the idea of paper bags seems like a great choice for the environment, the trees are suffering because of it. Also, the less trees we have on the planet, the less clean air we breathe. Now, if you compare plastic bags, which are not environmentally helpful at all, it takes about 10 to 12 billion barrels of oil to make these bags. And not only that, but it takes a few thousand years for plastic to eventually disintegrate.

Many people just choose plastic, because it is cheap. Usually the cheapest and easiest to produce is what chain stores and businesses count on. The way to make the dollar and also to save the dollar is generally the most important idea in the capital world. Plastic bags are still a direct threat to wildlife. All types of wildlife, especially on coastal areas are forced to live and die with these bags on the shore and in their homes.

Since there is no right or wrong answer here, the best way is to bring your own bag. Some popular ones are now being sold with handles. These are best designed for light grocery shopping and are generally made of cloth. Cloth bags are often sturdier and have a longer life of endurance than paper or plastic bags, which are known to tear or have holes in them after multiple uses. These cloth bags will not only help save the environment, but they will allow you to do your small part in the growing going green idea. And the beauty of it is it takes no effort!