Beyond the Bag

STEP 1 - LEARN
Why Plastic Bags are Bad:

• Plastic bags are made from petroleum, a non-renewable resource from which we are trying to wean our dependence.
• Approximately 3 million barrels of oil are used to produce the 27.5 billion plastic bags used annually in California (Greenwire, 2004).
• Plastic does not go away. It breaks down into microscopic toxins that enter the water you drink, the food you eat, and the bodies of those you love.
• As plastic bags degrade, the petrochemicals release harmful chemicals linked to a variety of health issues from early onset of puberty to cancer.
• Plastic bags have been banned in Australia, Ireland, Italy, South Africa, Taiwan, Bangladesh and Rwanda. China has put a tax on plastic bags.
• Plastic bags kill marine life through entanglement, suffocation and starvation by ingestion.

STEP 2 - BYOB! Bring Your Own Bag (and remember to use it).

• Carry natural fiber reusable bags with you at all times. Keep them in your purse, car, stroller, gym bag.
• Use linen or recyclable brown paper bags for fresh produce and bulk items.
• Use a basket.
• Get bags here if you don’t have any yet.

STEP 3 - THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE PUTTING IN YOUR BAG?
We call it Shopping with W.H.O.A. and ask that you keep these considerations in mind when making your purchases.

• Where did it come from? How far did it travel and how many resources were used up in the transportation? Is there a locally made alternative?
• How was it made? Is your great deal at the expense of a child laborer in some third world country? Were toxins used in the manufacturing process? Were the production and manufacturing methods just, equitable and environmentally healthy?
• Oh do I really need this? Because sometimes you just don’t; And sometimes you just do.
• Are you able to re-use, pass it on, or re-purpose the item? Or is it going to end up in a landfill adding to the methane gases heating our environment?

Basically, we’re asking you to think about the story of stuff in your life.In fact, check out Annie Leonard’s phenomenal video of the same name at StoryOfStuff.org

It is said you can most clearly see what someone values by looking at the entries in their checkbook. What do you value? On what are you spending your hard earned money? Nobel Peace Prize nominee Thich Nhat Hanh extols the values of Mindful Consumerism in his Zen Buddhist teachings. “Consuming mindfully,” he writes, “is the intelligent way to stop ingesting toxins into our consciousness and prevent the malaise from becoming overwhelming.” START SHOPPING RESPONSIBLY TODAY