SustainLane - Paper or Plastic?

April 2008
Edition 50

Greetings!

Recent statistics show that Americans throw out over 100 billion plastic bags a year, accounting for almost 2% of all landfill waste. Not to mention that making and transporting those bags requires more than 12 million barrels of oil.

Paper bags aren't much better. Each year, more than 14 million trees are cut down to make paper bags for US consumption alone.

So which is the greener choice?

The answer, of course, is neither. Most of the world's problems are not black and white, so it's a pleasure to find one that has an obvious solution. The question now: Which reusable bag is best?

Rachel K. owns a Chico Bag so she's never caught empty-handed, Cris B. shops in style with her Envirosax totes, Debra B. recommends her waterproof Trader Joe's bag for shoppers everywhere, and SustainLane site producer Jenn A. shares some figures on the problems with disposable bags in our weekly staff pick.

Speaking of bags, make sure to check out this week's Green Video of the Week, as SustainLane launches it's new green-friendly kid series The Green Gorilla. Plus, read up on all the latest bag news in our In the News section.

Green Video of the Week - Gorilla in the Greenhouse

Plastic Bags, oh no! Check out the pilot episode of SustainLane's own "Gorilla in the Greenhouse" show. The episode, entitled "The Great Pacific Garbage Patch," launched yesterday, Earth Day 2008. Follow the kids as they face a demented plot by Dr. Morton Huffelbot to create an island of plastic bags in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Watch it now!

Have any ideas for next weeks green video of the week? (the topic is "Green Kids") Please e-mail us at community@sustainlane.com and let us know!

"I looove my ChicoBag. I think more than the bag itself, I love the concept. I have tons of reusable tote shopping bags that I bring with me on big shopping trips. But it was the "quick trip on the way home from work/school/day at the park" that would always catch me without a bag...." click here to read more

Do you own a Chico Bag? Prefer a different reusable tote? Write a review at SustainLane.com and tell everyone what you think!

Staff Pick - Reusable Bag Facts and Figures

SustainLane site producer Jenn A. loves nothing more than getting her facts straight (well, that and vegan ice-cream). Keep reading to learn more about disposable bags than you ever wanted to know.

Some Facts About Bags

"I now have about 16 canvas bags -- I swear they multiply like rabbits when the closet door is closed. Sadly, this is not the experience of most people. According to an EPA statistic on reusablebags.com, the U.S. consumes over 380 billion plastic bags, sacks and wraps each year. Here are some more figures:

* Introduced just over 25 years ago, the ugly truth about our plastic bag addiction is that society's consumption rate is now estimated at well over 500,000,000,000 (that's 500 billion) plastic bags annually, or almost 1 million per minute.

* Single-use bags made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) are the main culprit. Once brought into existence to tote your purchases, they'll accumulate and persist on our planet for up to 1,000 years..."

click here to read more

Like these great statistics? Have any fun ones of your own? Share your knowledge at SustainLane.com!

Featured Business: Envirosax

Reusable bags are all about helping the planet, but who said you can't save the earth and look stylish at the same time? Read on to see why Cris B. thinks these chic bags deserve as much space in Glamour as the latest Prada purse.

Click for Envirosax

It's in the bag! Five Stars

"You can now shop and bag your groceries in style with an ENVIROSAX tote, designed by an Australian manufacture of cloth bags with a distribution base in California. Choose bags from their colorful, non-fading, Graphic Series, made of lightweight, waterproof polyester: retro, amazon, flora, monochromatic or retro kitchen, OR, from their Organic Series: bamboo, linen or hemp. The..." click here to read more

Like your Envirosax bag? Prefer a different brand? Write a review at SustainLane.com and share your experiences!

Forward This Newsletter - Win a Klean Kanteen

Do you like getting green product and business information from SustainLane every Wednesday? Think you know someone else who might like it too?

There's never been a better time to spread the word. SustainLane has partnered with Nubius Organics to reward five lucky subscribers who pass on this week's newsletter with a limited edition Earth Day Klean Kanteen.

All you have to do to enter is forward this newsletter to four or more friends/colleagues/associates and copy spreadtheword@sustainlane.com on the e-mail (we won't collect your friends' information; it's for verification purposes only). Then sit back and relax, and see if you're one of this week's lucky five!

Trader Joe's Reusable Grocery Bag

Trader Joe's has several strong points: cheap prices, Two Buck Chuck ($3 for all you folks not living in sunny California), and their eye catching tote bag. Read on if you want to know why Debra B. loves the latter.

Click for Trader Joe's Grocery Bag

Trader Joe's Reusable Shopping Bag

"I have a lot of reusable bags, this is my only one like this. It is stiff, easy to wipe off, same size as a regular grocery bag. It is also great as the "outside" bag to put all the other floppier..." click here to read more

Have any thoughts on Trader Joe's or their bags? Write a review at SustainLane.com and share!

Shopping Bags in the News

Phasing disposable bags out of our lives is a choice currently left to the consumer. Check out the articles below to see why so many people are already making the switch, and why government is starting to have a say in the process as well.

So many places have banned plastic bags that we simply can't link to them all, but we did think this particular ban deserved a mention.

What the Plastic Industry is doing to fight plastic bag bans around the country.

Would Barbie use a tote bag?

Santa Monica's Plastic Bag Monster.

Thoughts about these headlines? Email us at community@sustainlane.com and let us know!

Upcoming Events

SCA EarthVision Summit
A chance for students to join forces with other young conservation leaders from around the nation, craft new solutions to key environmental issues, and launch action-oriented conservation strategies to support our planet.
April 24 - 27
Washington, DC
thesca.org

All Things Organic
An event focused exclusively on organic products--all products on display must be certified organic, made with certified organic ingredients or be approved for use in organic products.
April 27 - 29
Chicago, IL
organicexpo.com