It’s in the Bag
February 7, 2008
My friend Freddie emailed me earlier this week inquiring about where to find chic, unbranded, reusable grocery and/or goods totes. To wit:
I want to stop using plastic bags…but I also don’t want to buy a reusable bag emblazoned with the place I shop on it. I don’t want to pay to advertise for someone. Where can I find brand free bags?
Verily I say unto thee: Do not fear. You’ve got loads of options. Here are a few I’ve found:
Reusablebags.com: We’re talking chic-bag supermart, here. I’m a fan of the ECOBAGS string bag (I have one, myself), which expands and contracts as if by magic. If it isn’t groceries you need, check out Built NY’s line of insulated lunchbags and wine transporters. Made of what feels like scuba-suit material, these rock-solid sacks are built Ford tuff.
Envirosax: Icky name, cool product. For a mere $35, you get 5 — count em, 5 — totes with Hawaiian-inspired, gollygosh prints:
The nylon-y bags measure in at 19.5 in. x 16.5 in.: when unfurled, they’re roomy enough for a few days’ worth of edibles; when sqinched, they’re compact enough to stash in your bag. And, if you’re not into the Island motif, you can takealong mod geometrics or graphic black and white.
Craftathalon: If you want to get crafty, check out ThreadBanger’s recent vid on bag re-use, courtesy of the ThreadHeads themselves. Also take a look-see at BurdaStyle’s free downloadable bag pattern.
Finally: there’s always the thrift shop. A few of my totes have come from this treasure trove, including a bright orange jelly-sandal–like basket that doesn’t hold a lotta heavies, but sure looks sweet loaded with veggables. Happy hunting.
Thank you so much my friend!!! I am torn between the hawaiian print and the mod collection!! But am soooo excited to spend the b-day money on something useful!!
So you don’t like single-use bags? What a bunch of Bag Monster Busters! There’s a blog for people who want to laugh about the bag crisis: http://www.BagMonsterBusters.com
Like many other Bag Monsters, I started off as one bag that was stuffed under a nasty kitchen sink. When enough single-use bags get together, we take on a life of our own as Bag Monsters. I started my blog to bring a voice to those who have been silenced by Bag Bans. (www.BagMonster.com) San Francisco’s Anti-Bag Monster agenda is spreading around the world and it’s getting harder to be a Bag Monster in the Age of Bag Bans! I can’t even get a job because of those new-fandangled reusable bags.
Plenty of urbanites don’t get it, they just think disposable. From their sedentary lifestyles they can’t believe the Reusable Generation is upon them. Here are always choices in life and as an alternative ideas guy I like to stay on top of things.
I’m also into my wine, so finding renewable and reusable solutions to packing my wine bottles around goes down on the top of my checklist. Glass bottles, well their already recycling most of that stuff. Paper and plastic gift wrapping and grocery store trip’n, I’ve solved that too.
Recently I began buying Wine Bags Company’s BYOTotes and NeoBags from their website at winebags.com because they have a SPECIAL every day of the week on different shopping bags and wine bags reusable. Perfect for the aficionado in all of us. Check them out click here: Wine Bags or email them at wines@winebags.com.
[...] it with me, kiddies: Take your own bags to the grocery [...]
This is a cool bag that stuffs into itself so that it about the size of an egg.
http://www.greenfeet.com/itemMatrix.asp?GroupCode=6012%2D00145&eq=&MatrixType=1&gclid=CMGotazP8ZECFQgmawod60WbwQ