Too Busy To Be Eco-Friendly? You're Not Alone

Filed under: Storage & Cleaning, Storage & Organization

Our writer has a stash of reusable grocery bags. Just don't ask her if she uses them.

My name is Sara, and I'm a modern-day bag lady. I'm not ashamed to admit it -- I'm completely and undeniably lost without all of my "stuff." My bottomless pit of a handbag is home to just about everything, from notebooks to sleeves of Oreos.

Hell, I've even been known to pull out an entire counter's worth of Bobbi Brown makeup in a pinch! Seriously, Mary Poppins has nothing on me.


And just when I thought my list of must-have items had hit an all-time high, I decided to have a baby. Suddenly, my one giant tote turned into one giant tote, a massive diaper bag, a stroller the size of a Cadillac and a traveling pharmacy, stocked with Orajel, baby powder and wipes galore. I repeat: Mary Poppins has nothing on me.

So, long story short, I've recently decided to simplify things. As far as I'm concerned, it's the easy way or the highway. If I don't absolutely need it, I'm leaving it at home. End of story.


Unfortunately, this means that my once-dedicated attitude toward living green has taken a major back seat. It's not something I'm proud of, but it's true. It's as simple as this: When running down my mental list of 153 things to grab before leaving the house, my stash of reusable grocery bags just doesn't even cross my mind. Am I the only person who wants to do the right thing but flat-out forgets to most of the time?

"My main problem with reusable bags is that I never remember to keep them with me," says Jessica Spalding, a mother of one in Phoenix, Arizona. "I store them in a closet and always forget to bring them along when I go shopping. I always wish I had brought them once I'm at the store, but it's definitely become harder to remember to bring them since having a baby."

Katie Fagan, who lives in New York City, agrees. She says that she has the best of intentions, and she carries a pretty big tote with her, but if she added reusable bags, it would feel cluttered. "I have to consciously remember to take them out of the cabinet and bring them with me," she says. "As soon as I see a store attendant bagging up my items in a plastic or paper bag, I think, 'I should've brought my reusables!'"

Management at Whole Foods Market, the organic grocery store chain that discontinued the distribution of single-use plastic bags back in 2008, acknowledges that many of their customers forget their reusable bags. "The 'memory and habit' hang-up is tricky," says Lee Kane, EcoCzar for the North Atlantic Region. "Most people don't plan ahead for their shopping excursion to the extent of remembering that they'll need their reusable bags."

The stores have tried all kinds of tricks to help customers remember their bags: They've posted big signs in their parking lots (e.g. "Did you remember your reusable bags?"), similar signs on our shopping carts and even used Twitter to spread the word. "I think all of those things help to some extent, but this truly seems to be the biggest challenge to the success of reusable bags thus far," he says.

So what's the solution? As with all things, it seems that a savings incentive might just do the trick. "If stores offered some sort of discount for using reusable bags, I think that would help me remember to bring them with me," says Fagan.

Kane agrees: "We do offer customers a refund of 5 to 10 cents per bag (depending on the region) to encourage our shoppers to bring back bags for reuse."

Still, there are super moms out there. Jenn Marden, a new mom who lives outside of Atlanta, says that she uses reusables as often as possible -- and not just for groceries. "I like to use Envirosax because I can roll them up and keep one in my purse," she says. "I try to keep the rest in my car so I don't forget them (they come in a set of 4 or 5). Plus, they carry significantly more than the average grocery bag, which means less trips to and from the car."

I could do better, I know it. As Katie says, "The majority of people are environmentally conscious, but let's be honest -- we all forget and could do better."

My thoughts exactly. But until I can leave the traveling circus behind every time I leave the house, I've decided to let myself off the hook. At least for now.

Join the conversation: What are your thoughts about reusable bags? Have any clever tips for remembering to use them? Share your thoughts with us on Facebook. For more information about the Whole Foods Market "A Better Bag" product, click here.

For more stylish ways to recycle, we love:
- Turn Bottles Into Art
- Rescue Your Recycling Area

And check out this eye-opening piece from AOL News about reusable grocery bags: Study: Reusable Shopping Bags Rarely Washed, Breed Bacteria. Eek!

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments