BYOB - Bring Your Own Bag

If you are like me, when you open the cabinet under your sink or your home's utility closet, you'll find a nest of plastic grocery bags.  Every few days, you may use one as a trash bag or for some other small project, but regardless of how you use them, the pile never seems to get smaller.  Bringing your own bag to the supermarket is a great way to take back your closet space and be a friend to the environment.

Of course, this is not new news to you.  People have been bringing their own bags to stores for years.  However, the BYOB movement is not just about toting around a couple of canvas bags anymore.  Retailers now understand that encouraging people to transport their purchases in re-usable materials saves them a mint.  Stores spend a tremendous amount of money providing Americans with over 84 billion plastic bags each year.  When we work together to keep plastic bags out of landfills, we all reap the reward.

What's in it for you?  Well, besides the obvious environmental benefits to bringing your own bag, today's re-usable totes are much studier and fashion forward than plastic bags.  Fashion designers clearly heard the cry of green fashionistas who wanted to save the environment without looking like bag ladies.  Your shopping experiences with these eco-friendly accessories will not only make you feel good, but look good too.

FYI:  New York drugstore chain Duane Reade recently partnered with fashion designer Alvin Valley to create the "Use it, don't abuse it." eco-tote.  This re-usable bag made from 100% organic cotton and manufactured in the fair trade labor market of Bangladesh can be purchased at any Duane Reade store.  Shoppers who use the totes receive special store incentives while a portion of the proceeds from bag sales goes to the eco-conscious Stevenson Green Roof Project.