| Paper or
plastic? Have you noticed that as the person asking
this question begins to bag your groceries, he or
she is already reaching for one of those flimsy
plastic bags before you even have a chance to
answer? Most of them never even stop to consider
that you may have brought your very own reusable
bag. Part of the reason for the push to plastic by
grocery store chains is that paper grocery bags
come at a greater cost to retailers than their
plastic counterparts.
With Earth Day quickly approaching, Whole Foods is
doing their part to keep millions of plastic bags
out of our landfills. It is predicted that this
eco-friendly action by Whole Foods will keep nearly
100 million plastic bags out of our environment
between Earth Day on April 22 and the end of this
year. That is an incredible positive impact for our
environment. Just imagine if other grocery store
chains followed their lead.
Now if you don't have
your own reusable shopping bags, then there are
other options for you at Whole Foods. They will
continue to offer their shoppers, at no charge, four
different sizes of paper bags which are made from
100% recycled paper. There is also the option of
purchasing one of their reusable bags for 99 cents.
These reusable bags are 80% constructed from
recycled plastic bottles. Whole Foods will also
offer canvas bags ranging in price from $6.99 to
$35.00.
Think about this the next time you are asked whether
you prefer paper or plastic. It is estimated by the
environmental research group, Worldwatch that in the
United States alone we throw away approximately 100
billion plastic bags per year! They also say that
it takes over 1,000 years for a single
non-recyclable plastic bag to disintegrate in a
landfill. Please just say no to plastic. If you've
not yet committed to reusable bags, then at least
opt for paper. This pretty simple earth friendly
action on your part can payoff in big dividends for
our earth. |
