More reasons to purge disposable plastic bags and try reusable bags

Whole Foods has announced it will stop using disposable plastic bags by Earth Day. This decision came on the heals of China banning production of these bags in an effort to curb litter for the 2008 Summer Olympics and to (allegedly) benefit the environment. Ikea made a switch away from disposable plastic bags in March of last year, and Costco has never used them.

The city of San Francisco also has banned the use of these bags, and, according to the Los Angeles Times, Bakersfield, Boston, and Phoenix are considering similar bans.

We’ve talked in the past about how plastic bags from grocery stores shouldn’t become clutter in your home in our post Reusable shopping bags. Now seems like an appropriate time to bring up the topic again since more stores and municipalities are requiring patrons to use their own bags.

We recommend bags that fold up into small totes so that you don’t create more clutter for yourself storing the reusable bags. Based on comments to our previous post and our internal research, here is an expanded list of suggestions:

Popularity: 38% [?]

Posted by Erin on Feb 5, 2008 | 57 Comments | | Tags: ,

Shootsac organizes your camera lenses for simple transport

ShootsacI just read a review by Ryan Brenizer over at the Amazon Blog for the Shootsac. The Shootsac is a bag that holds multiple camera lenses for quick and easy access. The Shootsac’s design was created by wedding photographer Jessica Claire. From Ryan Brenizer’s article:

Specifically, she realized that while on a shoot, she almost never had to put her camera away, but she always needed to change lenses — so why not make a bag designed for that task? The ShootSac was born.

This bag is designed for serious photographers and professionals. Most amateurs won’t want to part with upwards of $150 for a bag to hold lenses. But, for those of you out there looking for an uncluttered option for lugging around your lenses, this looks like a well-designed option. More from the review:

Even with the extra lenses, it was more comfortable than my normal bag — the center of gravity is much closer to the body, allowing weight to be better distributed. During a shoot, I usually unhook my bag, put it down, and keep running back and forth. That was never an issue now.

Popularity: 14% [?]

Posted by Matt on Jan 31, 2008 | 5 Comments | | Tags: , , ,

Reusable shopping bags

Reader Danielle sent us a suggestion for collapsible, reusable bags and totes. These bags fold into handy carrying cases when not in use. Their small size makes storing them simple, and the bags keep you from collecting a seemingly endless supply of paper/plastic bags from the grocery store. And, since they’re reusable, they help the environment. There are a number of brands on the market, but these two look pretty snazzy:

Thanks, Danielle, for the suggestion!

Popularity: 8% [?]

Posted by Erin on Dec 3, 2007 | 39 Comments | | Tags: ,

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