TODAY'S TURN: Avoid the Bag Battle

THE ISSUE:
Paper or plastic? Sort of like asking whether you'd like your eyes glued shut or your tongue stapled. Or asking which of your children you love more. There's no right answer. I found an excellent media show on MSNBC.com that shows just how hard this choice can be. I thought it was a simple choice - would you rather have toxic landfills or wipe out some more trees? Apparently, not even that simple. The video brings up some tough facts from several sources:

Plastic...
...kills thousands of marine animals each year.
...uses 12 million barrels of oil to fill U.S. grocery bag needs.
...won't degrade until every one of us is dead, at the very least.

Paper...
...takes 40% more energy to make.
...requires 5x as many trucks to ship.
...is made by one of the top 10 most polluting industries.

THE GOOD TURN:
Both paper and plastic are improving. Makers of oxo-biodegradable plastic bags claim that their bags can degrade in as litte as a few months. And most paper bags are already made with at least 35% recycled stuff. So all you have to do is shop at stores that carry oxo-bio and recycled bags, right? We could end up doing all our shopping at Hemp.com.

How about something more realistic. Until a clear winner emerges, how about trying a reusable bag? Some are sturdy, some are arty, some are exceedingly convenient. But they have one thing in common: it's a choice you won't EVER feel guilty about.

Click here to do this Good Turn:
Trader Joe's bags are popular on ebay.
The nylon ChicoBag collapses into its own pouch.
Basura Art Bags are handmade for fair trade wages in Honduras.
Reusablebags.com has a list of reusable shopping items.