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Archive for the ‘Week 7 Plastic Bags’ category

Repurpose Old Items

February 3rd, 2010

I wanted to write about some interesting things you can make out of old things. I knew of some great ways they reuse old items, but I wanted to find out what else they can make out of old things.

1. Sweater Totes: Everyone has old sweaters that either get holey, or worn out. This would be a great way to make something that would otherwise get thrown away, into something usable again.

2. Cork Trivet and Cork Board: I really liked the idea of making a bulletin board out of cork. I think that this has a unique look, and is definitely something people will ask about. I am collecting corks from old wine bottles, however we mostly get boxed wine, so this may take a while.

3. Tennis Shoes: This is an interesting video on how Nike reuses all of the components of old tennis shoes for different athletic surfaces. I know in Fargo, there are collection sites for old shoes for this purpose.

4. Flip Flops: This is an amazing article on how the beaches of Africa are cleaned up; large amounts of flip flops are turned into beautiful art by local artisans. What a great way to kill two birds with one stone; as the article says.

5. Plastic Bags: I see that many people make reusable bags out of plastic bags. This website gives you patterns to making beautiful bags out of something that may take a lot of time and energy to recycle.

I know there are also many other interesting ways companies take in old products/clothing and make them into other usable things. Please leave us a comment if you have any interesting ways to reuse common items.

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Posted in Ashley's Posts, Week 7 Plastic Bags

Tags: cork flip flops plastic bags Repurpose reuse sweaters tennis shoes

The Plastic Bag Conspiracy

January 6th, 2010

I noticed Ben came home with another plastic bag today. It only had one small item in it. I don’t want to nag too much about this topic, because I honestly think he doesn’t even realize it. When I told him he had a plastic bag in his hand, he truly looked surprised. I am writing this blog to go over some creative ways to remember to not take a plastic bag.

1. Wear a large button on your coat/sweater that says “Don’t Give Me A Plastic Bag.” Ben was proud he thought of that one.

2. Buy a canvas bag you really want to carry.

3. Put a large sign on your steering wheel to remind you before you go in.

4. Don’t be afraid to unpack your merchandise if they have already bagged it. I am getting better at saying, “I don’t need a bag,” right when it’s my turn to check out.

5. Carry a bag in your purse, or in Ben’s case in his pocket. They sell pocket size reusable bags at The Container Store and reusablebags.com.

6. Fold one into a cool wrist band. Then you have it on you when ever you need it. Not sure if they even make these, another one of Ben’s creative ideas.

7. Think of something really bad when you go into a store. Maybe imagine marine animals chocking on the plastic bags that fly into our oceans. Gruesome thought, but maybe it will help to remember to not take a bag.

8. Go shopping with someone who will help you remember your reusable bag. In our case, I rarely forget my bag. Maybe if we can’t win this battle, I will have to do all of the shopping.

9. Guys can purchase this grenade looking reusable bag. It will definitely be a conversation starter.

10. You can buy a reminder kit that does all of the hard work. In our case we would have to buy the deluxe pack with the door hanger and steering wheel wrap.

11. Write “remember grocery bags” at the top of your shopping list.

With all of these ideas to help us remember, maybe we can adopt one and apply it to our lives. We will keep you up to date on Ben’s progress and if you have any additional comments please leave them in the section below.

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Posted in Ashley's Posts, Week 7 Plastic Bags

Tags: canvas bag grocery bag plastic bag reusable bags

My week without plastic bags- a review

December 7th, 2009

The bag was just there

This week’s green challenge was to avoid using plastic bags and it has been a difficult one for me. For those just joining us, I have a new green task to complete over the course of a year. My green wife chooses what they are and my un-green self must research and act. I have had some successes and also some failures this week, but am glad that Ashley gave me this task and will continue to work on training my brain to say no to plastic bags. Although this task has been somewhat challenging for me, I have certainly learned quite a bit and think I am in the process of making a change along the way.

I learned that the world consumes an unbelievable number of plastic bags (500,000,000,000), a good amount of natural resources are needed to create these plastic bags, only a very small percentage of plastic bags are recycled and finally that plastic bags kill animals. Overall, the production of the bags and waste produced is harmful to our environment and to the planet. That being said, I need to minimize my use of these bags.

Even though I know that these things are bad for the environment, I learned that it was difficult for me to minimize my use. It was not difficult to choose whether to take a plastic bag or not, but it was difficult to remember to say no. Too often this week, I walked out of a store and realized, after the fact, that I had a bag. As a consumer, I have been trained to go through the shopping process and take a bag without thinking about it. I recognized this problem early on and have taken steps to retrain my brain.

First, I wrote “No Plastic” on my hand in ink. OK, this might be a bit silly and a little dramatic, but I was slightly upset with myself for not being able to kick the plastic habit. This made me look at “No Plastic” before I grab a bag. I also placed one of our canvas bags in my car so that I can bring this into the store if I have to shop. These steps, along with my wife’s help, have led to a few successful scenarios where I did not take a bag.

It has certainly been an interesting week and will continue to work on un-training my brain. Even though I may not have completed the task to a Tee, I have recognized that a big part of being green is daily habits. These habits and daily decisions can have a big impact on the long term environment. Let me know any of your plastic bag tips in the area below and stay tuned for this week’s task coming up shortly!