Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Plastic Bags Redux

A little opinion piece over at The Washington Post has the commenters (albeit just 16 at this writing) commenting.

I really can't sympathize with the author when she writes, "While subbing tap water for bottled water is effortless, giving up plastic bags is an inconvenience." but like the overall tone of Ms. Black's piece, I can't tell if she's being facetious or not.

But then again, I find giving up a lot of things for the greater green an inconvenience, so maybe it just depends on your inconvenience threshold!

Case and point, I think it's time for Gift of Green to give up the Ziplocs.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

WOW!! Really? Keep us posted on how that goes. I'll be here, zipping and locking away but very interested in what it's like to live without my beloved freezer bags.

Anonymous said...

I freeze lots of things in the containers w/lids we get soup in from chinese take out. They are great and we use them for tons of things: food, craft supplies, snacks in the car, bug catching -- you name it!

Mary Tsao said...

I can give up plastic bags, but giving up sandwich bags might cause me some pains. You're amazing.

village mama said...

WOO HOO for your switch. A major step in your 'gift of green' mission.

DO give up those little monsters - we use the plastic packaging from cereal, keep all our bread plastic bags, and sometimes use parchment paper over and over.

M said...

LOL Amy,


No, Amy! you can't give up ziplock - its just part of your personality! Who will I link every time I write about eco food storage?

I found a ziplock holder attachment for my dishwasher that I'm going to review this week. I wrote about it here:

http://notquitecrunchyparent.blogspot.com/2008/01/week-without-ziplock.html

If it actually works- it's no more buying ziplocks for me...though...hmmm do you think nasty toxins will leach out of the bags if washed too often? - sigh

mom go green said...

The last time I visited Washington I noticed an abundance of plastic bag usage. Ireland is a stellar example of how quickly and pervasively the plastic bag demand can change.

I don't think you have to stop using ziplocks. Just REuse them. Now that I've started to wash them out I have never needed to restock them. It is pretty amazing. I try to use glass for most food storage...but there are some things ziplocks are just perfect for.

Don't beat yourself up about it. It may be easier than you think!

Anonymous said...

I needed this post. HOw did you know I was clearing out all of the space-eater tupperwear from my shelves, and opting for plastic bags? And feeling guilty. Wax paper, it is.