B.Y.O.B

Here at Down:2:earth we try to come up with ways in which the average person could become more eco-friendly.

Sustainable Tip of the Week- Bring your own bag

If you haven't heard the facts about the plastic bag issue, it's worth investigating.

• According to the EPA, over 380 billion plastic bags, sacks and wraps are consumed in the U.S. each year.
• According to The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. goes through 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually. (Estimated cost to retailers is $4 billion.)
• Plastic bags are made of polyethylene
• Polyethylene is a petroleum product
• Production contributes to air pollution and energy consumption
• Four to five trillion plastic bags are manufactured each year
• Americans use over 380 billion polyethylene bags per year
• Americans throw away approximately 100 billion polyethylene bags per year
• A plastic bag can take between 500 to 1000 years to break down in the environment.
• On average, we use each plastic bag for 12 minutes before discarding it. It then can last in the environment for decades.
• Plastic bag litter is lethal in the marine environment, killing at least 100,000 birds, whales, seals and turtles every year. After an animal is killed by plastic bags, its body decomposes and the plastic is released back into the environment, where it can kill again.

Until now Germany, Australia, China, and Uganda are some of the countries that have banned, or are working towards banning plastic bags. Although the U.S. has not banned plastic bags yet there are several companies taking a responsible approach to the issue.

What can we do? Say goodbye to plastic bags and say hello to stylish cloth bags...


EcoVixen made in the U.S from recyclable cotton. Left. " You don't want to return as a bag do you"?... Don't mess with Karma. Right. I'm not made in China. Made in the United States...and proud of it.
For a proud and responsible Bostonian. A product of Sea Boston USA made from 100% Cotton Canvas.

ECOBAGS EarthTone Cotton String Bag Set. These colorful cotton string bags are great to store away in your purse, great for your produce.

Verde Bags were created by Gina Sample as a stylish statement against plastic grocery bags.
Happy Bags has a wide variety of bags with fun designs on them, some of them are even made from recycled water bottles.
Mini Maxi Shopper. Lorelei has this one and can vouch for how efficient it is. "I keep it in my purse because it can fold up to be a wallet sized pouch, and when I need it come grocery time, it's there."

This concludes our sustainable tip of the week. Tune in next week for more!

Sustainably yours
Nathalie Zegarra