6.30.2008

Green Tip #2

Are you receiving less junk mail yet? Are you ready for another small step towards sustainability? Perhaps some of you, maybe even most, take your own bags to the grocery store. Although I've been using my own grocery bags for almost two years, I still found myself with plastic bags from the grocery store - produce bags. These flimsy bags aren't reusable, except for perhaps a light load of kitchen rubbish. So it dawned on me one day to take a stack of Ziploc bags with me to the grocery store.

shopping with ziplocs

Do you ever have an idea that you are afraid to Google for fear you will find out your idea is far from original? I do, sometimes weekly. Mark Twain was right; there is no such thing as a new idea. But there are a lot of good ideas out there - and using and reusing Ziploc bags for produce and bulk foods is a very good one, even if I'm not the first to think so.

I had a woman stop me in the produce aisle last month and ask where I got my bags; I told her I brought them from home, but I should have sent her to aisle 22 to pick up her own box. That is just what I did the last time I went grocery shopping and forgot my Ziplocs. Using Ziploc bags makes putting groceries away much easier (and cleaner - I can't tell you how many times I've torn open a bag of bulk flour or sugar), and the bags can be used over and over again if you wash and dry the bags between uses. Here are directions for a fast, easy, repurposed baggie dryer.

So I think Monday will be my official "Green Tip" day. I promise this site won't turn into a green blog, because nothing makes you feel like your eco-footprint is hideously huge like reading an all-eco-all-the-time blog. I believe the road to sustainability is best traveled one simple and economical step at a time, and I'm glad we are all traveling together.

17 comments:

  1. Great idea! I find "tips" much easier to incorporate into my life versus a huge list/blog full of "to dos"

    I recently started saving my plastic produce bags to bring back to the store each time. I just store them in my canvas shopping bags. It hadn't occurred to me to bring bags for bulk foods.

    Happy Monday -
    katy

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  2. New to your blog and love your green tips!! Especially this one!! Thanks for sharing!!

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  3. What a simple and great idea! The last time I got bulk steel oats it was almost a catastrophe in the check out line. Flimsy is right!

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  4. The ziplock bag at the grocery store is a great idea... Your baggie dryer is very cute... I use an old toothbrush holder with dowels standing up in it to dry ours... but I like the knitting needles... cute idea :)

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  5. AnonymousJune 30, 2008

    ummm, not sure why i've never thought of this! usually i just throw it all in my cloth grocery bags...and then the clerk is VERY annoyed with me.

    fantastic idea, molly, thanks. although i already reuse my ziplocs ( i dry them on wooden spoons sticking out of the silverware dish rack compartment), now they can be used even more. genius. :)

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  6. This is such a great idea. I have some thin little muslin drawstring bags that I often use but the clerks at the store get upset with me - they aren't see through.

    I too wash out my Ziplocs and every time I do, I just shake my head and chuckle. My Mother in law has always washed hers and years ago, all the kids made fun of her for it. It was such an "old lady" sort of thing to do. Now we all do it and I'm sure she is getting the last laugh!

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  7. Good idea...we actually re-use the produce bags, but just for produce...and then re-use the bulk section bags for new bulk items...it works really well! Love the green tips!

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  8. I am once again inspired by your log. I am taking mark a treat that I slid into a gallon zip-lock that had a couple of little wholes in it from repeated freezer use. I would have thrown it away yesterday, but for your reminder here!
    Never underestimate the difference you make without ever knowing about it!

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  9. Genius. Pure genius!

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  10. AnonymousJuly 01, 2008

    Nice! I can't beleive I didn't think of this, but I'm glad you did and shared it.

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  11. AnonymousJuly 01, 2008

    Totally digging the green tips! Keep em coming!

    This one is brilliant! And I SWEAR my junk mail is already thinner.

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  12. Found your blog through Heather's over at Five Sweet Peas and love it! I'll be looking forward to your tips each week. Being green hasn't really caught on where I live so I have to rely on kindred spirits in blogland to get my direction and inspiration. Thank you!

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  13. The family joke is that my father will be buried in ziplocs. He ziplocs everything. He will love this post...

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  14. AnonymousJuly 02, 2008

    I'm working on it Molly. Our receptionist opened a package that had to be cut open; she inadverently cut the t-shirt that was in the package. I said "Have no fear, I can turn that into a grocery bag!" I will be making grocery bags this weekend during our quilt time.

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  15. Hi - wonderful idea! I was cooking with my g-ma and she pulled out this huge bag of re-used ziplocs, I was astounded. She asked...doesn't everyone do this? Then we looked a bit deeper. It turns out that she doesn't own tupperware - she has butter dishers (reused) jars (reused) lunch meat containers (reused). She has never purchased rubberbands - she just reused the bands from the newspaper - My G-MA is a genius!

    I want to be like her! So I went out and got my reusable bags (greensak.com - these are the best ever!) and (reuse). We have made many changes and feel great about it.

    Thanks for the tidbit!

    Renee

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  16. Wow! I love the new banner!

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  17. That is pure genius!!!! I use my own grocery bags too but have often wondered about what to do about produce bags (other than buy some). Thanks for the idea!

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