Our hunter/gatherer ancestors had simple ways to bring home the family dinner; but that classic image of 2 happy hunters with an animal slung on a pole has now been replaced by a harassed grocery shopper laden with plastic bags and environmental guilt. It has taken me a while to kick the plastic bag habit and I've learned that it is largely a question of having the right bag right there when you need it. I found useful suggestions in this article from Hugg and now offer my own . . .
It has taken about a year but now I can't find a plastic bag around the house when I need one; most of our grocery shopping is done on foot and we have settled on 3 main ways to bring home the bacon Oops! Sorry; healthy, organic, locally grown produce.
1) My trusty string bag; This low-tech miracle squishes really small so it's always in my hand bag when I need it. I can't tell you where to buy one but if you are a knitter or nimble-fingered enthusiast you can learn to make 'em. I also found patterns for knitted bags here, here, here and here.
2) A bright red wheeled shopping trolley that would make my Grandma proud. This beast is massively effective and makes me feel about 95. A creaking back from schlepping shopping makes me feel even older so I put a jaunty enviro-heroine bounce into my step and pretend the red trolley is just following me home. I still aspire to the elegant wicker version I once wrote about, but if you are in the market for a trolley remember that bigger wheels are always better. Big, all terrain wheels and rugged tires handle bumps and curbs almost gracefully.
3) My favourite shopping helper, apart from my husband, is a square based compostable hessian shopping bag. I have not yet tested the compost part but this wonderful bag stands up unaided even full of shopping. It's not too deep to carry comfortably and can even go on my shoulder. Did I mention that it stands up? I like these bags so much that I want to share them; I have 10 to give away for this months prize draw! More details here.
So what are you using to schelp it all home? The brightly coloured bags your supermarket gave out when they started charging for bags, or have you found more elegant/ergonomic/environmental solutions? I saw a bike with a huge low-slung carrying box on the front at our farmers market and not all of us can afford a smart car; what's your solution?
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I have some unbleached cotton bags that I got in 1989 when I started university (OMG I am old) and others that I've picked up at conferences, etc. over the years. I also have a few of the bags that the supermarkets started selling more recently. I'm not nearly as discriminating as I am cheap. I try to avoid buying the plastic-y ones that pose their own problems for the environment. But I'll admit to going with any bag in a pinch.
Posted by: Mom on the Go | July 14, 2009 at 08:42 AM
We use a collapseible plastic crates. These are absolutely excellent. They fold down completely flat for easy storage are washable and have handles. The are the same size when snapped into shape as the loblaws reusable shopping crates, are very durable (great for cans and more) and were $3.99 at Canadian Tire at Christmas. We always get tons of complements on them.
Posted by: Cher | August 08, 2009 at 08:45 PM