BFF Jane shared this slide show with me not long ago, and I wanted to pass it on. (The audio is background music - not narration - so you may want to turn down the sound.)
Ok, now that you've seen the slide show and you're ready to give up (or at least cut back on) plastic bags, you'll want to find some suitable substitutes.
For hundreds - literally! - of designs on canvas tote bags, check out Cafe Press. For heavy-duty canvas bags, try boat totes - originally for carrying blocks of ice to a sailboat - from LL Bean or Lands' End.
An assortment of neither-paper-nor-plastic bags can be found at Eco Bags and also at Reusable Bags ... including the "filets à provisions" (aka string bags) like I used when I lived in Paris during the summer of 1980 and "lived locally" and ate "slow food" (though I didn't know that's what I was doing at the time!)
Mexican "mercado" (market) bags are surprisingly strong, not too expensive, and oh-so-colorful! A good selection can be found at Direct from Mexico (though they do have a minimum order on some items).
A great place to find cool bags made by creative people is Etsy. (Some of my favorites are the messenger bags made from old London Fog trench coats and the totes made from old sails.)
Hint: When searching on Amazon, Google, eBay, Etsy, etc, try canvas tote as well as reusable grocery bag.
Want to be even greener? Instead of buying a newly made bag from fabric, recycle some fabric you already have (or buy some at a thrift store or garage sale) and make your own. Instructions can be found under "Make One" at Mors Bags. Or, on this site you can find 34 links to other websites with patterns & instructions for making your own bags.
What to do with old plastic bags? They can be cut into strips and crocheted or knitted into new bags. Or fused together and sewn into tarps, totes, etc. Not that crafty? This website has lots of ideas for simply reusing them.
Happy shopping!
