Bring your own bag -- by Paris Gerrard

One of my goals this year is to go totally green. For the last few months, I have been refraining from taking plastic bags from all retailers. Thankfully, a lot of people are becoming aware of the dreadful effects that plastic is having in our environment. I recently read a disturbing article by Susan Casey. She reports that, "A vast swath of the Pacific, twice the size of Texas, is full of a plastic stew that is entering the food chain. Scientists say that the toxins are causing obesity, infertility . . . and worse". To read more go here. On Mercola.com, I learned that "when researchers tested the water of the Pacific Ocean, they found it contained six times as much plastic as plankton, by weight!"

It's great that--finally, retailers in the US, like Whole Foods, are no longer offering plastic shopping bags. On my last trip to Italy, the grocery stores were charging if you wanted plastic bags for your purchases. According to the BBC News, "a tax on plastic shopping bags in the Republic of Ireland has cut their use by more than 90%. That's good news.

I've scoured the internet to help find some reusable shopping bags that, I think, are stylish and functional. I hope that this will information will encourage everyone to start bringing their own bag! Together, we can make a difference.

1. Leaf Bag -- by jenny Bowers $20
2. Flip and Tumble -- $12
3. Free People -Sugar bag-- $68
4. Free People -- Emporium Patchwork Tote -- $168.00
5. Baggu -- $8
6. EnviroSax -- $ 8.50 or $37.95 for five bags.