I'm going to STOP using plastic bags, and applaud Gore for not stealing anyone's thunder. nt

[babylonsister]

[frogcycle]

1. yep n/t

[KatyaR]

2. Me, too--I just ordered some canvas and string bags from here:

ReusableBags.Com

I've been meaning to do this for some time, and today was just the kick I needed. I'm absolutely sick of plastic bags--they're freakin' everywhere!

I'm also going to go buy some CFL bulbs--I had no idea they were so energy efficient.

So many simple things that can add up to a big difference--I learned a lot today.

Al Gore did a great thing--I think today was a huge success--and lots of fun, as well.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

6. Thanks for the URL -- I just ordered some string bags.

And today I swapped out all my light bulbs for CFLs. This has been an eye-opener.

[Maat]

17. Thanks for the link ( www.reusablebags.com ).

I liked a lunch tote that they had & a steel container.

Well, I've replaced the lightbulbs; I don't know what some complain about. They are plenty bright, come on quickly, and are far less hot than the old ones. I drive a Prius; we are going to get my hubby one soon (he doesn't drive much at all).

As soon as I get some money I'm expecting, I'm getting some more solar panels, and better insulation. My pool already is heated via solar power, and I love it!

[babylonsister]

20. Thank you for the link, and this embrace of our earth was great!

We've only bought a few of the bulbs, but because of DU, I did. More to follow!

[SeattleGirl]

23. Went to the store the other day, and grabbed a canvas bag I had

at home before leaving. Just the right size for what I needed to get. (And, to top it off, I walked to the store and back.....). Little thing, yeah, but when multiplied by many people, it really does make a difference.

[Lorien]

27. My bags come from there as well

I use the Acme heavy duty bags along with the Reisenthel Mini Maxi Shoppers. I always get complements on them wherever I shop, plus they are far more comfortable to carry to the car than plastic bags.

I switched over to the compact florescent bulbs about five years ago. Big energy savings, and the quality of the light isn't that much different.

[silverweb]

59. Wonderful site, thanks!

:thumbsup:

[Warpy]

3. Good, that's just a few more that won't end up in my trees

flapping there for two years and looking like hell until they finally get too shredded to see.

Seriously, there are great places on the web to get canvas shopping bags. It takes a little longer to remember to grab them on your way out the door.

http://www.reusablebags.com/

http://www.thefind.com/query.php?query=canvas+grocery+bags

[w8liftinglady]

4. me,too.My grocery store has reuseable bags for $1 each.

(Brookshire's)

[babylonsister]

16. Yep. Buy some bags, cut down on plastic. Real easy if you change your

perception.

[glitch]

5. Carry cloth bags in with you and everybody wins. :) nt

[libnnc]

7. Gonna use my remaining plastic bags

for cat poop and I'm going to carry my own canvas bags to the store from now on.

[Uncle Joe]

8. I agree babylonsister, Al Gore is a man of class.

Thanks for the thread.

[BlooInBloo]

9. I get safeway.com groceries delivered - I wonder if I can ask for paper?

[SoCalDem]

22. I keep large cardboard boxes in my trunk and don;t use bags at all

I just unload the basket into the boxes in thr trunk.. but then I have plenty of time when I shop, so I can afford to take the time to do that :)

[Fox Mulder]

10. You know, I never thought about that until today.

Now I'm going to switch over to cloth bags also.

[xmas74]

11. I didn't purchase mine online.

I've picked up canvas bags with different things printed on them at thrift shops, rummage sales-even those "Everything for a Dollar" stores.

Maybe you don't feel like carrying around a bag advertising someone's business in Mobile or a family's reunion but you can't beat spending anywhere from 0.25 to a dollar on bags. At that price you can keep some in your trunk and some in the house.

[Gormy Cuss]

51. My mother's solution: personalize them.

She cut two fabric squares in roughly the size of each wide face of the bag, turned under the edges and sewed the squares on the bags. No more advertising for someone else.
After she died I used some of her cloth stash to cover my canvas bags. I think of her each time I use them.
Most of my canvas bags were freebies or purchased cheaply at thrift stores.

[xmas74]

52. That is one way to do it.

Another is to scrape off most of the printing on them. (And no, I'm not kidding. Lots of that kind of printing comes off easily with a piece of fine to med grade sandpaper. Get a kid to do it.) And if the bag is stained and a lighter color then you can tye dye them, write on them with fabric markers, puff paints, etc.

Both of our ideas will work. Some won't even care if they are advertising something or not. The point that we both "get" is that you don't have to spend $20 or more online for your canvas bags when they are within easy access and much cheaper.

[nam78_two]

12. Some environmental groups send you canvas bags for free

If you send them a donation-I have bags from The Nature Conservancy, the Sierra Club, The National Wildlife Federation and a few others.

[AlGore-08.com]

13. My Mom used to carry the groceries home in an army surplus backpack

And she rode her bike to the grocery store any time there wasn't snow on the ground.

She was and is well ahead of her time. :)

[Spazito]

14. I join you, I will be buying cloth bags for my shopping, I just went

around and unplugged my cell phone charger, turned my fan down, turned lights off, will turn off my computer, etc, at the source when I shut down.

I am going to use the power source attached to me, my legs, much more often.

[Catherine Vincent]

15. I should buy some of those canvas bags too. n/t

[babylonsister]

19. It would be so easy; I do the shopping, so why not? nt

[xmas74]

18. I pointed out in another post

that you don't have to order them special online. All of my canvas bags came from rummage sales, thrift stores and even those "everything for a dollar" stores. Often companies have bags produced with their logos on them and end up w/ a surplus, so they'll sell them to places like one dollar shops for nothing. And thrift shops and rummage sales sometimes have cheap finds-as cheap as a dime.

If you don't mind some questions about some of the prints you can get canvas bags for almost nothing-plenty to keep in the house for quick walks and extra to keep in the car for when you're driving somewhere to shop.

[WolverineDG]

21. I get them from time to time

gotta put the cat poop in something. What I don't use, I can take back to the store & put in their recycling bin.

dg

[tomreedtoon]

24. So you're going to hand-carry garbage to the can?

I'd rather use the grocery bags to carry garbage to the cans outside than buy bags for that purpose. I don't throw them away unless they're full of garbage. Somehow, I don't think that's unecological.

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

49. Me, too , tomreed

They don't go out in the trash until they are full of trash. Why buy plastic garbage bags ?

The paper bags are used to hold the newspapers for recycling

Is there another alternative for garbage/trash bagging ? I am open to suggestions.

[silverweb]

60. That's what I've been doing, too.

Especially since there's no recycling program where I live currently. However, those plastic bags will never degrade, so they're not the ideal choice.

I recently found biodegradable trash bags available here, so I've made the decision to buy those for trash and to supplement my canvas shopping bag with _cloth mesh produce bags_ and a couple more reusable shopping totes like _these_.

Yes, it costs a little more in the short term, but I'd say it's worth it.

[Ioo]

25. Our local Giant sells the cloth ones for real cheap

We got 10 of them to use. Love them, can hold everything.

Does make you feel bad because they hold so much, you always say "3 bags of groceries cost me what!?!?"

[piedmont]

26. I hate plastic bags, but they can be recycled easier than paper.

I use cloth bags most of the time, and paper when I don't have the cloth bags with me. Plastic only at the few places that don't offer paper when I've forgotten the cloth ones. The energy cost in recycling plastic is lower, but paper bags are more useful to me-- I use them to gather pine cones to use in making charcoal.

[Rosemary2205]

55. Just FYI

My local Publix quit taking plastic bags for recycling. When I asked why they said the businesses who recycle don't want any more of them because there are way more plastic bags needed recycled than what they can do and find a post recycled market for.

I don't know how accurate that is but it's what I was told.

[Decruiter]

28. I ran out this afternoon to my Cat Store. I bought a couple of items, one of which

the owner started to put into a plastic bag. I said no, I've been watching Live Earth all day, I don't need one. The owner smiled and said well that will do it. We had a longer conversation, but what fun. He knew what I was talking about and was glad to oblige me. He knew I didn't need a bag for a small box and loved that I shared with him why I didn't.

I'm certain when he and his wife went home, they tuned in to what was left of Live Earth for the day.

[rosesaylavee]

29. Is there a link yet to 'THINK' from Britain?

I think that commercial/psa was the best of the bunch? Made me laugh as I realized that I will never use plastic bags again without thinking of their impact.

Prefer the long version as opposed to what they showed on NBC last night.

[AlGore-08.com]

30. It's been YouTubed already

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8OG4pi8MSQ

[rosesaylavee]

31. !!!!

Thank you! I looked for that yesterday on YouTube and never found it. It is one of the most effective PSAs I have ever seen. Love that the actors seem like they are going to start laughing at any moment. Bet the outtakes are as amusing.

[AlGore-08.com]

61. I don't know who the woman is, but the guy is Roshan Seth

A great actor whose best known role is probably "Nehru" in Gandhi.

The only photo I could find of Seth as Nehru


Roshan Seth at the IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0786022/

[rosesaylavee]

65. I know - he was great in that movie.

He looked very amused to be in this clip - bet the outtakes were a riot.

I have shared it far and wide today - thanks for pointing me in the right direction!

[LiberalHeart]

32. I just ordered six of the Planet bags on Amazon, but have a question...

When at the grocery store, is there a problem getting groceries bagged if you're not using the plastic ones on the revolving gizmo? Or do you ask to fill your own bags? Or do you put the items into the cart after they're rung up, and bag them after leaving the checkout line?

When I shop at Aldi, bringing my own bags is no problem. They don't offer packaging, except their reusable plastic bags, which they sell. But I'm not sure how well use of canvas bags will go over when in a crowded line.

[Maeve]

40. I tell them I'll fill my own bags

Try to learn to put items on the belt in the order you'll bag them--heavy things first, like items together, eggs and bread last. If you do major shopping trips, it's harder, but if you shop fairly often you'll get to the point of bagging about as fast as they do. I've been doing this for about 4 years and I usually make smaller trips several times a week.
Or start small and do the little trips in your own bags first until you get the hang of it. And don't feel guilty for the occasional time you forget the bags; it happens to all of us!

[cally]

41. They'll bag it for you in the canvas bags

I've never had a problem. Also, remember to take them to other types of stores. I carry a large purse and put most things in my purse instead of taking a bag. I have canvas in the car that I'll carry in if I'm buying very much.

[xmas74]

56. I've had plenty of offers from high school kids

offering to bag my groceries for me in my own totes. I usually try to give an extra tip for that.

The older retired adults will usually smile whenever I bring out my totes. When I do ask for a bag they know it must be for the garbage.

[LiberalHeart]

33. Another question: a charger uses energy just by being plugged in ...

...even when it's not charging anything??? I saw mention above of not leaving a phone charger plugged in, so I'm guessing that's what is meant, but I just want to make sure.

[dddem]

34. yikes! Is that true?

I'm guilty of that one.

[Solon]

35. They work by reducing the voltage and converting the current from AC to DC...

Anywhere from 3 to 12 volts can be used to charge your devices, this applies, technically, to any device that requires a AC/DC converter without an off switch. These devices draw electricity from the outlet for as long as they are plugged in, much of it lost as waste heat. Touch one after its plugged in for a while and it will feel warm. This means that ANY device that is rechargeable, from PDAs and Cell phones, to video game systems and Ipods(with A/C adapters), all follow the same basic rules. Some other devices that use larger(12volt) AC/DC adapters and smaller ones are things like computer speakers, printers, scanners, etc.

These things are basically miniature versions of those transformers on top of telephone poles. The main difference is that they convert Alternating Current to Direct Current, and also have a series of capacitors, usually, to keep a small charge while converting the current. Its somewhat complicated.

[AnnInLa]

39. I know nothing about electricity except when it's in my hair, so

should we be unplugging other appliances too when they are not in use? Like the microwave and toaster and coffee maker?

I saw a tip about reusable coffee filters too, never heard of this...where do you find one? thanks

[Solon]

44. It depends on the appliance...

Electricity is actually very basic, it only flows when a circuit is complete. A circuit, within an appliance, is only complete when its on. The AC/DC converters for many chargeable items is always ON, hence the circuit is always complete, and always draws power when plugged in.

Certain appliances, for obvious reasons, are always plugged in, electric stoves/ovens, refrigerators need to be on all the time etc. These never get unplugged, however, there are other items that you MIGHT want to unplug, or, even more convient, use a power strip with a on/off switch on it. Things like Toasters generally don't need to unplug, when they are off, they are truly off, and no current flows through them when they aren't toasting bread. Other things, on the other hand, including TVs, component stereo equipment, VCR/DVD players, Computers in sleep mode, etc., all draw power when "off". That's because they aren't off at all, some parts of them, such as the tube/screen of the tv, are shut off, while other parts, such as the RAM memory for channel/screen settings, draws just enough power to keep the memory going, usually using short term capacitors to store the electricity. These capacitors are volatile, they usually lose the charge within a minute or so.

Have you ever had a TV or VCR that you had for a while, then, during a bad storm, the lights flicker, and the TV or VCR restarts itself? That's an example of a TV or VCR that never shuts off, but goes into standby mode. They also, when the lights only flicker, keep their memory, etc. But, if the power goes off for an hour, you get static on the screen, and have to set the TV or VCR up all over again.

If you can deal with the slight inconvenience of setting up the TV or VCR every time you start them up, then you can unplug them if you want. However, they draw very little electricity to maintain themselves, generally not much more than a couple of LED lights, if that, they usually use the electricity for just that, hence the clocks on VCRs that always flash "12:00".

Other things, such as computers, and computer monitors, actually use batteries to keep short term settings. These are settings for the BIOS only, usually the clock of the computer and basic settings about hardware, that's it. This is all maintained through a single watch battery on the motherboard. This is why, when you start up your computer, the time is always correct, also, another note, your computer, when not on standby or hibernate, is usually completely off, if you want to make sure, there is a switch in the back that's attached straight to the power supply, you can always switch that off after shutting down the computer, to ensure it is drawing no power at all. This also helps when opening it up to do repairs or upgrades, unplugging the cord in the back is also recommended.

As far as reusable coffee filters, I've seen some that are metal mesh that you clean up after to hemp made ones, it all depends on your needs and tastes, Amazon.com may have some you like.

[xmas74]

57. they're made of canvas.

If you google it you'll find a link.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Hemp-Basket-Style-Reusable-Coffee-Filter_W0QQitemZ300116375951QQcmdZViewItem

This one is made of hemp. It's about $7-not a bad price, considering you will have it for years.

The one that no one points out is feminine hygiene. There are a few reusable products out that once you get over the heebie-jeebies of the idea work quite well.

[AlGore-08.com]

63. Thanks! I almost bought a single serving coffee/tea maker yesterday

But I decided against it because of the filter issue.

[xmas74]

64. You're welcome.

One thing I did read a few years ago was that, instead of buying a coffee maker you should buy an electric kettle instead. You only plug it in when needed, it uses less electricity and it's a multifunction appliance. For coffee you can either buy the singles or you can invest in a French press which would only need some elbow grease from you-and it would make a better cup of coffee.

[frogcycle]

38. feel it - if its warm, it is using energy

[cally]

42. Many devices use energy when plugged in

like computers, rechargers, and TVs. California passed a law requiring that all new appliances don't draw electricity when not in use but I'm not sure if it's taken effect yet. I put my appliances on power surge strips so it's easier to flip them off when I'm done.

[mod mom]

36. Purchased recycled pop bottle shopping bags last year. The secret is to leave

them in your car so you will have them when you need them.

Some grocery stores will give you a credit for each bag you use. whole Foods is 5 cents a bag, Wild Oats gives you a 5 cent wooden token to donate to a charity, and Trader Joes gives you a ticket for a raffle of free groceries.

[NYCGirl]

37. Here's a great "Friends of Al" eco-tote available from Hayden-Harnett Handbags

It's a bit pricy, but a portion of the proceeds go to stopglobalwarming.org and to plant 10 trees at americanforest.org

And it's so cute!




http://haydenharnett.com/index.cgi?color=nat&view=scale&tassel=no&action=detail&style=FRIENDSOFAL&back=http%3A%2F%2Fhaydenharnett.com%2Findex.cgi%3Faction%3Dtote

[babylonsister]

45. Nice! Thanks for the link! nt

[malaise]

43. We keep a decent size igloo in the trunk of the car

all the time. We usually have a few drinks and snacks in the event of emergencies (clearing two lane country roads after a truck breaks down or an accident can take hours). We throw our meats, produce and fruit juice in there straight from the shopping cart. It's also very useful when we buy fresh seafood from vendors.

Now I'll buy some more crocus bags since that material is easily available here. There's a crocus bag business waiting for some enterprising people.

[AnotherMother4Peace]

46. I used my 2 big cotton bags for the 1st time. I got inspiration form Al Gore.

I told the store clerk to fill the bags up, and put the rest in plastic. I walked out of the store with only one plastic bag. It would have been at least six on any other day.

And, Mr. Gore, my project today is to research earth friendly companies. Thank you, Al Gore. You gave us GREAT entertainment, and inspiration. Now, if you'll just announce your candidacy for president......

[laruemtt]

47. started today when grocery shopping

using my Wildlife Federation canvas bags. have been meaning to for a long time now but after yesterday, i finally got off my butt and did it. there was a gen Y'er behind me in the checkout line and gave me a nice smile of recognition. i feel so much cleaner coming home with my reusable bags than those plastic things that accumulate like crazy.

[fidgeting wildly]

48. I've been bringing my own bags for years.

Here in NYC, store clerks double bag EVERYTHING. You can buy a single loaf of bread and they will double bag it. Drives me insane. I just say, "No bags, please. I brought my own." It's surprising how many funny looks I still get for that. Clerks SHOULD be used to it by now, but not enough people are doing yet, I suppose.

[trof]

50. Get rid of the Designer Water too.

All those plastic bottles use up millions of barrels of oil.
Carry a canteen if you hafta.

[Reterr]

53. Neat

:toast:

[Rosa Luxemburg]

54. Gore is making a great impact with school children!

they are getting into saving the environment, scolding adults!

[Rosemary2205]

58. OH GOOD CATCH!!!! And a comment on the bags.

you are so right in that Al did not make himself the centerpiece of the day. A few words here and there but mostly it was few and targeted. The music and the message got all the attention. Gore was NOT the star of the day. Quite frankly, IMHO this is an incredible accomplishment for a born politician.


And for the bags -- About a year ago I took some old clothing we can't wear anymore and cut them up and made shopping bags out of them. The thinner fabrics I doubled up with a liner. Took me all of 30 minutes to knock out a bag with a nice firm handle. Everything is double stitched for durability. We also have an old camping tarp and I cut it up and did the same thing with it. I spaced the metal tie down rings for where the handles go.

being in a wheel chair there's a lot I can't do now, but I can sit and sew old fabrics into useful things. :)

[AlGore-08.com]

62. Does anybody have any recommendations for biodegradable trash bags?

I'd really love to find some that are strong and biodegradable.