Don't forget your re-usable shopping bag!!

So, I came across these bags from Neela awhile ago, but couldn't post about them because I gave some to sister for her birthday. Bless her. First of all, the girl lives in Mobile, Alabama where they still do not have mandatory recycling and she has to bring hers to a station and divide it up into the bins. Like in the old days. Second, girl has to do her shopping at.... Wall-Mart. Now don't get me wrong, I am not bashing Wall-Mart users at all, but after growing to love the likes of Trader Jo's, Metropolitan Market, and Whole Foods, who can go to a Wall-Mart and feel inspired when the person in front of you in line is 5,000lbs and wearing their slippers? YA.

And when she finally gets to the check-out stand after dodging about 30 motorized carts, she, a true north westerner, waits for the blank stare to come across the checkers face when she answers their question "paper or plastic", with, "I brought my own, thanks". And then, GASP! here's a concept, she bags her groceries. She is "engaging the culture and changing the world", one Southern Wall-Mart at a time people.

So, for her birthday, I bought her these in each color. Neela bags hold more than a typical grocery shopping bag and are freaking adorable. And they are only $5.00 each. YAY! Here are facts taken from their website to further encourage everyone out there to reduce, reuse, and recycle.

• Oil Consumption: We're using 12 million barrels of oil for plastic bag production each year.


• Landfill Buildup: 96% of plastic bags end up in landfills, where they do not biodegrade.


• Wildlife Death: Annually over 100,000 birds and marine life are literally choked to death by plastic bags when they mistake the bags for food. Plastic bags photodegrade, breaking down into small, toxic bits that contaminate soil and waterways and are easily ingested by animals.
  
  
• Trees: For paper bags, we cut down over 14 million trees each year, wasting untold energy in production. Paper bags are more difficult and more costly to recycle and don't biodegrade in landfills.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SISTER