Part two of our series on green choices is going to focus on grocery bags and napkins. These are two items we often do not give a second thought to when deciding what we use.
You know the ages old question that we all get asked at the grocery store – paper or plastic? What is the better choice? Both bags come with environmental drawbacks which include the energy used, the waste produced, and airborne pollution that is emitted. When the bags aren’t being composted or being recycled, they are just taking up space in our landfills (and take a very long time to biodegrade). Plastic bags are made from petroleum. Petroleum is a nonrenewable resource and hurts ocean life when they make way in there. However, paper creates 15% more waste and pollution when made. It also demands more energy.
What is the best choice? Actually, neither is a good choice. Reusable bags are the choice you should be making. It does require you to remember to bring them grocery shopping with you. However, even I am amazed at how many groceries fit in these bags! Not only do you save the landfills, you end up walking from the car to your house less. You can find them in both cotton and bamboo varieties. If you do not have a reusable bag on hand, your next choice should be a paper bag that you can reuse as much as possible. Then choose to compost it or recycle it. Lastly, use a plastic bag, but remember to recycle it.
Did you know that the average family uses 2200 paper napkins a year?! Most of these napkins end up in landfills. Besides the slow biodegrading time, they often are treated with chemicals like chlorine bleach. That can add dioxins in our water and in our air. In you are out and about, this may be your only choice. However, for home use cloth napkins should be your choice. They can be washed with your regular laundry cycle and can be reused over and over again. There are several different kinds of cloth napkins on the market. However, the ones best for the environment are the organic unbleached cotton napkins and the bamboo napkins.
It is often amazing that we have so many more choices in our lives than we ever realized. By changing small habits and choosing reusable options (both napkins and grocery bags), we are able to save countless pounds of waste going to our landfills!
Just make sure while you are doing your shopping and eating out that you are wearing comfortable clothing to make your experience as enjoyable as possible. Check out Green Earth Bamboo’s soft organic bamboo clothing and you’ll never go back to cotton!
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I just read your article on the chemicals it takes to grow cotton, so I was surprised to see that in this article you recommend cotton napkins. What about recycled paper napkins that go to an energy-producing facility that converts trash to electricity?
I really hate these narrowly focused articles. No one ever seems to look at the big picture. What about all the water (a non-renewable resource) used to wash the napkins, the electricity, and the detergents that are put into the discharged water? How does that fit into the equation? I hear people in the office complain about people who use paper cups for drinks instead of bringing their own reusable cups. My paper cup goes into recycling – their reusable cup took a lot of energy and chemicals to make, gets washed in the sink, using lots of water & soap for washing and rinsing one cup. When their reusable cup is no longer usable, it goes to the landfill or if it can be recycled, it takes a lot more energy to recycle hard plastics or aluminum than paper. Where is a study that takes ALL of these factors into consideration in a comparison? I am not anti-environment – just the opposite. I want to see truly scientific studies and not knee-jerk reactions that result in opinions and trends that may actually do more harm to the environment. Water and air are our most precious resources – without them we don’t survive, and no food can be grown. So it is even more than what goes into a landfill or what resources are used to determine the best course of action. It should be based on what our most important resources are, and what saves the important, non-renewable life-saving resources is what should guide our decision-making.
I found your blog on yahoo and will bookmark it now. Keep up the nice work.
I love your site. It has been a real help for me as I deal with this subject. Thanks a lot.
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