Starts Out as Hard-to-Remember and Ends Up as Habit
Posted Oct 21 2008 12:13am
My "remember" rate is up to almost 100% now on bringing my reusable bags into the store with me when I go to the supermarket. Isn't this one pretty? My mom made it for me. She's experimenting with different fabrics and styles. I get comments on this one all the time, although when I ask at both Kroger and Publix if they give credit for reusable bags, the cashiers always look at me like I'm crazy (even though both stores sell canvas shopping bags with their company logo on it). I keep asking, however. Because it plants a seed. And the customers around me, none of whom I have ever seen with reusable bags, ever, hear it and perhaps give it a thought as well.
Here's an Associated Press article about how retailers are pushing reusable bags in order to save money and the environment. Apparently, if every person in New York City uses one less plastic bag a year--one, folks, just one--it would reduce waste by 5 million pounds and save $250,000 on disposal costs.
On a side note, these bags are a pleasure to use. They hold a lot, all very nicely distributed. Instead of a dozen odd-shaped plastic bags rolling around my car, I end up with four or five squarely-packed bags that are easier to carry, easier to set down on the kitchen table, and easier to unload. (They also come in very handy at the library!)
At other retail locations, like the drug store, I find myself just skipping the bag altogether and holding my two or three purchases in my hand. Do I really need a bag for a newspaper? A pack of batteries? A toothbrush?
And so, it's just one small thing. But that's all it takes. One day at a time. One bag at at time. One small change that starts out as hard-to-remember and ends up as habit.
My "remember" rate is up to almost 100% now on bringing my reusable bags into the store with me when I go to the supermarket. Isn't this one pretty? My mom made it for me. She's experimenting with different fabrics and styles. I get comments on this one all the time, although when I ask at both Kroger and Publix if they give credit for reusable bags, the cashiers always look at me like I'm crazy (even though both stores sell canvas shopping bags with their company logo on it). I keep asking, however. Because it plants a seed. And the customers around me, none of whom I have ever seen with reusable bags, ever, hear it and perhaps give it a thought as well.
Here's an Associated Press article about how retailers are pushing reusable bags in order to save money and the environment. Apparently, if every person in New York City uses one less plastic bag a year--one, folks, just one--it would reduce waste by 5 million pounds and save $250,000 on disposal costs.
On a side note, these bags are a pleasure to use. They hold a lot, all very nicely distributed. Instead of a dozen odd-shaped plastic bags rolling around my car, I end up with four or five squarely-packed bags that are easier to carry, easier to set down on the kitchen table, and easier to unload. (They also come in very handy at the library!)
At other retail locations, like the drug store, I find myself just skipping the bag altogether and holding my two or three purchases in my hand. Do I really need a bag for a newspaper? A pack of batteries? A toothbrush?
And so, it's just one small thing. But that's all it takes. One day at a time. One bag at at time. One small change that starts out as hard-to-remember and ends up as habit.