ECOBAGS at the Thanksgiving Table

Did you know you can use an organic cotton produce bag to hold the stuffing in your turkey??

Check out Alton Brown's (my favorite!) recipe for the full scoop.

Happy, healthy and eco-friendly Thanksgiving to all!

Developments in the Battle for Green, Greener, Greenest...

Success! Well, on the road to, at least. We still find that lots of customers, suppliers, people in general are confused about the definition of "green." I, myself, battled with this concept of fuzzy shades of green this past summer. Coming to our rescue, is the non-profit organization, Green Seal, that attempts to certify the environmental and social responsibility of organizations and products.

They've recently decided to address the market of reusable bags and we want to say THANK YOU to them for providing clarity and standards in our marketplace! You can view their proposed standard, the background document, and additional information on this project at the project website.

I also encourage you to register for an account with them and discuss the standards in their public forum. They will be accepting comments until December 8, 2008. I'm posting a portion of the email sent by Green Seal which encouraged public commentary because it's just...good stuff.


"Single-use plastic bags have become a concern due to impact they have on ocean wildlife, visible litter, the clogging of waterways, spreading of disease and landfill space demand. Some 80-100 billion single-use plastic bags are estimated to be consumed annually in the U.S., with 500 billion to 1 trillion bags used worldwide per year. In many cities this concern has translated to the enactment of legislation to prohibit the use of single-use plastic bags and life cycle studies have shown reusable bags are the preferable option. With the growing consumer and retailer interest as well as a rapid growth in the availability and distribution of many types of reusable bags, an environmental standard and certification program that revises the existing life-cycle criteria to recognize leadership in this product type is needed.

As a result, Green Seal is releasing the Proposed Revised Environmental Standard for Reusable Bags, GS-16. The intent of this standard will be to reduce, to the extent technically and economically feasible, the environmental and health impacts associated with reusable bags that are be feasible alternatives to any type (paper or plastic) single-use bags."



Please share your thoughts and comments on the proposed standard with us. We want to know how you think!

Reduce, Reuse or Recycle?

Sure, the 3 R's are all related, but which of the children is the favorite?

When it comes to single-use bags all 3 of the R's are possible actions. You can reduce your consumption of plastic bags, reuse them for multiple uses or recycle them into new goods. However, there is some controversy regarding which is the best form of action for plastic bags in particular and for consumable goods as a whole.

In many cases it's a matter of a personal preference. People may take into account their budget, their number of reuses for a plastic bag and the availability of local recycling programs. Recently, several city governments have decided to step in and choose which route is right for their citizens. New York City has started one debate right here in our own backyard but the trend is spreading across the country.

Unlike the proposed NYC Plastic Bag Tax, Councilman Mike DuPont of Redbank, New Jersey recently approached the issue by proposing an ordinance for the recycling of plastic bags. We found this interesting article, "Council Biz: Still No Bag Law" at Redbankgreen.com addressing the various stakeholders' views and possible courses of action for this issue. Make sure to also take note of the commentary made by our VP of Marketing and Fun, Ellen.

DoSomething.org Zootopia Pics Uncovered..

Just discovered these awesome pics of a few celebs with their DoSomething.org ECOBAGS at Zootopia while browsing DoSomething's Facebook page.

Jeff Stinco of Simple Plan

Singer Ferras

Ferras even got in on the spraying action. Talk about artistry!

Chuck Corneau of Simple Plan

And my personal favorite, Donny Klang. Making the Band, anyone?

Handsome men with reusable bags, what more could an eco-friendly gal want?

Also check out Eco-Bags' Facebook page. We <3 friends.

Is there a place for PLASTIC?

This week the NY Times once again tackled the ever-popular issue of plastic bag usage in an article called "Seeing a Pitched Battle Over Plastic Bags."

The article addresses both sides of the issue - plastic bags do have their place in the world of collecting waste or protecting against environmental agents but they also contribute tons of non-biodegradable mass to our landfills every year.

We here at Eco-Bags recognize that there is a place for plastic but our overall use needs to be significantly reduced. The average household consumes 100's of plastic bags every year and uses most only a single time. An eco-friendly reusable bag would be a far superior substitute for these types of applications.

As far as the dog poop....reach for some plastic.

ECOBAGS in InTouch Magazine!

Check us out in InTouch Magazine this week! Our canvas bags are included as part of a "Gift-A-Licious" Gift Set including lots other cool products including natural cosmetics, jewelry and incredibly enticing gift certificates for dinners, massages and hotel stays.

You'll want to enter to win this and all the other gift sets - I know I do!

Natural Products Expo East 2008 RECAP

Wow, Expo East 2008 was definitely the trade show of all trade shows. The largest one I've ever been to for sure; 26,000 attendees and 2100 exhibitors! It is incredible just how many green products and services are now on the market. The hot new buzzword this year: GLUTEN-FREE! It seemed like EVERYTHING you could ever want/need to eat is now available in a gluten-free alternative. Brownies, pizzas, muffins, cakes, mixes, burritos - people stopped by the ECOBAGS booth with their mouths stuffed with the stuff. Most of it was good, some of it...needed a little time in the product development lab.

Other than the gluten, we found that people are starting to become more educated about product material content. Our bags have always been made of eco-friendly materials like organic and recycled cottons and hemps, but recently polypropylene bags have flooded the market. At a pricepoint of $0.99/bag it's hard to pass these up, even if you know they're made of an environmentally toxic material. It's becoming clear, especially in these times of economic hardship, that consumers and businesses are torn about where their priorities lie - to be eco-friendly or thrifty?

The Expo had a great turnout and we were glad to be a part of it. It's always nice to refresh your perceptions of what the market wants/values at any given time. And it's nice to put some faces to the voices you've spoken with over the phone for the past 20 years. Thanks to the Natural Products Expo crew and the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center for hosting a fantastic event!

Natural Products Expo East 2008

Will you be there? If so, make sure to stop by Booth #3123 to visit the Eco-Bags crew! We'll be in the Natural & Specialty Foods section in Hall C. Make sure to mention that you saw the blog - there may be a "prize" involved!

Natural Products Expo East 2008
Boston Convention & Exhibition Center
Thursday October 16 - Saturday October 18
www.expoeast.com

See y'all there!

When Financial Markets Surrender...

...we have to ask ourselves what the true measures of "success" are.

According to the DOW, we're failures. Well, maybe that's a bit harsh. But now that the traditional measures of success aren't looking too hot, it's an opportunity for us to re-evaluate the standards by which we measure "true progress."

That's exactly the business of the folks at Redefining Progress. Make sure to check out their Genuine Progress Indicator. Their calculations are based on untraditional and intriguing factors. The one I found most interesting was "Changes in Leisure Time - As a nation becomes wealthier, people should have more latitude to choose between work and free time for family or other activities. In recent years, however, the opposite has occurred. The GDP ignores this loss of free time, but the GPI treats leisure as most Americans do—as something of value."

While you're there, check out the Ecological Footprint Quiz and figure out how you can single-handedly improve the GPI of your homecountry.

There is Nothing Your iPhone Cannot Do

This past week I became the proud owner of a new baby iPhone which I have lovingly named iLiana. Despite our first few stumbling blocks, we have warmed up to each other well and she is quickly becoming a key member of my life.

This morning, Treehugger enlightened me to the fact that there is truly nothing our iPhone friends cannot do. They have now developed several iPhone apps which aid the user in greening their life. Check out the Treehugger article for more info.

Green Wins Hands Down

What I love about Public Television is not just the cheesy, 80's-esque travel documentaries, but also the sense that anything they explore, review or instruct on is pure and honest. I never find their shows to have any hidden agenda or marketing undertones. When they want money, they ask for it plain and simple. And I appreciate that.

America's Test Kitchen is one of my favorite Public Television shows because they give me the simplest sureproof ways of making classic recipes and review products from a place of non-bias. When they say a can-opener is the best, it's because it has superior can-opening abilities. This past week I watched an episode where they reviewed dishwashing liquid and it was actually much more interesting than it sounds. Of the ten or so soaps they tested, two were considered eco-friendly - Method and Seventh Generation. Of all the soaps, even the classic brands like Dawn and Ivory, Method came out the winner. The Equipment Corner Guru explained that it was due to it's high concentration of surfactants in the brand. In the Method soaps, these happen to be vegetable-based surfactants, while in the other brands they tend to be petroleum-based. Either way, it was the concentration rather than the origin of surfactants that had the greatest effect on dishwashing superiority.

So that's probably more about dishsoap than you ever cared to know, but the reason I bring it up is to share my elation that a green product can win on all fronts! Not just planet friendliness, but also effectiveness and pricepoint (Method is about $2.99/bottle). I love it when a green product excels at more than just being green. You can bet the next bottle of liquid detergent I buy will be Method's Go Naked soap.

Thanks Public Television!