Offer: Time to stop using plastic produce bags too!

by louana | October 29, 2008 at 3:25 PM | Marketplace

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When I was in the Darfur region of the Sudan I was shocked beyond words to see attached to the branches of every tree and bush pieces of shredded plastic bags. "Is this the legacy the Western World has brought to the world?" I thought. I had already switched to canvas shopping bags years before but until then had not thought carefully about how many plastic produce bags I was using on a regular basis. When I returned from Darfur, I made a conscious effort to avoid using plastic bags of any type when I went shopping, especially in the grocery stores. What I did at first was to simply put my produce into my shopping cart and bags "bare." This was not a good solution as sometimes the produce would roll around and some would get "squished." Recently, while pondering how an alternative could be produced I came up with what I consider to be the perfect solution--lightweight and see through net bags with drawstring tops. I sat down to my sewing machine, and made some prototypes for friends to try out. The response has been uniformly positive both from users and from check-out clerks. So, many days of sewing later and an official website, the bags are now available for you the world to try out! I told my daughter recently that I would like to make money on these (of course) but at least I will have a place in paradise held for me. Keeping plastic bags out of landfills and off the trees and bushes of all countries is the passion that keeps me sewing, sewing, sewing. I have a website: www.l-bag.com. The cost is very reasonable and the bags will last and last and last. Looking beyond and forward! Louana

Link:

http://www.l-bag.com

Comments

Louanna,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. I had a similar experience in the outskirts of Kenya and was saddened to go into Nairobi and see so many plastic bags in use. There is no excuse for this. A reusable bag is $.99 and you can get $.03 to $.10 back on every purchase where you use your reusable bag.

In friendship,

Jenna Kellam

Jenna,
Thanks for your plastic "witness" and your comments. For those who have reusable shopping bags but sometimes forget to take them on their shopping trips but who also remember to bring them and use them--that is a good step forward.
In the end, however, we will all need to step up and change our habits for our resources to be better used than for making and throwing away plastic bags.

Louana

Thanks for caring about this! Good for you for making and marketing an alternative. I've wondered about how to keep produce fresh in the refrigerator when they're not in plastic bags - any thoughts from anyone on this? I usually re-use plastic breadbags and so on in order to keep my produce fresh. I wonder if the mesh your bags are made of would do the trick.

Blessings!

Anna,
I think refrigerators are set up to have enough humidity in the produce drawers to make it possible to store your produce without a plastic aid (bag or container) which means the L-bag would do the trick. However, I haven't (boo-hoo) been able to have the bags do that for me in my refrigerator. I have always transferred my produce which needs to be refrigerated into Tupperware which keeps everything fine. The L-Bags are great for bulk grains and beans both for transport and for storing!!! (bonus).
Louana

I just bought L Bags for everyone in my family for xmas. Great stocking stuffers! Thank you Louana! What a great idea!

Lindsay

Lindsay,
And I thank you. I think they are perfect for stocking stuffing as they are lightweight and can be folded small enough to fit any stocking size!
Louana