The Eco Women are celebrating their second blog anniversary this week! Check out our daily giveaways and leave comments to win prizes.
One of the easiest and simplest ways you can help save Planet Earth is by breaking the plastic habit. Yes, the Eco Women keep harping on this one thing over and over, but it’s important. If you need convincing, read more about the five enormous garbage patches floating in the world’s oceans.
Here are some sobering statistics:
- It takes 12 million barrels of oil to make the 100 million plastic bags that Americans use annually.
- Worldwide, shoppers use 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags a year. (Some countries are better than others — in 2002 Ireland starting heavily taxing the use of plastic bags and the country’s consumption dropped 90%.)
- Every year, hundreds of marine animals die from ingesting plastic bags they mistakenly thought were food.
Cutting back on plastic might seem difficult, but if you manage to eliminate plastic bags and water bottles from your life, then you’ve made an important first step. For more ideas on how to cut back on plastic, click here.
And for heaven’s sakes, if you do bring home some plastic, do everything you can to recycle it — plastic bags and bottles take 500+ years to break down in a landfill.
Since today’s theme is about cutting back on plastic, today’s giveaway is one of the Eco Women’s fabulous organic cotton reusable shopping bags. Recycla uses hers nearly every day — in stores, at the farmers’ market, to carry library books, and more. To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment here.
Tune in every day this week, as the Eco Women give away prizes to celebrate their two year blogiversary. All giveaways are open until 8 p.m. EST on Friday, March 12. Winners will be randomly chosen and contacted over the weekend.
It seems like plastic is everywhere, doesn’t it? I always try to find new ways to use “old” plastic items. I recently turned an unused plastic trash can into a compost bin…I use an old, cleaned out cat litter box for my dog’s outside water dish, and I reuse 2 liter soda bottles for storing an emergency water supply in them.
Happy Anniversary!
I’m leaving this comment not just to win your tote but because I really do appreciate all you do in educating us. Just when I think I’ve gotten ‘it’, you come up with something new I haven’t thought about. Reading your reports are always enlightening (and always scary too).
Thanks!!
~your partner in fighting the environmental war~
I like the resuable bags if for no other reason then they can hold so much more thenthe plastic ones and they don’t fall over letting all my groceries roll around in the trunk.
thanks so much for this blog. I get so excited when there is an update in my reader from y’all. And I thought I was pretty savvy, but last week when I read about the FIVE plastic islands floating in our oceans I was amazed. the only one I knew about was the largest in the Pacific. Thank you again for all that you do!!
I carry a set of 5 nylon tote bags in their own bag in my purse so I always have a bag to use instead of the plastic ones from a store. But I can always use another
I shop my farmers market faithfully every week and have broken the plastic bag habit there. One of the farmers sells large market bags that are compostable but completely strong and reusable. Still working on the plastic bag habit at the grocery stores. Thanks for all of the advice.
I try to shop with my fabric bags. In fact, I often turn around and go back home when I forget them
Don’t count me in the giveaway – I just wanted to say I love the bag I already have from you guys! And I do use it everyday – it holds my kids’ stuff (blankets, stuffed animal, change of clothes, etc) that they take to daycare/grandma’s house!
I just found you in the past couple of days! Happy Blogiversary, I’ll be back to visit. Canvas bags stay in my car, the most recent into the house are always on the doorknob to go back when I do, ready for use.
Now if I can find a substitute for the cat pan liner, I’ll be delighted!
I already have bags aplenty, so give one to someone else, but I want you to know that I read and admire youall.
Jenny
Oh, my words didn’t come out correctly. I don’t want the bag – although it’s very pretty – I have a plenty too so yeah, give it to someone who needs it.
I keep my car loaded with reusable shopping They make great bags for the STACKS of books we get from the library. Thanks for offering so many simple and easy ways to save our environment for generations!
I drink a lot of water. I bought a stainless water bottle and no longer purchase individual plastic water bottles. It was an easy thing to do.
I love reusable shopping bags, and this one is the most special of all! (Come on, random number generator, pick me!)
We’re good about taking our bags with us to the grocery store, but one can never have too many! Thanks for the giveaway!