Sunday Newscape Magazine

Out of respect for Mother Earth and in fear of Al Gore, I have at long last switched to reusable shopping bags. And I’ve already made a large, if unintentional, contribution to the cloth bag industry. That’s because every time I go shopping, I forget to bring along my environmentally friendly shopping sacks, thereby forcing me to buy a whole new set. My collection could fill a landfill.

I try to be a good steward of our lovely globe. I have a cabinet in my kitchen that bulges with baggy good intentions. If you’re crazy enough to open it, you’ll be hit by an avalanche of feel-good fabrics in every shape and size. I have drawstring bags I can wear on my back, ultracompact satchels in retro colors, well-woven market baskets and tony totes made of recycled waste. I also have an organic, hemp peasant sack. Carrying it makes me feel a bit like a character in a Tolstoy novel.

Don’t tell Mr. Gore, but I even have a stash of plastic bags in that cabinet. (I’m good, but not that good.)

The inconvenient truth is that while it’s good to be green, it’s not always easy, especially if you’re as scatterbrained as me. There are lots of products on the market designed to help manage our good-hearted notions of nature protection, such as bags that hook on to your keychain. The idea is that you won’t forget your keys, so you won’t forget your Gore gear. But if you’re like me, you easily can lose both, leaving you locked out of your house and forcing you to buy yet another reusable shopping sack.

And there are compact bags to toss into your purse so that you always have them with you. But again, if you’re like me, your purse barely has enough room for the really important things such as a brush and lipstick. Surely Al Gore can understand that.

You can store shopping bags in the trunk of your car. But even driving those bags around town doesn’t mean you’ll take them inside the store. I’ve seen customers dash out of the checkout line and run to the parking lot to retrieve their do-good duffels. These people are far better human beings than I am. Nothing short of the apocalypse would make me give up my spot in the checkout line.

Not that I’m complaining (much) about the cost; what’s a few hundred dollars compared with the long-term health of the planet? But reusable bags can get expensive. With the money I’m spending to transport my groceries, eating out might be more cost-effective.

And there’s the problem of fashion. If, like me, you’re the stylish sort, it’s not enough that you’re helping to save our Earth mamma with your shopping selections. You’ve got to look good doing it. Fortunately, some of the high-dollar designers are getting in on the bag action so that we can all look chic at the farmers market while being nice to nature. Better to show up in curlers and sweatpants (even if you’re a man) than to be seen carrying your organic herbs and heirloom tomatoes home in a plastic bag.

Let’s make Al Gore proud of all of us. It’s not that inconvenient.

© Jackie Papandrew All Rights Reserved  www.jackiepapandrew.com.