Pondering the Potential of Pellet Stoves

It is cold outside today. The drop in degrees has made me think about energy consumption around my home and what further steps I can take to make this place more energy efficient and save money. I thought of the growing reputation among greenies for the pellet stove.

Even if you aren’t quite ready to take the plunge and go completely “off the grid” a pellet stove is a great source of heat at a reasonable price and reduce the size of a home’s carbon footprint.

Pellet stoves run at a minimal cost (after the initial investment of the stove itself) and make a heck of a lot less mess than traditional stoves and wood burners. Many feel the classic log burning stove can actually pollute the interior air of a home making them a potentially dangerous heating choice. Pellets are virtually smoke free and offer the chance for burning a green fuel.

The actual pellets are made from a number of materials including sawdust and waste left over from other wood related and agricultural processes. Some pellets are uber sustainable being made from corn kernels or soy beans. Seems to me, it would be better to breath in soy beans than new tree wood.

Some greenies consider the pellet stove a carbon neutral product and liken it to buying carbon credits. Whatever you call it, the pellet stove is a money saving, smoke eliminating, carbon and toxic reducing home heating machine.

But of course, nothing in this growing green world of ours is ever perfect.

Besides the initial expense, wood pellet stoves are complex machines which usually require the assistance of a professional installer. Maintenance can cost you some cash too, especially if you aren’t willing to work on upkeep and read the owner’s manual a few times until you “get it.”

As I open another alarming electric bill for my own --- low electric use, always switching off lights and unplugging cords--- home, I think a pellet stove is the way forward. It’s another old school idea that was pushed aside by modern pollution-laden industry.

But pellet stove, you rise again. This time you’ll probably be staying for a while.

Burn eco baby burn.

Freegans: Insane or Smart? (or a little bit of both?)

As I search online for the latest green budget information and details on how to lower your carbon footprint, I keep coming across information, and often jokes, about “freegans.” So I decided to write a blog on these folks finally. I am neither advocating nor condoning their lifestyle but I must admit, I am a tad envious of their low to no personal carbon impact.

So what is a freegan? According to the freegan.info website, a freegan is (and I quote):

“Freegans are people who employ alternative strategies for living based on limited participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption of resources. Freegans embrace community, generosity, social concern, freedom, cooperation, and sharing in opposition to a society based on materialism, moral apathy, competition, conformity, and greed.”

These “alternative strategies” are vast and varied but do include the infamous dumpster diving. It’s not just food they look for but furniture, clothes, books, tools, and any other item that can be recovered rather than purchased. Now, I should clarify, not all freegans jump into dumpsters when no one is looking, many smart people ask for free stuff inside the stores before they get dumped in the trash cans.

Freegans are not fans of the “system” but they do seem to be benefiting from it. The items that gather save precious planetary resources, help useful and toxic items avoid the immortal grave of the landfill and role model a minimal waste lifestyle but they do not, in my humble opinion, live out of the system.

They are just clever about the way they utilize it.

It’s not just dumpsters, its swapping items, avoiding petrochemical use and actively attempting to help the planet rather than hinder it. All good things in my book. They may get a tad passionate at times but rather passion than apathy right?

Freegans try to live up to a high moral standard and may perhaps look down on the rest of us consumers. Personally, I’m a middle way kind of gal. If I can get it for free, second hand or use local sustainable products, I will.

But go dumpster diving in little ol’ Wyoming? Probably not going to happen.

Although I’m not completely averse to a quick trip to the city dump to see what’s there. I’ve heard there is a lot of furniture. And I could go late in the day when no one else is there. Just to peruse, to see just what harm people are causing to the planet with their uninformed dumping.

And maybe pick up a chair or two.

But not a sandwich. No, I draw the line there.

Coffee and the State of the Planet

Who doesn’t love a hot rich cup of Joe? Well, nearly most of us do but the impact our brown bean obsession has on the planet is pretty bad. No, it’s absolutely terrible. Every morning, millions and millions of people line up at coffee bars, shops, convenience stores, gas stations and hot drink dispensers to fill up on the nation’s most popular hot beverage.

The disposable Styrofoam coffee cup is a detriment to the planet and increases the size of any carbon footprint. Oh but what about the paper ones you say? Turns out most paper coffee cups are made from bleached virgin tree, meaning very difficult to recycle and not exactly sustainable. Bad bad coffee cups.

But when these unrecyclable coffee cups end up in landfills, things go from bad to worse. The plastic coating on the inside of the cups that prevents the liquid from leaking out? Well when the paper corrodes, the chemicals in the plastic coating off gas releasing methane into the atmosphere. Methane is an uber greenhouse gas that is directly related to the heating of the planet and climate change. Bad bad methane.

So what to do? How can we enjoy our favorite wake up liquid without harming the planet? It’s really quite easy: make your coffee at home. These days, you can find everything for a coffee shop style Joe in the supermarket. Get a coffee maker, a grinder if you must, a few flavored syrups and voila! Home made coffee.

Home made coffee has a much lower impact on the planet (remember to unplug when you are done), saves a lot of money and taste just as good as the planet killing stuff. But there are still areas where things can go wrong.

For instance, making your coffee at home is great until you buy beans from Arabia and carry the coffee around in an off gassing plastic container. We make coffee in the states. If you have to go further a field choose Mexico or Canada over exotic locales. This reduces the transportation footprint and reduces the chance of purchasing unfairly traded beans.

So choose a steel thermos or travel mug for your locally produced made at home coffee. This will lower your costs and your planetary impact. It may also help reduce the amount of trees destroyed each year for cups and force coffee shop owners to make wiser choices in their beverage containers. Remember consumer consume and smart consumers consume at home to instigate change.

Be a carbon reducing coffee warrior and do your part.

Anyone else thirsty?

Making Green Children

Kids, I assure you, are expensive. Every time you turn around they need something else. There are a number of ways to offset your carbon footprint while keep your child as carbon neutral as possible.

Buy children’s clothes at the thrift store. If you start this when they are really young they will never think it odd to receive clothes without tags. In many cases, the clothes at thrift store are from this year’s fashions, have been worn once or twice and sometimes not at all. If you have a child that just must wear designer labels to fit in, then take a longer time at the second hand store. You will be able to find every name brand at super low prices if you take the time to look.

If you must buy new, make sure to get multiple uses out of things. Pass stuff down to younger siblings (yes we all hated it but did it do us any harm?) or give to family and friends with children of the same age. At the very least, put clothes out for freecycling to take worn out clothes down to the fabric recycling bins.

Feed your child locally grown organic produce whenever possible. Getting children used to a diet heavy on the grains and beans earlier will not only improve their overall health, it will save you a lot of money. Remember prepackaged over processed food increase greenhouse emissions in the atmosphere and costs a lot of money.

Pack your child’s lunches for school. This is a big money saver. The school lunch system can be very pricey, depending on your district, and it is always cheaper to pack your own. Just make sure to role model and pack your work lunch as well. Be sure to use reusable containers or reuse plastic containers from around the home.

Teach your child to think green. Place an emphasis on home education and teach your child how to plant seeds, tend to compost heaps and make their own food from scratch. All these green skills we are learning as adults must be passed down to our kids in order for the changes to continue.

Most of all, make your child into an advocate for green living. Don’t brainwash them of course but help them see the logic of protecting their planet. Let them watch the news and visit forests, learn about the ozone layer and carbon footprints. Children are the future and green children will make sure that there is one.

The Ice Caps Are Melting Faster Than Expected

We know the ice caps are melting as the world gets warmer because of the amount of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. Now a new report out of Cambridge University explains that the ice caps are melting a lot faster than earlier than predicted. If you weren’t doing it before, it really is time to reduce and offset your carbon footprint.

The team from Cambridge has spent several months measuring the thickness and spread of the Arctic ice region and state that much of the ice will completely disappear in the summer months. Within 30 years, the region could be little more than open sea.

Without the Arctic, the whole world will change.

The temperature will continue to rise, changing weather patterns, affecting animal and insect ecosystems, changing crop growing patterns and availability of food sources. Flooding will become a major constant for a number of countries, costing lives, homes, and millions in damage. The amount of carbon in the atmosphere will increase rather than decrease.

A melting icecap situation will change everything.

And all the little things we do, like offsetting our carbon footprints, reduce our waste, recycling materials and trying to leave a better lifestyle is great. It will make a difference. But without the assistance of federal and international laws that force countries to act like smart green citizens, it may not be enough.

Legislation on climate change has to go beyond admitting it exists and something should be done about it to actually doing something about it. Good intentions will not save the planet. Living green on a budget is a fantastic concept: we just need the nations of the world to join in.

Its time to offset your carbon footprint and buy some carbon credits. Tell a friend to try it too. Maybe this whole climate change fixing, ice cap melting reversal thing is a matter of role modeling.

We can only hope.

Choosing Green: The Water Bottle Debate

We all know that the traditional convenience store plastic disposable water bottle is a big no no and does nothing to improve the size of your carbon footprint. But what is the best way to deal with that pesky hydration issues? Everywhere I look I’m being told that every “green” choice isn’t as green as I thought and plastic bottles cause cancer and offsetting and toxins and this and that and ….what to do?

I know the convenience store PET plastic bottle made from fossil fuel by products that off gas carcinogenic chemicals and spends centuries in a landfill are not for me. These disposable single use containers are so bad for the planet and our precious natural resources. No matter what the global corporate big wigs say, oil is finite and therefore running out and who wants to make the problem worse because they were too lazy to remember to bring a refillable bottle?

But which refillable bottle? There are a number of plastic reusable bottles on the market but how do they really help? Sure they reduce the amount of plastic but not the use of plastic. Not really a long term solution.

So the choices are metal or glass. Glass works great for the home but not really convenient or safe for travel. It certainly wouldn’t work in a gym bag or for little kids. Glasses and tap water stay at home.

With metal there are two basic choices: aluminum and steel. Aluminum is one of the most recycled metals on the planet, just look at the success of the can recycling program. But aluminum water bottles are kind of expensive and have suffered some bad pres. Namely, that the liners inside the aluminum outer cases can leach and off gas seeping chemicals into the water.

The smart green planet saving choice is the stainless steel reusable water bottle. Cheap and widely available at home stores and camping stores, the stainless steel container lasts. Its durable, contains no liner and doesn’t need any liner.

What about corn plastic I hear you say? Corn plastic is great but maybe not the best choice for a durable long lasting water bottle, at least not yet. Corn plastic usually cannot stand temps above 110 degrees. So you leave it in a hot car on a sunny day and well….

So a steel bottle will reduce carbon emissions, saves money and keep you hydrated. End of confusion and worry. It’s kinda funny though. Stainless steel canteens are nothing new. Neither are aluminum bottles. Sometimes we forget that green isn’t new, its always been the practical choice.

Green: An Old Fashioned View of Living?

Over the weekend I made about 30 jars of apple jelly. I used glass jars I had collected from past purchases and about 250 fresh apples I got through the freecycle network. People think I’m dated because I like canning. It made me think about some of the old fashioned ways of living that work well with a green lifestyle.

Taking fresh locally grown organic produced and pickling it, making jelly or preserving it for future use is a great way to save money and lower your carbon footprint. Canning reduces the amount of prepackaged foods that you consume, reduces waste and provides a healthier non toxic diet.

Mending clothes seems like a phrase out of the dark ages but it’s a great way to reduce consumer spending and in turn your effect on the planet’s oxygen supply. The less new clothes that are produced the lower the carbon emission from factories. Sewing a tear, hemming pants and patching up jeans are great ways to save cash. Wear your clothes with a sense of green honor and keep the needle and thread handy.

Fixing things is another simple way to save money and reduce your footprint. When the bed rail breaks, don’t throw out the bed, repair the rail. Maintain your home with regular maintenance and clean appliances thoroughly to extend their life. Repair and reuse has always been the name of the game for the thrifty and the green.

Barter with friends and family rather than throwing things away or paying for things up front. Swap skills with neighbors and trade a mowed lawn for a new deck chair or a serviced boiler for a few jars of canned vegetables. This helps lower the community carbon footprint, extend the sense of societal unity in your home town and saves money for everyone.

Think before you buy or use something. Our grandparents generation lived through worst economic times than we are facing now and learned quickly what was necessary and what was frivolous. Before buying or doing anything, consider the real cost both in carbon and cash. Living frugally in a poor economy helps everyone.

It may be a little old fashioned, but it turns out, so is being green.

The Green Pumpkin

Everywhere I look, pumpkins are already for sale. This staple of Halloween can be an opportunity for waste or an opportunity for saving money. The green pumpkin is a great lesson for little ones.

Think about how many pumpkins, which are a sustainable product, Americans buy every year. Millions of pounds of pumpkin are thrown into the garbage annually. Rather than just carving the pumpkin and sticking a candle in the center, there are a number of ways to green up pumpkin use this year and offset your carbon footprint.

Firstly, purchase only locally grown organic pumpkins. They may not be the largest ones available but they will be natural, sustainable and safe to eat. Buying pumpkins that are flown or driven into your area is bad for the carbon footprint and increases the amount of greenhouse gases in the air.

Hollow out your pumpkin in a responsible manner. You can use all of the pumpkin so there is no reason for any of it to end up in the garbage. Any pieces you do want to throw away should land on the compost heap.

Toast and salt seeds, use innards for pumpkin pie and pumpkin soup and place remaining pulp in freezer to be pureed at a later date for Halloween style beverages. And for those who want a zero waste lifestyle? Search online for a pumpkin rind pickling recipe. Yes, they do exist.

If you hate the taste of pumpkin, then don’t purchase one. Buying things for one night just to throw away is a very irresponsible way to live and it is a complete waste of money. If you can’t live without a craved pumpkin this season, give the remains to a family member or neighbor to cook with. And if that doesn’t work for you, consider a carbon credit for each pumpkin you purchase.

If we begin to approach holidays and get togethers as opportunities to help the planet and use our creativity rather than what they are now carbon footprint enhancers, we can make permanent lifestyle changes. Natural decorations, organic cotton costumes and of course, pumpkin rind snacks, is one way to help the planet this coming holiday.

Greening up the Office

When it’s just a small office, ceramic plates, cups, cloth napkins and packed lunches are the best way to reduce the office carbon footprint and keep costs low. But in the high end corporate office, it can be difficult to convince the higher ups of such down to earth solutions to un-green offices. After a little research, I have compiled a top seven (to be different) list of ways to offset the office carbon footprint.

1. Unplug when you can or invest in power strips. We all know that electrical outlets are energy vampires. Spending a little of the office supply budget on power strips will help in the long run. As will unplugging things that are not in use.

2. Encourage co workers to drops extra copies, printing mistakes and unwanted paperwork into a recycling box. Use the back side of this paper or, if dealing with confidentiality, shred the paper and use for packing filler. Recycled paper is of course, the best option.

3. Pull up the blinds on office windows and opt for natural light whenever possible. The amount of artificial lights in offices is not only bad for your health and vitamin D intake but it wastes energy. Choose sunshine and LED lights to save energy and increase health.

4. Make the disposable break room a zero waste environment. When disposable is the only way, choose recycled paper cups, corn plastic containers and bamboo sugar stirrers. Compostable biodegradable, landfill break down plant based plastics are comparable in price to traditional and deletes waste.

5. Be your co-workers friend and car pool. If you live close enough get a walking or cycling buddy to make the green office commute a bit more enjoyable. Remember transportation is one of the main contributors to greenhouse gases, and you go to the office nearly every day so it adds up quickly.

6. Choose Energy Star copiers, water coolers, refrigerators and ovens for the office and break room. This is a simple way to reduce energy and save money. It probably works out as a tax deduction for the boss as well.

7. Consider an office garden or compost heap. This can be a team project and people can take turns feeding the leftovers fro lunch to the worms. Office gardens are fun for both workers and clients and offer a green space to relax.


I’ll probably say it a thousand times but its important to consider every environment you spend a lot of time in when reducing your carbon footprint. The workplace is one area when teamwork can really make a difference to the planet. And while I’m thinking about it, what about handing out carbon credits for the holidays? Talk about spreading the eco wealth.

A little More About the Freecycle Thing

Freecycle is a growing trend in both urban and rural communities. This great new bargain basement craze is one heck of a way to offset and reduce your carbon footprint. Today a friend of mine sent me invites to join two local freecycle networks and I was stunned at how fast the offers started rolling in.

As explained on their website, the freecycle folks are all about waste reduction and reusing items that have both value and worth. The rules are simple: no fee, no politics, no meanness just online postings of free useable stuff in your local area. The group is a non profit network operating nationwide with thousands of locally moderated branches for your convenience.

It’s all about lowering your personal carbon footprint. The more items that we keep out of landfills, the better off the planet. And throwing away stuff someone else may want and can use? That’s just stupid. And if like me you live in a town where the local thrift store doesn’t take furniture (they have no space) giving it away to strangers is much better than taking it to the local dump.

Freecycle seems like an honest bunch of folks, despite my husband’s reservations regarding the whole scheme. I mean really, in this day and age, people giving stuff away for free? Craziness! But the grassroots efforts across the globe to try harder to instill community, share with friends and neighbors and promote responsible discarding of unwanted items are all results of the growing green movement.

So here’s what you do. Write a small description of the item you want to give away on the forum post page. Include your street address and the location of the goods. I’ve learned that just for safety’s sake, most people leave stuff on their porch or sidewalk near their home rather than invite people inside. Better safe than sorry. Once the item has been picked up, you post to the forum again, letting everyone else know not to bother coming out.

A surprisingly simple and effective system. But here comes the uber green part. You can also ask for specific items that you need, cannot afford or don’t want to pay for. The one I came across today was a couple looking for lidded glass jars to make jelly with. They didn’t want fancy jelly jars just glass jars they could reuse. They soon posted a thank you after receiving more jars than they could ever use. And just think, rather than ending up in the trash, the jars were repurposed. How cool is that?

This footprint lowering, waster reducing, recycling phenomenon is bound to have its critics. Green socialism perhaps? The slippery slope to organic communism? Whatever, call it what you will. Personally, it seems to be a great way to reduce waste, help people out and reduce costs during these difficult economic times.

I can’t wait to see if I can go and freecycle the apples off a neighbors tree. Free apple pie is the best kind of apple pie. Talk about shopping locally.

The Library Lowers Your Carbon Footprint

Saving money and the planet at the same time means keeping your carbon footprint low and your savings account high. By utilizing your local library a lot more than you do now, you can do both.

In this age of the personal phone, the personal computer and the personal space, we forget that community centers are sustainable aspects of our lives. By better utilizing public space, we cut down on our personal resources, which in turn mean lower carbon emissions. And despite our cyber obsession, the great depository of books still holds much sway.

To begin with, at the library you can read a book. Books are made from a sustainable material: paper. And by reading the library books rather than buying the same book new, you not only cut down on the number of trees that die to make the books, you save money. Libraries are free.

Libraries also offer internet and computer access for little or no cost. The only restriction is usually time, but who needs to be spend the day online? If you just occasionally check email and read a few green focused blogs (ahem), you only need about half an hour a day. Save yourself some money and sign up for 30 minutes of time at the library.

Besides books and blog reading, the library offers community discussion groups, movie rentals and film nights, craft and story time for your kids and a place to do research, hang out and meet people. All for free and all without increasing your carbon footprint.

Transportation to the library is often your only opportunity to add to the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Carpool with friends, take public transportation (there is usually a shuttle stop at the library in most cities), ride your bike or, here’s a thought, walk. Most people live pretty close to a library; it’s set up that way. A daily walk to the library gets your exercise in, saves on the use of fossil fuels and offsets your carbon footprint.

It’s a win win really. So think about being green this week by renewing your library card. You may be surprised at just how much there is to do at the local book depository.

Mother Earth to Earth Ship: Sustainable Living Concepts

Everywhere I look someone is doing something creative and inventive to conserve energy, help the planet and offset their carbon footprint. I watched a great documentary on earth ships the other day and decided to do a little research. These green homes not only save energy and work with the natural environment, they save money too.

As explained by earthship.net, you can use the term “earth ship” to describe your green home if it adheres to a set of six basic principles. These are: utilizing solar and wind energy alone to heat and cool the building, creating a contained sewage system, harvesting rain water consistently, building the frame and walls out of recycled and sustainable materials and having designated areas for self production of food.

The ships are built low or into the ground, offering subterranean living. They have solar panels on the roof and walls, have an assortment of rain barrels around the perimeter to catch run off room the roof and often have full fledged gardens growing on the inside of the structure. I’ve seen some with walls made from glass bottles and others made from reclaim rocks. They are experiments in green design which offer both a place to life as well as a sustainable lifestyle.

Earth ships are beginning to pop up across the States and Europe with some people building a single structure on private land and others creating earth ship communities. The carbon footprint of such communities and the amount of emissions their lifestyles incur compared to classic living quarters is minimal. Creating your own heat and food also cuts down on living expenses.

In practical terms, earth ships take a lot of time and care to manage so it’s not a feasible thing to do if you live alone and commute several hours to the office everyday; unless of course you hire a little green help. All told an earth ship, including labor and materials, costs about $200 per square foot to build. The labor is same as traditional construction, the difference in cost is earth ships have top construct their own utility supplies where in traditional homes to rent these from utility companies. Its one of those, cost effective over time things.

I love the idea of underground heating, growing my own food and having no utility bills. But in practical terms, it’s a lot of work. Good thing is for the lazy greenies like myself, there are rental properties available. Some earth ships act as educational centers so you can see the potential we have to make real change, reduce greenhouse gases and lower our carbon footprints.

Earth ships may be the home of the future but until then, a few carbon credits to offset my unsustainable lifestyle methinks.

Greening the Holidays: Considering a Reduce Carbon Footprint Halloween

It may seem a little early to start talking Halloween but for many of us, this coming weekend is when we start getting serious about making plans and buying costumes. And if you are trying to have a green Halloween on a budget, preparation is a must.

A quick scan through the cyber world shows a number of new options for those considering Halloween as another opportunity to reduce and offset their carbon footprint. And some aspects of this sugar fueled spooky holiday have always been green, so why change what works?

Trick or treating is a walking tradition; the door to door ritual is integral to the holiday. Choose local areas for candy canvassing and leave the car at home. Close parental supervision is enough to keep your kid safe and driving the car every block to park it at the end of the street is not just lazy, is a greenhouse gas nightmare. Keep fuel emissions low this year and wear good walking shoes and a warm coat.

Create your own Halloween costume out of used materials.A second hand white sheet is a majorly low impact approach. Browse local thrift stores and dress up boxes for the basics for a home made costume. In these harsh economic times, the budget approach is considered smart so don’t worry. You could even consider a “green” green costume and dress up like a recycling bin or LED light bulb, whatever tickles your fancy. Just avoid buying as little over processed packaged products as possible.

Speaking of which, how about natural decorations this year? The stores abound with an assortment of soy candles both scented and decorative and a bale of straw is a lot cheaper than the plastic emission emitting decorations from the made anywhere but here store. A number of online retailers are offering corn based treat bags or you could buy a canvas bag and use it for many years to come.

If you are giving out the treats this year use it as an opportunity to make a statement. Offer soy treats made from organic low footprint ingredients, collect candy wrappers for future craft projects and hand out candy in recycled packaging when you can find it.

Every holiday or occasion offers the chance to think outside the box. Halloween especially is a good opportunity to teach kids about being resourceful, making do and having lots of low impact fun.

Don’t Bag it Just Carry it

I was at the health food store the other week (where I had previously been chastised for not bringing my own bag) and got stuck behind a young woman who was purchasing a few sugar sticks for her tea. The shop assistant looked at her and asked: “Would you like a bag?” Of course I, and I am sure the line behind me filled with individuals clutching their own canvas bags, presumed the woman would say no.

Never assume anything. And the fact that someone would get a plastic bag for such a small amount of product when she had a purse over her shoulder much larger than the carrier bag made me think: are we just brainwashed into making stupid planet destroying choices?

As explained by reuseablebags.com, the real cost of the plastic bags handed out without a thought at stores across the land is enormous. They are made using petroleum based products that are drilled from the earth, destroy natural habitats and using up non renewable fuel resources. The manufacture of plastic bags releases carbon emissions and toxic chemicals into our atmosphere. The transport of plastic bags to those thousands of stores produces a huge carbon footprint.

Plastic bags are not good. Some would argue they are a small drop in the ocean of landfill waste but to me its one thing we can change.

A plastic bag takes almost 1000 years to disintegrate back into the earth. A canvas or cotton bag can be reused again and again making it a much more sustainable product. We can regrow cotton but we can’t regrow coal and oil. You can pick up a reusable canvas bag for a buck anywhere across the country.

You save money because the cost of producing plastic bags that are handed out for “free” is of course added to your shopping bill. Plastic bags only remain in favor because we the consumers act as though we need them. So the only way to get rid of them is to refuse to use them.

It’s simple. Consumer demand drives this country. If we demand sustainable goods we get sustainable goods. If we demand carbon footprint creating toxic fume emitting greenhouse gas accumulating goods? Well, we’ll get those too.

If nothing else makes you carry a canvas bag or I dunno, carry your purchase in your hands, think about the creatures. Annually, thousands of marine mammals die from ingesting or suffocating on plastic bags. Herd animals on land die from strangulation and suffocation as they investigate the bags that float onto farm lands.

We’re killing our fellow creatures, our planet and our brain cells. So just make this small adjustment and help the planet. If you can’t well then, what about a carbon credit for every plastic bag you use?

Remember, you are the change you want to see in the world.