GreenJean

We should have seen this coming - after months of carrying our own bags to the grocery store, farmer’s market and bookstore, our special IKEA plastic bag holding device is empty. It used to overflow regularly.

It’s good and I feel happy to have made a visible change in my consumption. But what will we do when we empty our garbage? Buying plastic bags seems silly and counter productive.

I remember when there were no plastic bags from the store, and we used brown paper bags for garbage. Damp garbage caused structural failure more than once. The point is irrelevant, because we don’t have any brown paper grocery bags, nor do we want to start bringing them home.

Time to search for a solution.

I saw this bag across a concourse crowded with students and bypassed all manner of offerings (stuffies, toques and accessories) to get to the stand selling it.

This bag is the perfect size for a full scale notebook, a small purse and a few sundries (hankies, granola bars, daytimers). It was also available in a drab shade of grey and black, but the day was dreary and the pop of colour cheered me irrationally.  The bag is made of jute (burlap or Hessian), woven from a plant fibre that grows quickly and is recyclable and biodegrable. Equipped with handles and a shoulder strap - I couldn’t have asked for more.

Then Katie explained the bag’s origins. It was crafted by a woman who no longer is working as a prostitute in Calcutta. Payment from making these bags keeps her off the streets. Suddenly, a shopping whim took on another dimension.

Freesetbags.com can also provide custom orders for corporate giveaways.