A huge part of living green is to get oneself seriously organized. I was never a plan-ahead-kind of girl, until I realized that unless I got ahead of the game with some serious planning, I just couldn’t be as Gorgeously Green as I wanted to be. The following tips really work well for me:1. Place your reusable (preferably Chico bags) into your purse the night before, making sure you have at least three of them. 2. Place your reusable coffee/tea mug by your tea kettle or coffee maker the night before.3. Plan your meals for the week on Sunday and make a thorough shopping list. (The diet plans and shopping lists in The Gorgeously Green Diet will help you to really stay on track.) These may seem like small actions, but if you and every woman you know stops using plastic bags, plastic water bottles and paper cups (the coffee shop), we not only cumulatively make a huge difference, but we inspire others to do the same. Each time I walk into a coffee shop with my reusable mug, I always get someone saying ‘oh, I should really do that too!” It’s also amazing tome that with the media awareness about being green and given the fact that reusable bags are one of the easiest changes to make, more people don’t do it. I had to wait in line at the pharmacy inside a large grocery store the other day and during my tedious twenty minute wait, I cast my somewhat judgemental eye on my fellow shoppers and was appalled that no one and I mean NOBODY was using reusable bags. This is LA and the grocery store in question had reusable bags for sale for less than a dollar. So don’t give up inspiring your fellow shoppers girls because you can and will make a difference.
Finally, make sure that your reusable bags get a good clean. Upon enquiring on why some of these shoppers didn’t use reusable bags, one agitated lady thought they were “unsanitary” – so for her and anyone else who has qualms, if you use the Gorgeously Green Chico Bags, you can machine wash them on cold and if you have a different kind of bag, a wipe-out with a few spritzes of The G.G. All purpose spray will do the trick.
Love your organizing tips. I am still developing the habit of remembering my reuseable shopping bags. I really wish they would start charging for grocery plastic bags–that would decrease their use significantly! And if only every woman used eco-friendly feminine hygiene products. We could really make a positive impact!
Although I do have a few Chico bags that I keep in my purse for last minute stops at the store, I carry a set of Envirosax in the console of my vehicle for grocery shopping. It’s so handy to have the set of 5 in the tiny little carry pouch, I never forget them anymore. I just wish stores would retrain their cashiers to ask for reusable bags before they immediately begin trying to stuff your purchases into plastic. I’ve gotten to the point where I have to say “I have my own bags” before I can even return their greeting or they will have at least two items in the plastic before anything can be said.