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(Help support our pledge! We've committed to donating 1% of sales to Seattle's "Green Bag Campaign" between now and Aug 18. Help support Seattle's precedent-setting battle against big industry - visit our store & learn more below.)
Stay in the know!
We've been sharing relevant news & facts about wasteful consumption since 2003. From plastic bags to bottled water to other important consumption issues - it's all part of our mission to educate and inform.
In this issue:
- Seattle's version of Ireland's enormously successful PlasTax is back on the ballot - Seattle's grassroots movement needs your help.
- Reusable bags = Dangerous to your health? - We call foul on a new "study" by the plastics industry.
- "The Story of Stuff" - Watch a fantastic video about waste for kids and adults of all ages.
- Chicago bans BPA - A bold move to limit exposure to the harmful chemical.
- And more...
Be sure to visit our growing Newsroom - a powerful resource with important stories, our insights & your comments. |
Launching a movement
As of 2009, we've empowered our 190,000+ customers to reduce their consumption of use-an-toss items by more than 700 million units. We've been a driving force behind the emerging reusables movement. Learn more.
Help support our efforts - visit our store for hundreds of safe, high quality products in 30+ categories - all carefully selected & designed to help people consume less. Your purchases count. We donate 1% of sales to environmental causes.
Together we are making a difference!  Vincent Cobb -- Founder, ReusableBags.com |
| OUR SCOOP: Seattle Battles the Plastic Bag Industry & Needs Your Help! |
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ReusableBags.com 5.28.09
Two weeks ago, our founder got a call from Seattle mayor, Greg Nickels, asking for our help in supporting the Seattle bag fee. It's based on Ireland's successful PlasTax, which reduced plastic bag consumption by over 90% - the plastic bag industry is doing everything it can to defeat this measure.
Originally set to take effect Jan 1st of this year, the bag fee was stalled by the plastic bag industry - who's spent more than $250,000 to preserve their interest in the mindless consumption of throwaway bags...
The Seattle bag fee gets voted on August 18 and we're doing everything we can to support it. Read more about our commitment to donate 1% of sales to this important campaign, hear the mayor's voicemail and learn other ways you can get involved....
We realize you may not live in Seattle, but please consider making a contribution. After all, the opponent's money is coming from outside Seattle. Let's show them that it's not just big industry that's interested in this race, but environmentalists across the nation as well.
Plus, watch a great video produced by the campaign about the history of the plastic bag here. |
| A new health threat: Eco-friendly bags |
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Your eco-friendly shopping bag could be making you sick, a study says. But before you switch back to plastic, you might want to consider the source.
An overly alarming 15-page paper, published on the Web site for Canada's Environment and Plastics Industry Council, concluded that reusable grocery bags are "a breeding ground for bacteria and pose a public health risk" because of high counts of yeast, molds and bacteria. Read more... Our Take: What a joke! The plastics industry just won't stop twisting science and sounding false-alarms to justify our plastic addiction. A great level-headed article from the Tribune that turns a critical eye towards this campaign of misinformation, which many journalists simply regurgitate (one of the inflammatory articles we saw on this industry-funded study was titled "Reusable Grocery Bags May Poison You" - no joke). Read more... |
| A Cautionary Video About America's 'Stuff' |
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The New York Times 5.10.09 
The thick-lined drawings of the Earth, a factory and a house, meant to convey the cycle of human consumption, are straightforward and child-friendly. So are the pictures of dark puffs of factory smoke and an outlined skull and crossbones, representing polluting chemicals floating in the air.
Which is one reason "The Story of Stuff," a 20-minute video about the effects of human consumption, has become a sleeper hit in classrooms across the nation. Read more... Our Take: Another great production from Free Range Studios - we endorse it as a wake-up call about how much we waste in our daily lives. The 20-minute video is quick and easy to digest & fills in the gap in environmental science left by outdated textbooks. We highly recommend watching it. |
| Chicago Bans Bottles with BPA Plastic |
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 The New York Times 5.14.09
The City Council on Wednesday unanimously adopted a measure making Chicago the nation's first city to ban the sale of baby bottles and sippy cups manufactured with a chemical that some studies have linked to disease.
Passage was driven by what officials here call federal regulators' failure to take action on a grave public health issue. Read more...
Our Take: Huge news! Our very own Chicago takes the lead as America's first city to ban BPA. We've been opposed to BPA in plastic, especially in water bottles, for years. Let's hope that Chicago will be a role model for cities across the nation and the world, limiting the use of this harmful chemical.
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| OUR SCOOP: Cydney Lewis Eco-Art |
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 ReusableBags.com 5.28.09
Local Chicago artist Cydney Lewis, and friend of our founder Vincent Cobb and his wife Marni, creates one-of-a-kind sculptures out of everyday items. Rather than throwing away plastic, paper, wire and wood, Lewis fashions the would-be trash into wonderful pieces of art. Read more...
Our Take: Another example of a growing trend we're seeing - using throwaway items we think of as trash or a nuisance and turning them into something artistic. Artwork that repurposes our waste helps draw attention to the issue of consumption in a creative way. | |
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About Us
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Acting as a hub, ReusableBags.com spreads
awareness by educating consumers with facts on consumption/litter, and provides summaries
of news
articles and trends from around the
world on the global push to reduce plastic
bag consumption.
Our store features a growing
family of smart, earth-friendly products all
designed to help you reduce, reuse and
save™.
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What customers are saying
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"...what you guys are doing is absolutely
awesome... once again thank you for all your
efforts..." -- Emily M.
"Thanks for a wonderful shopping experience.
You make it easier for us to go green." --
Christina S.
"I LOVE every one of your products that we
own... and whenever I think that I could use
something to make my family's life more
earth-friendly, I go on your website and
there it is!" -- Isabel G.
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Reasons to shop with us
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 - We donate 1% of sales to environmental causes - We support Fair Trade practices
- Winner "Green Business of the Year" Co-Op America People's Choice Award, 2007
- BizRate Circle of Excellence Gold Honoree, 2008
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- 17,000+ product reviews & testimonials
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ReusableBags.com in the News
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