I'll admit, I might have a reusable bag addiction. I have at least 20 bags, of different varieties. Some cute and some just your basic ones from the grocery store. Missing from my collection though are some Envirosax. I have been oohing and aahing over them for several years with their super cute patterns. But I've just never bought any because technically, I don't need anymore bags. That might change now though. Today through 2/15, select Envirosax bags, are on sale at Zulily.com starting at $5.99. This is a prefect opportunity to stock up on some fun, functional bags. They also make great gift bags. Does your child have a friend's birthday party to go to next weekend? Well instead of wrapping that present in wrapping paper (wasteful!) you can put it in a spaceship themed Envirosax. How cool would that be? Then that child can use it for toys, books or anything they want. Here are a few cute ones to check out.
Every woman loves a great cute bag. What truly can make a bag special is not only it's style but it's story. Wondering what I mean? I mean having a bag that is made from repurposed materials or from sustainably grown materials is way cooler than just having a regular ole handbag. The problem is finding these cool, eco-friendly bag options as they seem to be scattered here and there. Well not anymore. BagInspiration is your one stop shop for all kinds of eco-friendly bags: handbags, evenings purses, produce bags and more!
Co-founders Michelle and Stefanie are moms and good friends living in Wisconsin. On a trip to Mexico in 2010, they stumbled upon a bag made of recycled candy wrappers. From there they began to seek out bags made from other recycled materials. What they found were not only bags made from candy wrappers, but bags made from recycled tires, recycled seat belts, and on. So they brought all these bags together and formed BagInspiration.
BagInspiration has a pretty wide and fun selection of bags. I have fallen in love with these bags from Rebagz that are all made from recycled rice sacks. Who knew that rice sacks had such pretty images on them?!
Rebagz Small Cinchy Tote
$29.00
Rebags Mini Messenger Bag
$29.00
Rebagz Sport Pouch
$24.00
At first glance I know the Sport Pouch looks small but once you take a look at this quick video below, you can see just how functional it is. All the zippered pockets are perfect for a mom on the go. I can't tell you how many times I just throw my wallet into my diaper bag and then it sinks to the bottom which leaves me fishing around for it at the grocery store counter. When I have a baby in tow the last thing I want is a big purse so the Sport Pouch would be great to just throw on and head out. I definitely think I need one of these.
In addition to fashionable bags and purses, BagInspiration also carries reusable shopping bags, produce bags and sandwich bags. While I think most of us know the importance of skipping the plastic bags when shopping and carrying our own, I think the produce bag is often overlooked. If you are eating healthy and buying lots of fresh fruits and veggies for your family, you absolutely need reusable produce bags to carry with you.
BagInspiration sent me a LunchSkins sandwich bag and snack bag to review. You know you are a green mom when something like a sandwich bag gets you so super excited! Seriously, I couldn't wait for these to arrive at my door. I have 3 boys in public school for half days right now: my oldest is in kindergarten and my twins are in preschool. I am very committed to sending waste-free snacks to school and eventually waste-free lunches next year and beyond. They even get a cloth napkin packed with their snacks. So a sandwich bag is the perfect addition for me.
LunchSkins are made from certified food-safe, quick-drying, lightweight cotton fabric and are lead-free, bpa-free and phthalate-free. These can also be washed in the top rack of your dishwasher but I have not tried that since my dishwasher is dying and things often come out dirty. For now I have been had washing them and letting them air dry and that has been working great. There are 2 sizes available, sandwich and snack, and a variety of fun colors and patterns to choose from. Both are a really good size and I think I probably could fit 2 sandwiches in there. I'm wondering if my sandwiches are too small. And yes, its in the shape of a butterfly. Other days you may see Star Wars shaped sandwiches in my house too.
For those who live in the Madison, Wisconsin area, BagInspiration also offers purse parties! They will donate 15% of your sales to the non-profit of YOUR choice. So you can help give back while having fun shopping for a fun bag for yourself.
Shop BagInspiration has a variety of bags to choose from made from recycled or sustainable materials. From wristlets to handbags and more!
Giveaway
Two (2) winners will receive a $20.00 gift certificate each to BagInspiration.
Extra Entries
- Sign up for the BagInspiration Newsletter. Your email must validate. This is worth 3 entries so leave me 3 comments.
- Visit BagInspiration and tell me whcih bag is your favorite.
- "Like" BagInspiration on Facebook. Please leave me first name and last name initial to validate.
- "Like" Green Mama's Pad on Facebook. Please leave me first name and last name initial to validate.
- Follow Green mama's Pad on Google Friend connect.
- Subscribe to my RSS feed in a reader or subscribe via e-mail. Your email must validate or it will not count.
- Add my Green Mama's Pad button to your sidebar or add Green Mama's Pad to your blogroll. Leave your blog link.
- Follow @GreenMamasPad and @BagInspiration on Twitter and and tweet this giveaway. You can tweet once daily. Leave link to tweet in comment. You must have at least 50 followers. You can use the tweet button at the bottom of the post or copy and paste this: @BagInspiration Eco-Friendly Handbags $20 Gift Certificate #giveaway! 2 Winners Ends 2/18 @greenmamaspad http://bit.ly/esujug
- Blog about this giveaway. Your post must include a link to this post plus a link to the sponsor. Please leave link.
- Stumble this post and comment with your ID.
- Stumble one of my non-giveaway posts and tell me which one. Worth 2 entries so leave 2 comments.
This giveaway is open to US Residents 18+ only and will end on Friday, February 18 at 11:59pm EST. One winner will be chosen at random using Random.org and will be posted on the Winner's Announcement Page. Winner has 48 hours to claim his/her prize otherwise a new winner will be picked. Please leave your e-mail address in all of your comment(s) so I can contact you. I will not share your e-mail address with anyone, it will strictly be used to notify you if you win. Good luck!
Please note that the opinions and views expressed here are my own and based on my personal experience with the product. You may encounter a different experience with this than I did. BagInspirations provided me with a product for review and is providing the prize for this giveaway.
In February of 2009 I introduced you all to Bagnesia. I am sad to relay that Bagnesia is closing its shop. It is unfortunate to see them go as I love their kit idea and they do have functional, cute bags.
Since they are closing, they have slashed their prices considerably and are offering free shipping through Decemeber 15. These would make great gifts for teachers, friends, etc. and also good stocking stuffers. The "Reminder Kit" is only $8.00 (regularly $14.99) and individual bags are only $4.50.
What do you have in your reusable shopping bag today? Some bread, milk, fruits and veggies? Oh and maybe some lovely E. coli too! Wait, what?!? Yes, your cute bag may also be filled with some unwanted bacteria.
A new study done by the University of Arizona and Loma Linda University (California) found that 97% of people do not wash their reusable bags. Unfortunately I am one of them and really I should know better. It is kind of a no brainer I suppose, but yet I never even thought about it.
This study looked at 84 bags and more than half of them contained coliform and heterotrophic bacteria and E. coli was present in 12% of the bags. Don't worry too much though, the strains that they found aren't likely to make anyone sick.
So obviously we all need to make a point to wash our bags. Make sure you check the manufacturer's washing instructions before you wash so that you don't ruin any bags. I think at a minimum you should wash your bags once a month. My goal is going to be every other week.
One of the easiest steps you can take to be more green is to ditch those plastic and paper bags at the store and start bringing your own! I have about 10 reusable shopping bags, most of which are just the $1.00 store ones (Stop & Shop). They aren't pretty, but they work. I have to admit, I've always wanted a stylish one though.
The Reisenthel Mini Maxi Shopper L is not only cute and fashionable but its is convenient too. I received one to test out in Eden Green (shown left). It comes with a 5.5 in. x 3.5 in. pouch that the bag easily folds into. And no fancy folding technique is required. The bag itself can hold up to 26 pounds, has long straps and comes in more than 20 colors/patterns.
So I headed out to the grocery store for a test run of my Mini Maxi. For starters, I was excited just to have a cute bag! Now with 4 males to feed and 1 pregnant mama, our grocery cart gets pretty full. Hubby packed the bags for me and easily fit 4 boxes of cereal in this bag, with room to spare. (The cereal was on sale by the way!)
I'm sorry, this isn't the greatest picture, but I think you get the idea. I definitely could have fit more in the bag if *I* was doing the packing. And once the bag was unpacked, I quickly folded it up, put it back in the pouch and tossed it into my purse. It takes up so little space, I love it!
Shop
The suggested retail price of the Mini Maxi Shopper L is $9.00 and it can be found at online retailers such as Sur La Table and Garnet Hill.
***Giveaway Closed***
Win Reisenthel has generously sent me one Mini Maxi Shopper L in Eden Green (pictured above) to giveaway to one lucky reader.
Mandatory Entry
Visit Reisenthel.com and tell me which of their other products you like. (They have some very cool stuff!) You must complete this entry before you can submit additional ones.
Extra Entries
- Follow me on Blogger or subscribe to my RSS feed
- Subscribe via e-mail. Your email must validate or it will not count.
- Blog about this giveaway with a link to Green Mama's Pad and Reisenthel.com. Please leave link in comment.
- Add my Green Mama's Pad button to your sidebar or add Green Mama's Pad to your blogroll. Leave your blog link.
- Follow GreenMamasPad on Twitter and and tweet this giveaway. You can tweet once daily. Leave link to tweet in comment.
- Fave me on Technorati and comment with your ID.
- Stumble this post and comment with your ID.
- Become a fan on Facebook.
This giveaway is open to US Residents 18+ only and will end on Thursday, August 20th at 11:59pm EST. One winner will be chosen at random using Random.org. Winner has 48 hours to claim his/her prize otherwise a new winner will be picked. You must leave your e-mail address in all of your comment(s) so I can contact you. I will not share your e-mail address with anyone, it will strictly be used to notify you if you win. Good luck!
This review is based solely on my opinion and experience with this product. You may have a different experience than myself.
It’s Saturday morning and your hubby has agreed to watch the kiddos so you can get your grocery shopping done. Alone and quietly, how nice! You head out to the store but as you pull into the parking lot you realize you left your reusable bags at home. Again. Or maybe you did remember to throw them in the car before you left, but when you go to check out you discover that they are still in the car. It’s happened to us all; probably more then we care to admit. At some point, we all suffer from Bagnesia!
Finally, there is a cure for our forgetfulness! The lovely ladies over at Bagnesia came up with this awesome idea – a kit to remind you to bring your bags with you!
"The Bagnesia reminder kit contains simple, effective, products that work together so you never forget to take your reusable bags into the store again!"
Each kit includes a nylon reusable bag, door hanger, steering wheel wrap, wrist lanyard key chain and a carabineer clip. I had the pleasure of trying out one of these kits, and boy it really did help me!
I’ve been known to leave my bags in my basement as I am hurrying out the door. This past week I had been running around like a mad woman getting ready for William’s 4th birthday party. Thanks to this kit, not once did I forget my bags! The first line of defense for me is the door hangar. My bags are almost always on the bench in the basement that is right by the door to the garage. So I put my door hanger right there and this helped me to actually get the bags in the car. The second part is the steering wheel wrap. Since it is right in front of my face while I am driving, it is a constant reminder to bring my bags into the store. For the first time in a very long time I even remembered to bring them into Walmart. Yay me!
The kit also comes with a wrist lanyard key chain and a carabineer clip, which are pretty darn cool. The lanyard key chain is a bright blue so it stands out and serves as another reminder to bring your bags. I’ve been using the same carabineer clip on my keys for a good 5 years, so it was pretty beat up. It was great to get a shiny new one that is certified lead-free.
I also have to say that I really like this bag. It’s bigger than the other reusable bags I have and has longer, wide straps which make it easier for carrying. My first trip with this bag was to Trader Joe’s and I fit my entire purchase into this bag. The less bags to carry the happier I am since I’m usually shopping with 21 month old twins. It also folds up nice and compact for easy travel. From Bagnesia:
"Bagnesia’s compact reusable bag is made from lightweight washable nylon. When unfolded, it measures 18" X 16", will hold up to 40 lbs (comparable to 2-3 plastic shopping bags) and is water resistant. Smaller than most cell phones, when rolled up and closed with the attached elastic band, it measures just 4" X 2" and fits great into small spaces."
So I have to say that this kit is really cool and effective. My door hangar and wheel wrap will stay up permanently since they are really helping me remember my bags. Thanks to Bagnesia, I should never forget them again.
Shop
Visit the Bagnesia online store to order your own kit and be sure to take a look at some of their other eco-friendly products. For any order you place, enter "greenmama" into the comments and they will add a free produce bag!
OK, so we’re going to start off simple. As I mentioned last week, when beginning your green transformation, it’s best to start with easy things. So let’s start with one of the easiest things to do – reusable bags! This was the first thing I did. If you are wondering why EVERYONE should have reusable bags, here are a few facts about plastic bags from ReusableBags.com:
Consumption
Each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide. That comes out to over one million per minute. Billions end up as litter each year.
According to the EPA, over 380 billion plastic bags, sacks and wraps are consumed in the U.S. each year.
Environmental Impact
Hundreds of thousands of sea turtles, whales and other marine mammals die every year from eating discarded plastic bags mistaken for food.
Plastic bags don't biodegrade, they photodegrade - breaking down into smaller and smaller toxic bits contaminating soil and waterways and entering the food web when animals accidentally ingest.
Alright, now we know WHY we need reusable bags, so where do you get them? The answer: anywhere! Most if not all supermarket chains have their own they sell, as do national retailers like Target and WalMart. What’s nice about these is they are usually only about 99¢! A small price to pay for keeping hundreds of plastic bags out of circulation! The bags I get the most use out of are the ones I got at Stop & Shop, where I do all of my grocery shopping. We are on a pretty tight budget and I got all 6 of my Stop & Shop bags for FREE. That’s right, FREE! As I mentioned, they are only 99¢ to begin with, so I would have paid that anyway. But during the week of Earth Day 2008, they were giving them away if you spent a certain amount of money. So I jumped on the chance for free bags and have been using them every week since. It’s been 10 months and they are still going strong! I also want to mention that Stop & Shop also pays you to bring in your own bags. Doesn’t matter what kind of bag, you can even bring in old plastic bags, and you will get 5 cents back for each. So that usually saves me about 25¢ off each shopping trip. If I had paid for them, I would have earned back the money spent in only 6 months. How can you beat that?
There are also probably hundreds of fashionable and trendy bags you can purchase online. Check out websites like ReusableBags.com (lots of brands, $4 to $45), ChicoBags.com ($5 to $10 each), FlipandTumble.com ($6 to $12 each), GoodyGreenBag.com ($8.95 each) or simply do a web search! All of these are super cute! Target even has some cool ones. The first bags I ever bought were Chico Bags. I lucked out and was able to get them discounted through a co-op run on my online mommy board: The MamaSphere. They come in a bunch of great colors and fold up into themselves for easy travel. These days I use them for diapers and snacks when I’m out and about with the kids. Regular diaper bags don’t fit in my double-stroller. Plus the blue bag matches perfectly with the blue stroller! When I remember to, I also bring these into WalMart and Target. Notice I said remember to. This is one of my Green Goals for 2009, to bring reusable bags everywhere!
These days everyone is on a tighter budget, so maybe you really don’t want to spend any money on bags right now. Well hey, that’s OK too! Just bring whatever plastic bags you have in your house to the store instead. Keep reusing them until they start to break and than throw them in your recycling bin (most are recyclable these days, but check with your recycling company). While you’re doing this, then maybe you can buy one 99¢ bag a month to slowly build up your stock. After a few months you will be all set!
Don't Forget
It is easy to forget your bags when you are running out the door, unfortunately I have done this quite a few times. So now after I empty them, I put them in the basement in front of the garage door so I walk by them every time I go shopping. I have not forgotten them since doing this. Even better would be to actually go and put them back in your car so they are always there. Now you just have to remember to bring them into a store!
Your Challenge
I want you to go to your grocery store to see if they do sell their own reusable bags and find out if they have any kind of incentive like money back. If you find a store that gives incentives, then come back and tell us about it!
I want to hear from you!
If you already have some reusable bags, tell us what kind you have and how many. Or if you don’t have any yet but are buying some soon, tell me what you plan to buy. And if you have any ideas for how to use your bags or reuse plastic ones, share them here!
I'll admit, I might have a reusable bag addiction. I have at least 20 bags, of different varieties. Some cute and some just your basic ones from the grocery store. Missing from my collection though are some Envirosax. I have been oohing and aahing over them for several years with their super cute patterns. But I've just never bought any because technically, I don't need anymore bags. That might change now though. Today through 2/15, select Envirosax bags, are on sale at Zulily.com starting at $5.99. This is a prefect opportunity to stock up on some fun, functional bags. They also make great gift bags. Does your child have a friend's birthday party to go to next weekend? Well instead of wrapping that present in wrapping paper (wasteful!) you can put it in a spaceship themed Envirosax. How cool would that be? Then that child can use it for toys, books or anything they want. Here are a few cute ones to check out.
