A few weeks ago, I became an REI member for $20. No, I’m not very outdoorsy — which is why when I decided to go on a camping trip over Labor Day weekend, I had to drop a lot of money at REI — which is why I became a member, since that one purchase alone earned me a $50+ member refund.

Since the trip, I crammed all that now-slightly-used stuff under the bed, stressed a bit that I may’ve wasted a lot of money and enviro resources for a single weekend, and said bye bye to the guy I went on said camping trip with. However, I’m pretty psyched about my REI membership!

No, it’s not just because I like co-ops in general — I’m also a member of Co-opportunity, my grocery store — but because I’ve discovered REI’s not just for the outdoorsy types, but also for urban environmentalists.

Case in point: My new REI Balance Gym Bag. It’s cute, it’s useful — and it’s made of recycled PET from plastic bottles. I like the vented shoe compartment, water bottle pocket, key clip, and removable caddy for toiletries — all of which seem like major luxuries, since for a long time, I was just using a simple drawstring bag. Now I finally don’t need to dump everything out of the bag to find what I need!

The bag also has straps to latch on a yoga mat — though I wish these straps could be permanently removed since I don’t use ‘em — I yoga, but at a different studio, not the gym — and don’t like the way the straps just dangle there.

Still, I love the bag. REI in fact has a whole buncha cute recycled PET backpacks, totes, and bags designed for women urbanites. These products get marked with a EcoSensitive tag (right), but I’ve discovered other, tagless items that I’d still consider eco. For example: In preparation for the camping trip, I bought Organic Merino Wool Light Hiker Crew Socks — 65% organic merino wool, 33% recycled nylon, and 2% spandex — which were comfy and kept me blister-free.

REI has EcoSensitive clothes too, mostly made of recycled polyester. These, however, are generally just not items I’d wear out — roomy fleeces and down jackets aren’t exactly hip in SoCal right now. Since I’m not planning to go camping again anytime soon, they’re not on my shopping list — though the red Mt. Fairweather Fleece I’ve already bought, I do wear around the house. It keeps me warm while I sleep alone –

[crossposted on BlogHer]

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