Comments on: That which they call a reusable organic cotton tote bag

By: Siel

Siel — Thu, 15 May 2008 02:52:24 +0000

Katrina — You may want to have a chat with your publicist Shannon then. I specifically asked where the bags were made, and this was her response: “The totes are manufactured in China, by a company that is part of the International Labor Organization (ILO).”

And cotton canvas is a canvas made from cotton. That means cotton canvas is cotton.

I think ALL the reusable bags — not just yours — are trying to send the message that disposable bags are a bad idea. EarthTotes is not at all unique in that aspect. What I’m trying to do with this post is look at issues beyond that message to get at some of the ends vs. means arguments.

By: Katrina

Katrina — Thu, 15 May 2008 01:19:07 +0000

Hello. We are thrilled that you are helping push totes to replace paper and plastic bags – and we, at EARTH TOTES, are doing the same, but to correct your article, only one of our bags are made in China (which is not the one that you have photographed) and that company is up to code. And our totes are not cotton, but cotton canvas which makes them very sturdy – our bags hold over 60 pounds. Our smallest bag, the Favorite Tote hold up to three plastic bags worth of groceries.

I don’t know what the dimensions of the opposing bag you compared ours to, but the Jumbo Tote is the size of a large beach bag (16.5″ x 20.5″ x 5.5″) and comes with an inside zipper and velcro closes. We have price compared and bags this size have been priced between $35 & $60 and we only sell ours for $14.00.

BUT the over all message that we are trying to send is beyond the where and what the bags are made of – it’s about the fact that it takes over 300 years for one plastic bag to degrade, that we chop down 14 million trees a year just to make paper grocer bags! And that our sea life is disappearing because they are eating the floating plastic bags which to them look like food.

Our company is not trying to just sell our totes, we customize our bags so that schools can use them as Fundraisers and environmentally friendly companies and business can Advertise while encouraging their staff and customers to be green. And by the way, all of our bags come with FREE environmental facts printed on the back so that we can continue to educate people about what we are doing to our planet. (We also are working with Conservation International and Discovery Planet). All of our information is available on our site, http://www.earthtotes.org

By: Merrily

Merrily — Wed, 14 May 2008 08:22:17 +0000

Savior Bags are made from cotton that is milled and finished in America. While the cotton used to produce the fabric we use for our bags may be grown in America, we cannot in good conscience make this claim. American mills will not state unequivocally that its fabrics are made of 100% U.S. grown cotton because shipments are received from a number of sources and combined once it reaches the mill. Investing in a quality bag that will provide years of trips to the market is a priority for a growing number of people. However, the sad fact is that the majority of shoppers in this country are not ready to spend more than a couple of dollars on a cheap petroleum-based bag that after a few uses will end up in the trash. Yes, there are those who will spend $40+ on a reusable bag but for most Americans, the threshold is much, much lower.

By: Leah

Leah — Wed, 14 May 2008 03:39:16 +0000

I make reusable bag from Recycled material. I use old T-shirts to make fun bags. Mine are sweat shop free, and better than organic.
It’s easy to make one, just lay a plastic bag on top of a shirt pin it, cut the fabric, and sew it. make sure you sew the bottom a lot so the bag doesn’t wear out fast.

By: susan

susan — Wed, 14 May 2008 00:32:14 +0000

okay,i may be not flowing cash wise as much as i was a year ago but even then i acquired cute bags for free or near free at thrift stores and the like. there’s a gazillion canvas bags already in existence but then again, i walk into any kind of store be it barney’s or target and i just don’t get the whole totem bag thing anyway, not that that’s exactly what’s being said here. but as far as being earth friendly the best thing to do imho is to make like dung beetles and pat down the earth as much as we can in cityscapes as well as those of us lucky to be in the sticks (except of course that one – i – had to finally break down and buy a car. hope that’s temporary). that’s the image i have for myself anyway, tamping. it helps i think create a new aesthetic – one where lawns are brown, wrinkles are interesting and there are heated sidewalks for wintertime biking/perambulating. sorry if i’m too off topic! my last thing on canvas bags is: my favorite one got ripped – it has such a generic as to border on invisible insignia from a laser eye convention (and it’s been interesting to see who else has ‘my bag’ as there were a handful for 50 cents at one local thrift – mostly old dudes) – it got ripped when a bagger was bagging it and now it fits my twice weekly purchases perfectly. the milk or such container fits in the rip slot and hasn’t ripped further. ha ha!