Back in the day — as in a couple years ago — making small green changes required odd battles — like fighting for your right to use your reusable bag instead of taking a plastic one. Now, eco-choices aren’t so tough! No, green decisions still not the status quo, but at least they aren’t so far out as to require a struggle. A few cases in point:
>> My eco-friendlier Day|Runner. I walked over to Staples to see if any greener options were available. What I found: Refills made with 60% post-consumer recycled paper printed with veggie-based inks! Yes, I know — some planners do offer 100% post-consumer recycled content — but those require my buying new covers along with the innards, instead of refilling my years-old Franklin Covey planner cover. Plus, the Staples store was just a block away. Carbon-emissions free travel!
>> A BYO appeal at Vons. Believe it or not, my local Vons has a sign on its front door urging customers to “Please bring your reusable bag.” I only noticed this about a week ago, so I’m guessing the sign was put up as part of the county-wide A Day Without a Bag event. Still, we’re talking about an anti-disposable-bag message from a major chain supermarket.
>> Organic and farmers’ market options at tourist-friendly eateries. Slowly, the restaurants on Third Street Promenade are converting. Now, a good number of them get their produce from the local farmers’ market and pride themselves for offering organic dishes. LAGO — a.k.a. Locanda del Lago — now offers seasonal specials “using the freshest organic produce purchased from the local Santa Monica Farmer’s Markets in conjunction with sustainable protein while highlighting the unique flavors of the season,” for example. The full menus still have a ways to go, but locavoring eco-foodies at least get a few viable choices. The results are both tasty and heartwarming.
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Yes, I know — I’m lucky to live in a neighborhood with lots of hippies and eco-hipsters. But I still think living green’s getting incrementally easier everywhere — becoming habits not-all-that-green-thinking people could pick up “accidentally.” All of these little shifts will add up to even bigger shifts in 2010, I believe.
What about you? Do you see green changes happening in your ‘hood? What are they? Share them in the comments and encourage the rest of us to push for the same in our communities.
I’ve been really happy to see how chains like Ralphs and Albertsons have been putting their reusable bags front and center at the checkouts for the past several years, regardless of what part of town I’ve been shopping in. As you say, it’s one of those changes that’s easy to make.
Speaking of which, what’s a good source for reusable produce bags? I got a couple of fabric mesh ones at Whole Foods, but haven’t been able to find them in any of the stores I visit recently.
Comment by How Green Is My Valley — December 29, 2009 @ 10:35 am
It’s nice that most of the stores I go to are OK with my reusable shopping bag and the increasing number of cashiers who ask if I even want a bag if I only buy one or two items. I was surprised that even my local dollar store was OK with my reusable shopping bag. And that they sold weatherstripping which I was there to buy because it was the closest store to my house that sold it.
Comment by Condo Blues — December 30, 2009 @ 2:48 pm
How Green — Well in L.A., big stores are REQUIRED to sell reusable bags, so it’s not something the stores are doing out of their greenmindedness. And I do wish they’d make the options something other than the cheapest of cheap plastics made in China. Still, as you noted, the option is there.
As for produce bags this post and this post should help :)
Comment by Siel — January 6, 2010 @ 11:00 am