Here are a few more I saw featured recently in HOW magazine. From Blue Q, a whole line of woven polypropylene bags for those who want supreme cuteness or a little attitude.

This is just a sampling. You may want to check out the whole line. $11.99 each. Good gift for teens.

Make Friends Shopper

Get Real Shopper

Cute as Hell Shopper

Did you find a bag design you like?

All images from Blue Q

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in July 2008

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Jennifer told you about her reusable bags, and I also reviewed my bags.

Some of you mentioned that you use ChicoBags.

What about everyone else?

If you’ve gotten new bags this month, we’d love to hear how you like them so far. Or if you have a favorite brand we haven’t mentioned, let us know.

Image via Etsy.

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in June 2008

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Try these simple ways to help your friend get the reusable bag habit on:

• Show your bags. Brag on them. Talk about how much better you like them than one-timers.

• Buy bag starter gifts. Get them started with an affordable shopping bag.

• Go shopping! For encouragement, offer to shop with your friends on their first reusable bag outings.

• Get them thinking. Ask, “How many plastic bags do you use each month?” It’s an interesting question, and collecting them all in one place for a month may really bring home the consumption rate. (The bag image is from when I did that before I started using my own bags. That was two month’s worth of bags.)

• If you sew, have a reusable bag making party. Use old fabrics to create one-of-a-kind shopping totes.

Do you have more suggestions for helping others convert to reusable bags?

Image: From me.

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Green As Can Be BOLD & BRIGHT Gift Set for $52.50

It includes three reusable bags, two produce bags and a SIGG water bottle. I’d give this as a green wedding gift. Plus, I love SIGG. Jennifer and I will be discussing our water bottles next month, so be sure to check back for more on our choices. You can probably guess mine…

Do you think this is a good green gift set?

Image via Delight.com.

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I received three different cheerful colors — purple, green and blue. I like all of the colors, but the green one is my favorite!

And my cat, Choco, took a special liking to the bags, both in pouch form and relaxed. When the bag is in the pouch, it looks a bit like a toy mouse with a tail (drawstring) sticking out. No, I don’t let him sleep on my bags, but he took the opportunity (pictured) after my recent shopping trip.

Enough about cat. I’m going to give you some nice bullets — the things I admire and the things I’d change about ChicoBags. Then, I’ll throw in some random thoughts about using them. But first, I’d like to thank all the readers who responded to my post, Have you Tried a ChicoBag? If you’re looking for more opinions, then you don’t want to miss the comments on that post. I’d also like to thank The ChicoBag Company for sending me three bags to review.

Here’s all the stuff I admire about ChicoBags:

• Very affordable. You may order online at $5 a bag and your fifth bag is free. If you’re looking for something nicer and more durable than the .99 cents store bags, but don’t want to spend $30-50 for a designer bag, ChicoBag is a great option.

• The message is clear. Some reusable bags look a bit like purses, and not all cashiers are familiar with the reusable bag movement. I like that these bags explain themselves.

• They aren’t too girly for men. I’m going to hand a couple of these over to Michael to keep in his truck. If they had a flower on them, he wouldn’t touch them.

• Integrated pouch! If the pouch wasn’t attached, I wouldn’t like it so much. And the woven nylon material is very easy to stuff into the pouch and get back out. There’s also no need for special folding.

• When inside the pouch, these bags fit nicely inside the glove box, a purse or other bag. They also include an attached carabineer for hooking on a key chain, belt loop or bag.

• The small size in pouch means you can always have a ChicoBag on hand, even if your other bags are at home or in the car trunk.

• Ten fun colors, AND they are machine washable! Plus, they don’t stink of dye like some bags out there.

• As some readers mentioned, they are great for produce bags.

• When they can no longer be used, just mail them back to ChicoBags. They will give them to The Grateful Thread, a women’s group that will turn them into throw rugs, pet beds or prayer flags.

And the stuff I’d change about ChicoBags:

• I’d like them better if the handles were longer. You can carry them in your hands easy enough, but it’s difficult to fit them on your shoulder. I have a small arm, so it’s possible, but it’s a tight fit and they tend to fall off. Dual handles would be very nice!

• The tag says the bags are “Designed with Intention in USA. Built with Love in China.” Since The ChicoBag Company is based in the USA, I’d like to see them bring the manufacturing closer to their home.

• There’s probably little that can be done about this, but it bugs me a little that the bags are so wrinkled when you take them out of the pouch. But to quote my husband, “It’s just a bag.” Plus, they work all the same and still look cute.

Some more info and closing thoughts…

I took my bags to the pet store and to various grocery stores with no problems. The capacity mentioned by ChicoBags on their website is 25 pounds. I stuffed one of my bags almost full with cans at 18 pounds. It held with no rips, but I find carrying that much in one bag to be very uncomfortable. Plus, most baggers would not pack a bag that full either. I’m sure the ChicoBag would actually hold 25 pounds though.

As I mentioned, I love the handy pouch, but that also means you have to remember to unpouch your bags before you get to the register. Otherwise, it’s annoying to do it while you’re also trying to put your groceries on the conveyor belt.

My biggest question with these bags is how long they will hold up, but several readers in Have you Tried a ChicoBag? seemed pleased with their durability.

Overall, I really like ChicoBags and feel that they are a good option, especially if you’re prone to forgetting your reusable shopping bags. The bags seem ideal for smaller shopping trips, and as backup bags to keep in your purse or glove box.

Pouch images via ChicoBags. Cat image via me!

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in June 2008

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Surprise Liz!

You won CHANGE: a starter kit. We’ll talk more about what’s in it coming up soon, but why a surprise contest?

Jennifer and I wanted to surprise one of the participants in this month’s Reusable Bag Challenge with a special gift. We’d also like to thank rocklovepeace for sponsoring this surprise contest.

Here are Liz’s recent comments:

On BYOB Challenge Update

Ugh! Not so great! I’m at 8 bags. I can’t believe how bad I’ve been about it. Part of my problem is that I often don’t carry a purse, and I’m a carless wonder, which means there’s nowhere to stash that bag. I really have to commit to carrying a purse or bag with me, so that I can keep a couple of Chico bags stashed in there.

and on Have You Tried a ChicoBag?

I have four Chico Bags … My only complaint is that for the farmer’s market I’d really like something I can wear over my arm, like a purse. I’ll probably pick up some of those ubiquitous string bags for the farmer’s market, but for the grocery store and other shopping, the chico bag is perfect.

So, Liz, we’re hoping that maybe the unique, recycled tote bag in CHANGE: a starter kit will be helpful to you as a place to stash your other bags and for the farmer’s market. Since each bag is unique, your bag will be another surprise. We’ll contact you by e-mail to get the surprise gift to you.

Up next, learn what’s inside the recycled tote that comes with CHANGE: a starter kit. It makes a perfect gift.

Image via rocklovepeace.

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in June 2008

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Have you tried a ChicoBag or two? We’d love to hear what you thought.

Plus, see if you’re addicted to single-use bags. Check out the Plastic Bag Self-Test by ChicoBag.

PS – Please let us know how you’re doing with the bag challenge on our latest update post.

Image via ChicoBag.

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in June 2008

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I choose three organic cotton canvas Eco-Bags. They’re plain, soft and lovable. Well, I didn’t name them or anything, but I do like them a lot. I paid around $8 a bag at reusablebags.com, but I don’t think they carry this exact bag anymore. You can still purchase them at Eco-Bags.

What do I love about my Eco-Bags?

• Nice long handles fit over my shoulder with ease. I sling one or two over each shoulder, then carry another dual-handled tote like Jennifer’s in my hands with the short handles.

• They machine wash right up as good as new. They also haven’t stained at all, even though some raspberries got a little juicy in one of them. Since I put these bags in the cart, and they get handled a lot in general, it’s so nice to be able to wash them for real, no wiping with a damp cloth.

•These are some durable dears. I haven’t noticed any wear on my bags yet. The handles are still very firmly attached, and there’s no sign of becoming threadbare. I use them on average two times a week.

• Hold it Suzy! Well, if Suzy were the bagger I’d tell her not to fill them quite so full. These bags hold a lot, a little more than I like carrying on one shoulder. This is one reason I bought a fourth bag to discourage the heavy packing. It hasn’t worked as the bagger usually hands me an empty bag at the end! (Hmm, does this one belong in the “love” or “change” section? I do like the slightly smaller size of the dual-handled tote.)

• Sometimes plain is beautiful. I’ve gotten several compliments on my bags and requests to know where I got them.

Some things I’d perhaps change

• Since I’ve had the dual-handled tote, I must admit it’s rather handy. These bags would be a tad more versatile if they came with shorter handles as well.

• As I discussed in Reusable Bags with a Message, some baggers don’t yet get the reusable bag habit. For these times, it would be nice if the bags had an earth-friendly message. On the plus side though, I can customize them however I want.

•They don’t have a flat, gusset bottom. It doesn’t bother me, but I think the baggers would enjoy them more if they stood up a bit.

If I had it to do over, I’d still get these bags. They are affordable, organic, fair wage, practical and actually rather soothing to look at – very natural.

If you’ve been using your bags for several months, how are they holding up?

Photo by me.

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in June 2008

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How to Help Green Habits Bloom

1. Spray down your procrastination with a nice organic herbicide (like the bag challenge).

2. Don’t let small weeds distract you. Conquer one green habit at a time.

3. Remember why you’re growing your garden — for the kids, animals and even trees.

4. Allow yourself to make mistakes, but keep reaching for your goals.

5. Proudly carry your bouquet shopping.

6. Recycle decaying blooms.

7. Reuse your blooms in art projects.

8. Don’t forget to have fun in the garden.

9. Keep your blooms away from toxins.

10. At the end of the day in the garden, make your own beauty fertilizer.

Image via flickr.

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in June 2008

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Arieanna at Cooking Gadgets is exploring Collapsible Basket Totes from Neiman Marcus. Yeah, a bit pricey at $55. That’s the catch.

Also, if you need more than one basket, it could get bulky. I don’t think these would sling over the shoulder as well as bags. Plus, you can’t stick a basket in the washing machine.

Another basket option may be found at reusablebags.com. The Reisenthel Market Basket (Baroque Sand option pictured) is a bit more affordable ($39.95) and still stylish. This one is also collapsible.

Have you tried using a basket for your shopping?

Image via reusablebags.com.

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in June 2008

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