Last evening, my wife returned home from shopping at Wegmans and handed me a “plastic” bag. I’m not talking about the ones doled out at checkout lines, I’m referring to the ones that shoppers use to bag their veggies – the ones that are endlessly pulled off the rollers. I took a look at the bag and a smile immediately stretched across my face. The plastic-looking bag was not plastic at all – it was clearly marked “This bag is made from 100% plant-based renewable material, NOT fossil fuels.”
This is the first step towards doing away with single-use plastics, as part of an effort to comply with a state-wide ban. While we have been aware that these types of eco-efforts were underway, it was still a refreshing surprise to see this eco-bag come to pass.
Incredibly, this bag has the same look and feel as plastic, but it’s made with plant-based materials!
Now, just think about all of the people who hated this idea, and never wanted to see this initiative take hold, for whatever reason. Well, most people will not even realize that these bags are eco-friendly. Life as we know it, will continue on without any disruptions. Shoppers will still bag their veggies, the same way they always did. The only difference is that these bags will not become problematic if they ever make their way into our waterways.
In the end, it took some effort to find an alternative eco-solution – something that could have been done a long time ago, if we had put our collective minds to it, and our collective efforts behind it. But it took dying oceans to bring about change. Let’s just hope that it’s not too late.
