site.openhandstore.org Blog

Paper, Plastic or POH?

January 24, 2008 on 1:21 pm | In Main Category | No Comments

Cutting down on waste is one of the simplest ways we can all contribute to the protection of the environment. Simple things like turning off the lights when leaving a room can make a big difference to the impact we make on the world around us. San Francisco recently passed a law banning the use of plastic bags in chain supermarkets and pharmacies, a move intended to cut-down on one of the more ubiquitous and disposable elements of daily life. The logic behind the law is that consumers will be forced to switch to paper bags which are bio-degradeable and can be manufactured from recycled materials. Furthermore, motivated consumers will see an opportunity to go a step further and bring a re-usable bag when shopping, thereby eliminating the need for the paper bag.

The Whole Foods Supermarket has apparently found consumers to be willing participants in the ban on plastic bags an has announced that it is banning the use of plastic bags in all of its stores nationwide. The move by Whole Foods seems to reflect consumers’ willingess to participate in the reduction of waste, even at the risk of increased cost or inconvenience.

Project Open Hand has long been a heavy utilizer of plastic bags for our Grocery Programs and we too have sought ways to minimize our carbon footprint. We recently switched to heavy-duty paper bags for the majority of grocery shops (although plastic is still available for clients who need it). We also recently launched our online store which is currently featuring our own, branded, reusable shopping tote.

It’s a snazzy little number that’s also durable and more than a little chic. We also purchased unbranded, re-usable totes for clients which we distributed before the holidays as an effort to encourage clients to consume less of the disposable bags.

We are currently selling the totes at our online store, www.openhandstore.org as a way to raise revenue to fund our services as well as to encourage POH supporters to make a small change in how we all consume. If you would like to purchase a tote you can click on the store link or go directly to the product page by clicking, here.