Shopping, green style

(This post was published as a Letter to the Editor in the Harrisburg Patriot News on Thursday, June 14.)

As the top international leaders convened for the G8 summit, with global warming high on their agendy, it's a fine time to assess our daily habits and prune any excess use of non-renewable resources. Here's one disarmingly simple idea: when shopping, bring reusable bags instead of accumulating more and more plastic bags that in all likelihood will end up in the trash.

I currently work as a cashier for Kmart, and I could count on exactly one finger the number of people I've observed using a canvas bag for their purchases instead of plastic. Don't worry: your receipt is proof of purchase, not a plastic bag, which could be easily smuggled in anyway. Plus, an added bonus: canvas or cloth bags are sturdier and often more comfortable to carry than plastic.

Decisions such as how to transport your groceries may seem, in the face of doomsday global warming predictions, like cleaning a skyscraper with a toothbrush. However, sustainable and Earth-friendly habits (like reusing shopping bags) are the vertebrae of a culture that values global health more than convenience.