inch by inch, bag by bag, i've been making baby steps to live more "green". one of those steps has been my stack of canvas bags to use when i go food shopping – but remembering to bring them with me is the difficult part. so, i started carrying at least one around at all times. it's a friendly reminder, that makes me aware just how often i add to my plastic bag collection.
so, much like the rest of the world, i was intrigued to hear the city of san francisco announce a ban -- never tried before by a united states city -- on plastic shopping bags. in the near future, grocery stores, and large pharmacies, will only be allowed to use recycled or compostable bags. it raises, once again, the never ending debate ... is it better to use plastic or paper?
neither really. but you can't just take away the bags and make everyone bring their own -- could you?
in the city of berlin many stores charge you a small fee if you use one of their bags. it seems, from what i observed, that most locals carry around their own shopping bags. it's not specific to people who shop at the bio-friendly stores. it's everywhere.
here in the states, bulk stores – like costco – make you bring your own bags, or use boxes they've emptied from stocking the shelves. and, whole foods -- a shop you would think would inspire you to bring your own bag -- still provides you with bags, but is trying the opposite of berlin's plan. they credit you a small amount if you bring your own bags. in fact, they give you the option to take the credit or collect a token. the token allows you to pass your credit on to one of their preselected non-profit organizations, by placing it in the appropriate jar by the door.
it has me wondering what method would really work here in the states? because i find it rather sad that it might take a governmental initiative to shift our patterns! so, outside of laying down the law, how do you get an entire culture to shift from "paper or plastic?" to "may i fill your canvas bags for you?"
When planning a trip I don't tend to dive into the culture until I arrive on it's soil. Then I try and learn everything about it -- I'm more interested in understanding how people live day to day then ensuring I've seen every touristy spotlight written up in the books. Because I don't immerse myself ahead of time I do sometimes miss out on things I don't leave myself time for ... because I didn't know to do so. It just means I have to visit again.
When I get back from a trip I suddenly find myself surrounded by personal stories, news articles and travel tid bits related to my most recent exploration. I've always wondered if they have been there all along -- but surface due to my new interest by association? Or, is someone following me on these trips because they've decided what I do must be the next big thing (perhaps someone from the NY Times Travel)? I mean, Bush did head to Uruguay after I deemed it a beautiful place to visit.
Although, I don't think two fires in Chile -- the weekend after we left -- has anything to do with what's popular. One was in a hostel we stayed in down in Patagonia. The blue hostel was the one that burned down and we had stayed in their related green house. Around the same time a building in the historic Valparaiso also burned down. We had wandered up in those historic streets, although I'm unsure if we passed the building.
So, it's probably no more than interest by association, and that's okay by me. It means the more I travel the more I will pay attention to the world around me. The more I will feel connected. The more I will have stories to share. No documentary or travel book will compare to the real thing. It's like holding a photo you took in your hands vs viewing a digital one on the screen. It's a whole different level of connection.
