B.Y.O.Bag

B.Y.O.Bag = Bring your own bag!

In a recent visit to Maui, HI, I quickly noticed that when at the store, merchants wouldn't give out any plastic bags. I, having been away from the island for 6 months, wasn't prepared with a reusable shopping bag (sigh, sorry!). The cashier asked me, "Do you have a bag?" with a puzzling look as to why I wouldn't have one. I've not received that response before when not having my reusable shopping bag in hand - but clearly, I knew that I was missing something!

Now in Los Angeles, all of my reusable bags are kept in my trunk and I'm not caught without one (well, hardly ever). Goodness knows that I keep waiting to win the Trader Joe's weekly drawing for shoppers who use reusable bags. Winner receives a $10 TJ gift certificate! I always hope my phone rings with such good news.

But I wasn't prepared on Maui. And be not mistaken, this is not the place to be caught empty-handed.

On January 1, 2011 (1-11-11) Maui County made history when the Plastic Bag Reduction Ordinanace was put into effect. From that day on, all plastic bags were banned at checkout. Their reason? When living in paradise and surrounded by beautiful marine life, there's nothing good to come of stray plastic bags in this environment. So, simple enough, they cut it out!

And when I was there, I didn't hear one person complain. Every person in line - whether at a clothing store or the market - had their bag in hand. It was the norm, their culture, together taking care of the 'aina (land).

Here are some interesting facts from the County of Maui website...
Did you know?

• Plastic bags represent 4 of every 5 bags given out at grocery stores. When they were invented, they were introduced as the alternative to the paper bag.
• Between 500 billion and a trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide each year.
• Plastic bags and other plastic waste makes its way into the oceans and result in injuries and deaths of numerous marine animals and birds who mistake the debris for food or prey.
• The "Great Garbage Patch" floats between HI and San Francisco. This trash patch is estimated to be twice the size of Texas!
• The 30 million plastic bags used in the US annually requires 12 million barrels of oil.
• The average American uses 300-700 plastic bags a year. If every individual tied their used bags together in a chain, it would wrap the world 760 times!

Those are more than enough reasons to ditch the plastic and grab the fantastic - the reusable shopping bag!

B.Y.O.Bag = Bring your own bag!