Today we are looking into one recognized dimension of wellness = Environmental. This is The capability to live in a clean and safe environment that is not detrimental to health.
One way we can contribute to improving this dimension of wellness is to help out the Earth by keeping it clean. Make it your goal to use REUSABLE BAGS whenever possible!
By now we all know what a waste of resources most plastic bags are. People consume billions of plastic bags each year. This excess layer of packaging costs energy and money to produce-and bags are bound to end up in a landfill, if not litter, sooner or later. Who doesn’t want to live in a cleaner environment, right?
Here are some tips on how to remember to take bags with you to the store:
- Have an ample supply. Step number one. Choose a size and design that you like and that is comfortable for you. You can buy these for dirt cheap or you can get creative and make your own out of old fabric that is laying around the house.
- Put your bags where you will use them! This is KEY in helping you remember to use them. Keep a stash in the car, hang one on a doorknob, in your purse or backpack.
- As you enter a store, when you take a cart or basket, make sure you have a bag to put in it. If you don’t, make the effort to go back to your car and get it.
- One way of dealing with forgetting your bag is to ask for your groceries to go back into the cart; then you can either pack them into bags or boxes left in your car or stack them in the trunk. You will soon learn to remember the bags!
- Write at the top of your shopping list “TAKE BAGS.” (this is my favorite tip ).
- Use collapsible bags that are packable. Have a couple of bags that are thin enough material to fold or roll and store them in your purse or briefcase as a backup for when you forget the usual reusable bags that may not be as packable.
- Make a point of saying “no bag, thanks” if you only have a few things. Simply ask that your items not be put in a bag.
- Make it automatic. This should become part of your regular shopping routine. Habits take a few weeks to ingrain but if you are consistent, soon it will become second nature to take a bag whenever you shop.