it's all about the bag

The Girl Scouts Heart of the South council hosted the North Mississippi Green Festival last Saturday.  I was happy to see so many booths share information and distribute literature about how to care for the environment.  Government & non-government agencies, non-profit & for profit organizations, individuals & groups alike were passionate about sustainable measures in their respective fields - green buildings, water conservation, recycling & many more.  There is one booth that really got me excited - Green Bag Lady.  They were giving out totes made from donated fabrics in the hope they are going be used instead of paper or plastic.  There was a log that you can fill out with your name, city and the number of the bag you chose to help them know the places their project has reached.

When I got to the booth, it was swarming with ladies trying to figure out which bag to get for there where a lot to choose from.  There were many women carrying the bag from the Green Bag Lady through out the day filling it with other freebies from the generous sponsors.  It was a sight I hoped to see in this city for quite some time now.  But, alas, it only lasted a day.  As I go get my groceries, I have yet to see someone use a reusable bag.  Where are the bags those ladies clamored for?  Was it just a day's musing?  I believe information about the impact of plastic bags on our environment has reached most people in this area so why are there not an equivalent number of people avoiding it?  I hope we can give up a little bit of our convenience for earth's tomorrow.

Tips on how to get started:  bring two to three reusable bags when picking up your groceries.  After unloading your groceries at home, hang the bags on the door knob of the door you'll use the next day so you'll remember to grab them on your way out and they'll be in your car ready for the next time you get the grocery.  Keep a cute one folded in you purse for other random buys, too.

Tu-pe-lo

In 1998 my husband found a job in this city so we packed our bags, left the big city where we have started our family and the country of our birth.  With our two young boys, a little bit of fear and a pocketful of hope we ventured into the unknown.  Like many who live abroad but left their hearts at home, I have not settled myself in this city even after twelve years.  Yes, twelve years later and I still have to accept this is my home.  One day my son, Xen, blurted out that this is home town.  Even though we have taken trips to our native country  to keep us close to our roots, this is the only place he has grown attached to since he was only nine months old when we arrived here.  I don't think I will feel the same way but there is some level of acceptance I have to do.  So I begin a journey, an awareness of the present and this city will help me.