If something seems like an easy fix, it's probably causing a bigger problem. This financial meltdown we're in right now is probably the best big-picture example.
But here's another: Those reusable bags many businesses are touting can be worse for the environment than cheap, reusable plastic. How can that be?
1. Many come from China, and that country's record of environmental health can be as bad as its human health record, including the fact milk from that country is killing babies as we speak.
2. Many of the processes used to make non-plastic bags are water-and energy-intensive.
3. If people take or buy a bunch of those bags but then stop using them, or grab cheap plastics in a pinch when they forget the reusables at home, their overall environmental impact gets bigger than if they just stuck to cheap plastics.
The list goes on from there. And gets even more complicated. Which means I trust it more. Not like I want to hear that a successful initiative getting people to think green can be a bit of a crock.
To check out how your personal favorite retailer stands, check out this link.
