It’s So So Easy Being Green
June 7th, 2009
Did you know that we use an average of 500 plastic bags every year? Most bags taken from the grocery store are created for exactly one use, and then they’re tossed in the trash to fill up land dumps. All that work for one use. Think of all the machines, labor, and materials involved just to give us the opportunity to throw a couple items in a bag and carry them in from the garage. Is it really necessary?
Using eco-friendly reusable shopping bags instead of plastic bags is a small, and simple lifestyle change. You wouldn’t forget your purse or wallet before going to the grocery store, so just remember not to forget your shopping bags.
(Thanks to our pal, Mara, who is obsessed with Tim Minchin, an Aussie comedian/pianist, we discovered his ode to Canvas Bags. While the Envirosax isn’t canvas we share his sentiment and love that he is also from down under. Check out his video on YouTube )
Envirosax bags help make that change easier by providing a tote that rolls up and becomes a lightweight and portable, 1 oz package. The pouch is small enough to stow into a glove box or a handbag. Plus they’re affordable – at just $6 per bag…that’s over half of what you’d pay for an ugly grocery store-sponsored bag.
Envirosax bags provide an exclusive range of eco friendly reusable shopping bags, while introducing an exciting new medium for the message of environmental sustainability. Design-driven, inexpensive and colorful, Envirosax® challenges the lack of stylish, eco-friendly, reusable shopping bags available. The patterns are printed on one side, and the other is a coordinating solid color. (I mean let’s face it, beige hemp or burlap is blech!) These shopping bags are something Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz can tote around, and everyone would wonder, “Where did she get that fab bag?”
Envirosax® originates from Currumbin Valley in South East Queensland, Australia. The Envirosax team uses renewable and recyclable products where possible, and is committed to operating on ecologically sustainable principles.
Situated on 10 acres of pristine Australian rainforest, the Envirosax team’s abode is totally ecologically sustainable with solar hot water and photovoltaic cells for electricity. A sewage system recycles wastewater, which waters the extensive permaculture gardens; and filtered rainwater tanks provide the premises with water. Envirosax bags are designed in Australia.
From start to finish, Envirosax bags are a responsible solution to a very big problem. And cute to boot!
Why This Gets The Delight Seal of Approval:
We tested many to bring you one Delightful Must-Have today…
- Set of 5 Envirosax reusable grocery bags designed with a groovy "Retro Graphic" motif in a travel pouch; printed on one side.
- Lightweight, waterproof, extremely strong and eco-friendly.
- Size: Size: 19.5" x 16.5"; Material: High-grade heavy weight polyester
- Designed by the Envirosax team in South East Queensland, Australia.
- Handles are long enough to carry over the shoulder.
- Can hold the equivalent of two plastic bags worth of groceries.
- Gorgeous gift-wrapping available.
- Celebs who love their Envirosax from Delight.com include: Cameron Diaz, Kyra Sedgewick, Eva Longoria and Felicity Huffman
- As seen in O Magazine, OK! Magazine, People.com, The Denver Post, The Chicago Tribune, Arizona Republic, Shelterrific, and Not Martha
Discuss this item (32 comments)
“Here in Jackson Hole, Wyoming we use these bags for EVERYTHING. Grocery shopping OF COURSE, but also packing up food for the slopes or camping, toting extra gear or games to the river...and the other day I just used one as my handbag for doing Saturday errands. I love that they're waterproof, and they hold so many groceries, you wonder why any of us ever suffered through plastic bags before!”
June 11th, 2007 at 9:07 am
These bags are super cute but I wish they had square bottoms so that they could stand up in my car. The last thing I need is to have my groceries rolling around in the trunk getting smashed. And, I wish they were more affordable. The Wegman’s bags are only $8 for 6 big bags.
June 11th, 2007 at 9:14 am
Betty - those bags are super ugly, and if they’re only $8 for six I highly doubt that they’ll last more than a couple uses. I have the Floral Envirosax and if you pack them well they don’t roll around at all - plus, the Envirosax are much larger and hold a lot more groceries than that thing.
But that’s just my two cents.
June 11th, 2007 at 10:13 am
Betty,
Those bags from Wegmans are just like the bags you can buy from every grocery store in New Zealand and Australia (I have a few when I was there for several months) and they are good bags except for one thing - they are small and don’t hold that much. I have these envirosax bags and they hold A TON more than that bag from Wegmans. Plus, if you in a big city and don’t use a car you can carry them on your shoulder.
June 11th, 2007 at 11:26 am
They don’t say what the bags are made out of… or did I miss that?
June 11th, 2007 at 1:12 pm
The bags are made out of polyester - like a windbreaker jacket. The fronts are printed the backs are solid. I put and entire shopping cart of groceries ($120) into 7 bags. Today was the first time I used mine and I got tons of comments at the store.
June 11th, 2007 at 2:54 pm
I just got my Envirosax order on Friday. I used the bags all weekend and LOVED them. They are much bigger than I thought they would be, very sturdy and fit on my shoulder. I love them. I am going to buy a bunch to use as gifts.
June 11th, 2007 at 3:28 pm
Washable?
June 11th, 2007 at 7:42 pm
Peggyann,
Envirosax bags are very washable, unlike nylon polyester is hydrophobic. The colours are put into the fabric using the process of sublimation. I have washed my bags many times and the colours have not faded to date. The washing instructions are printed on the bag.
June 12th, 2007 at 7:38 am
Man I missed them again!
June 19th, 2007 at 3:06 am
Hi. I used one of my floral bags for the first time this weekend at the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn. It held plenty of goodies and I got lots of compliments (”is that silk?”), but I discovered that it’s not the tote to use for a long time out in the heat as it tends to trap the heat under one’s arm and create a bit of a sweaty mess! But the grocery use is perfect!
June 30th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
Could these bags be any groovier? Any hipper, any niftier, any fabulouser? No, these are NOT rhetorical questions. They are real live actual questions that need an answer. And the answer, friends, is a resounding NO! A big fat NYET! I just received them earlier this week and could not wait to use them. But I wanted to “save” them for my Saturday morning shop-a-rama at Whole Foods, so all the other chicks who THINK they’re hip and cool could get a gander at someone TRULY hip and cool — and that would be ME ME ME (or “I”, for the grammatically correct), thanks, in great part, to these bags. They’re flippin’ fabu! Even my guy friend/shopping partner, who kinda made fun of me at first, had to say, at checkout, that these bags were “really cool”. And the checkout chicks were checkin’ ‘em out, too, and LOVED them. Moments after handing one of them the little baglette containing the five furled-up bags, she said, “Oh! These are CUTE!” And her co-worker/crony agreed. Not only are they CUTE, though, they are sturdy and extremely roomy. They’re not just durable, but A-dorable! Oh, and what would ordinarily be put into about six plastic Whole Foods bags fit into just THREE of these babies. I couldn’t be more thrilled with this purchase if I tried.
July 11th, 2007 at 5:32 pm
at this price, I assume they must be made in China by slave labor…otherwise they would sound really good…
July 26th, 2007 at 12:54 pm
Envirosax are produced in a large city in China by a manufacturer who follows all the Labour Laws of China. The factory also produces for the German and UK markets and the factory manager has to maintain high standards. The age of the workers is between 22-45 and there is NO child labour. The working conditions are safe and well lit and the wages are fair. David Gutnik a Canadian producer recently made a doco. on factory workers in China, please check it out.
Kind regards
ENVIROSAX
September 15th, 2007 at 9:26 am
Jodi, Louise, Elizabeth & Michelle,
We are sooo happy y’all love your Envirosax like we do! Thanks for taking the time to let us know how you are using your groovy reusable grocery bags. Envirosax have so many great uses, and we love hearing from our customers.
Thanks again gals, and happy shopping!
-Tracey
October 8th, 2007 at 5:32 pm
Hello- I am A cashier at Wegman’s- a customer had a set of the envirosax bags- I was so impressed with these bags that I went home that night-found the website and ordered some for myself! I have never used reusable bags but cant wait to use these! Although the Wegman bags are nice- the fact that these roll up so small and are portable impressed me!
October 23rd, 2007 at 2:11 pm
I have a set of my own that I use for everything (not just groceries!) and I’ve given sets to several friends who love their envirosax! What a great product!
October 26th, 2007 at 7:31 am
I can’t wait to get some of these, I love them!
October 30th, 2007 at 10:44 am
Ooh, the designs on these are great.
October 30th, 2007 at 11:39 am
I have the brighter colors version of these, and I absolutely adore them. They have been so much more useful than I even thought they would be. I wish these muted shade ones had been available when I got mine!
October 30th, 2007 at 6:36 pm
I’ve got the floral designed bunch and I use them all the time….however the bright colors definitely feel out of place here in Seattle now that we’re back in cloudy day time…perhaps just *one* more bag to go in my new dark orange purse!
November 4th, 2007 at 6:21 pm
I love these bags. I am scared to get one to use in kroger b/c I am afraid they would think I was stealing. If I shopped more at the co-op store it wouldn’t matte.
December 12th, 2007 at 7:45 am
I’m getting those really cute retro-fashion bags for all of my friends this Christmas. What could be better, it’s cute, practical, and it’s progressive.
January 27th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
I gave these to all my girlfriends, and ended up keeping two for me! I also keep getting compliments on the bags from the men & women cashiers at Trader Joe’s! AND they are strong. I can hold 3 2 quart soymilk containers and a 2 lbs of nectarines in one bag!!
May 2nd, 2008 at 8:32 am
These are the best! I have purchased 7 sets for myself and as gifts for Christmas and birthdays. Every time I pull them out, people always ask me where I got them (In fact, I need to get some Delight.com cards to pass out). I tell everyone that even a small change makes a difference…and you can look fashionable doing it!
May 3rd, 2008 at 11:51 am
This the most durable bag ever! It really can hold heavy items, and it’s very stylish.
June 12th, 2008 at 11:37 am
I just got these bags a few weeks ago. I LOVE them! I use them everywhere i go shopping, and they surprisingly hold alot of groceries. I get tons of compliments on them.
August 1st, 2008 at 2:21 pm
I bought my bags several months ago and I LOVE THEM! I can put more groceries in them then I thougth. They are easy to store and washable. Everytime I use them no matter what store I’m in I get compliments. I must have sent 30 people so far to your website.
Thank you for helping me with our enviroment and I look so stylish doing it!
October 2nd, 2008 at 7:30 am
My husband refuses to use the reusable bags that I bought at target because he thinks they are to girly. I wish that he had these…I am sure we both, and the earth, would COVET them.
October 24th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
just visiting from Heavy Petal to say that I would love to get these for my sister/ best friend!
December 18th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
Love these and am linking to them in my blog
http://notanotheromnivore.blogspot.com/2008/12/new-york-state-and-green-grocery-bage.html
NAOmni
January 10th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
why so expensive for a piece of nylon?
February 17th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
I’ve been using Envirosax bags for years and my first set is as sturdy as the set I bought at Christmas! I use them for everything, not just groceries. I get a lot of compliments and inquiries about them and I’ve sung their praises all over the country. Last year I gave them as Christmas gifts to everyone, this year I did the same. Everyone was thrilled! I’ve also laid in a supply for birthdays, and the new kids designs make wonderful wrappings for all the childrens birthday parties my son gets invited to. Just pop the gift and card inside, tie with a recycled ribbon and you have the most useful gift you can give…no waste!!! If you don’t have these, YOU NEED TO GET THEM!!! (sorry for screaming that last bit but I get so excited about them!!!)