When lawmakers decide it’s time to ban plastic bags in a city (like Chicago) or whole state (like California), they assume that single-use bags end up in trashcans or kitchen cabinets. In fact, statistics show hardly any of these bags are recycled. Huge volumes of waste are created for the simple act of transporting groceries and supplies home. According to CalRecycle, a measly 5% of the 14 billion plastic bags Californians take home every year get recycled. Despite what plastic bag...

It’s challenging to conserve energy in the heat of the summer, but every effort helps the community as well as the bottom line of business owners operating on a budget. From replacing plastic bags with reusable wholesale tote bags to getting more from you air conditioning system- here are tips on going green this summer. Spending Less for Cooling and Lighting Business owners who have ceiling fans installed can gain an extra 4 degrees of coolness, which allows you to keep the air conditioner...

There have been attempts to ban plastic bags across California in the past, but a new twist to a bill in the state assembly may be the element that finally wins the day against single-use plastic bags. Committee members advanced a proposal that would in effect ban plastic grocery bags throughout California. Instead of dealing with plastic bag lobby interference, the state will provide incentives for companies to switch to production of reusable wholesale grocery bags, eliminating any argument...

You can see the causal waste of energy in every facet of daily life. From the office buildings with their lights running overnight to gas-guzzling cars and single-use grocery bags, wasting energy – and the resources needed to produce it – has become a way of American life. However, there are ways to confront these wastes. Reusable wholesale grocery bags and smart energy practices at home show just how simple it can be. Bags Made of Oil High carbon emissions present problems for the world in...

The vote to ban plastic bags was unanimous. South Pasadena’s City Council approved a ban for grocery stores, farmers’ markets and retail chains alike to go into effect June 2014. By planning to order and hand out w reusable shopping bags as part of the legislation, the South Pasadena government is making it easy on residents and store owners at once. There is no need for single-use bags in grocery stores, and there is no need to complain about the reusable bags to replace them. Mayor...

When summer arrives, everyone is looking for a lightweight, durable and attractive bag to carry along to the beach. The usual articles – sunscreen, towels and a paperback novel – fit nicely into wholesale tote bags, making them a great call for business promotions or gifts as the warm seasons arrive. Bags that are durable enough to be reused repeatedly have become popular in our eco-friendly times. In cities and coastal towns, the effects of single-use bags are easy to see. Polluted waterways...

Though the debate in Chicago’s City Council was vigorous, aldermen voted 36-10 to ban plastic bags on April 30. The biggest city in the Midwest will ban plastic bags entirely in chain stores beginning in 2015. Smaller retailers are exempt from the legislation until 2016. Rather than settling for a fee or discount when shoppers didn’t bring bags to the store, the Council’s decision means reusable wholesale grocery bags will be the norm in the Windy City. The legislation, sponsored by Alderman...

As California plastic bag bans celebrate their anniversaries and officials ponder a statewide ban, it’s come time to look east. New York City’s City Council already has more than 20 supporters of a minimum 26 needed to move a plastic bag law forward. Is this New York’s time to embrace reusable wholesale shopping bags for good? Considering the disastrous effects plastic bags have had on the Big Apple, most people hope the law’s time has arrived. Like many laws banning or charging a fee for...

Business owners hoping to show their green stripes have a variety of options at their disposal today. You can run a paper-free workplace, run HVAC equipment at high efficiency standards or change every light bulb to a compact fluorescent model. These efforts make a big impact, but custom shopping bags provide you with a two-sided opportunity to do something green and spread the word in the community simultaneously. Drop Single-Use Bags You’ll hear statistics about plastic bags and their...

Lost in the hype of plastic bag bans across the country is the impact legislation has on the entire community. Once single-use bags disappear, members of the community begin conserving resources in many other ways. There is a palpable “green” domino effect. It starts with wholesale custom shopping bags and extends to composting efforts as well as the resources cities use to haul trash from one place to another. A perfect example is the city composting effort undertaken in San Francisco....