Please check out the wonderful and informative review we just received from Allison’s Gourmet, a maker of gourmet, organic, and vegan baked goods and desserts.

Click here to read her Blue Lotus Bags Review.

Click here to visit their delicious site.

FACT: Bulk foods provide a savings to the consumer of 30% to 60%. Packaging and promotion can be a significant contributor to food cost.

FACT: Bulk goods require less overall transportation to deliver to consumers. Bulk foods do not require the packaging components that must be produced and transported prior to being filled. And the transportation of bulk product to retailers is efficient because it can be packed more densely on a truck.”

FACT: The manufacture of paper and cardboard pulls trees from our forests, dumps contaminated water into our streams and uses enormous amounts of energy resulting in grotesque levels of CO2 emissions pumped into our atmosphere.

FACT: Food packaging may limit a consumer’s ability to buy in quantities desired which can result in food surplus and ultimately waste.

FACT: Although most natural food companies sell their food products in recyclable packaging, there are still some food companies that use non-recyclable materials. And some consumers choose not to recycle which creates additional burden in our country’s landfills.

FACT: Packaging often limits a consumer’s ability to actually see the product they are buying.

FACT: In a grocery store, packaged products require more labor to ensure fresh product. Shelves must constantly be rearranged.

FACT: With bulk, product density at the store level can be significantly higher. So stores can provide a wider variety of foods in the same space.

Bulk is Green Council

• Put bulk foods in bag at store.
• Record bin number for checkout.
• Wrap drawstring around top, then tie.
• Remember to deduct tare weight.
• Transfer to jars at home.
• Wash and dry bag if necessary!

• Puts veggies in bag at market.
• Remember to deduct tare weight.
• Lightly moisten bag.
• Store moist bag in fridge crisper.
• Remoisten bag as needed.
• Wash and dry bag for its next use!

Elisa Bosley, Senior Food Editor, of Delicious Living, adds us to her top ten food list from the Natural Product Expo West 2011 Show.

It’s a tricky task to narrow down the thousands of interesting, flavorful, and healthy foods featured at Natural Products Expo West 2011 to a definitive “top 10″ list … but we’re taking a shot. These new food products wowed us with their good taste and nutrition; eco- and sustainability initiatives; and creative, beautiful packaging. Check out these ten new food items that got our nod for best food products from Expo West.

Here is what Leah Zerbe, on-line editor of Rodale.com, had to share about our bags both on their blog and on an NBC Philadelphia TV show.

Blog: Blue Lotus Reusable Grain & Produce Bags
In this bum economy, we’re being advised to buy in bulk to save mega-money, particularly on organic goods like beans and produce. To reduce your plastic load at the same time, shop co-ops and farmer’s markets using these stylish organic-cotton reusable bags, perfect for grains, beans, and rice. Use the mesh bag for things like onions and apples, and if it ever wears out, you can toss it on the compost pile!

(The following was a press release sent out by the EPA earlier this month)

(01/27/11) – The US Environmental Protection Agency applauded the Mayors, County Councils and residents of Maui and Kauai counties in Hawaii for enacting restrictions banning plastic shopping bags – reducing their waste and protecting the environment in a single action.

“The leadership shown by the Counties of Maui and Kauai in banning these bags will help keep their environments pristine,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “This will not only decrease the amount of plastic in the counties, but it will reduce the number of bags that end up in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch – an enormous area of floating plastic waste.”

The County of Maui and Kauai join American Samoa in banning plastic shopping bags in the Pacific area. Other cities like San Francisco, Portland, San Jose, Santa Monica, Marin County, South Padre, Texas, coastal North Carolina, and other California cities like Malibu, Palo Alto, Fairfax, and Los Angeles County have bag bans. California cities of Fremont, Sunnyvale, Santa Cruz, Trent Hills, Long Beach, Santa Clara County, and other areas such as New York City, Seattle, Boston, Phoenix, Arkansas, Oregon, Vermont, Connecticut, and Maryland are also considering legislation to ban plastic bags. Other countries that have banned free plastic bags include China, Bangladesh, Australia, Italy, South Africa, Ireland, and Taiwan.

The ‘Great Pacific Garbage Patch’ refers to two areas of floating plastic waste in the North Pacific that have been identified by NOAA and many other organizations. These areas are located in both the eastern and western Pacific and are composed of marine debris. The main type of garbage in the patch is plastic litter along with other debris such as derelict fishing nets. Much of the debris is very small bits of floating plastic debris broken down through photodegradation, and surveys estimate that there may be as much as six times more plastic than plankton in parts of the garbage patch. The County of Maui and Kauai’s action will help protect many species of Pacific marine and bird life, which attempt to consume the plastic debris after mistaking it for food.

As reported in the San Jose Mercury News (by John Woolfolk) -

San Jose became the largest U.S. city to ban plastic carry-out bags Tuesday with an ordinance that supporters said was the most far-reaching in the country aimed at encouraging shoppers to bring reusable totes.

The ordinance, approved on a 10-1 vote after two years of study, wouldn’t become effective until Jan. 1, 2012, to allow for more public outreach. It would prohibit retailers from giving out disposable plastic bags at the check stand and require them to charge for paper bags.

“This is a great step,” Councilman Sam Liccardo said. “It’s an opportunity to lead on an important environmental issue.”

Councilman Pete Constant, the lone dissenter, said the council had “increased the burden and cost for people in the midst of one of the deepest recessions we’ve experienced in our lifetime.”

Reaction from downtown shoppers was mixed.

“I don’t have a whole lot of money to be charged for paper bags,” said Pine Watt, 18, a freshman at San Jose State.

Nimfa Sanchez, 74, walked into the San Fernando Street Safeway from a downpour and wondered how she would fare without waterproof plastic bags.

“How am I going to run after my groceries that roll out of a paper bag on a night like this?” asked Sanchez, who uses a walker. “Besides, I already recycle.”

But Julianna Iran, 24, who was examining lettuce at the Safeway, pronounced the idea “terrific. If it’s going to cost money to get a paper bag, I’ll be more likely to bring my cloth bag.”

And Luke Vong, 47, a civil engineer walking out of the store with a double plastic bag filled with groceries, called the ban “good for the environment.”

Opinions also varied inside the council chamber. Samantha Dabish, representing the Neighborhood Market Association, urged the council to include an exemption for smaller stores that she said would face higher costs from the ban.

But Timothy James of the California Grocers Association said grocers appreciated amendments woven into the ban to allow bags for pharmaceuticals and meats.

San Jose isn’t the first city to ban plastic bags; San Francisco led the way in 2007. But San Jose’s ordinance goes further than others, said David Lewis, executive director of the environmental group Save the Bay.

The ordinance covers most retailers, not just groceries and pharmacies, and discourages disposable paper bags by requiring merchants to charge customers for them. He said the city ordinance will be a model for other cities and counties.

Lewis called disposable plastic bags “one of the most visible and unsightly forms of pollution in the bay.” He said the Bay Area uses 3.8 billion plastic bags a year and about 1 million end up in San Francisco Bay, where they harm birds, fish and other animals.

Lisa Bickford, 46, of San Jose, came to show her support for a ban by attending the meeting in a “bag monster” costume made out of 500 disposable plastic bags.

“I live to be 1,000 years old, and I am synthetic so I break down slowly,” Bickford said in mock protest. “I will be here long after any of you.”

Critics such as the American Chemistry Council, which represents plastic-bag makers, say their product is being unfairly maligned, noting it can be recycled and turned into items such as shopping carts and composite lumber. They say government officials should promote recycling bags rather than banning them.

But Lewis said recycling hasn’t worked, with only about 5 percent recycled in California.

“People consider it trash, not something of value,” he said. “That’s why it ends up on the street.”

Industry lobbying has helped thwart efforts to ban plastic bags statewide. A state Assembly bill to ban single-use plastic carry-out bags from grocery and drugstores died this year for lack of support in the Senate, despite backing from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

But that has only spurred local bans. In addition to San Francisco, Palo Alto, Oakland, Malibu and Los Angeles County have approved similar measures, while Fremont, Sunnyvale, Marin County and Santa Clara County are among those considering them.

Opponents have sued or threatened litigation against some cities over plastic bag bans, arguing that they only encourage use of disposable paper sacks. Plastic-bag backers contend that paper is more environmentally harmful because of deforestation and the energy needed to manufacture wood pulp.

Lawsuits and legal threats over bans in Oakland, Palo Alto and Fairfax argue that the cities should have conducted a full analysis under the California Environmental Quality Act before taking action. Oakland suspended its ban; Fairfax, in Marin County, made it voluntary. And Palo Alto agreed in a settlement to conduct a complete environmental review if it expands its ban beyond grocers.

San Jose’s ban underwent a full environmental analysis, which Councilman Kansen Chu says will make it more legally sound. Chu pushed for the city to pass a bag law after returning from a trip to Taiwan, where merchants charge customers for disposable carry-out bags.

Restaurants exempt

The chemistry council also argued that the measure would violate restrictions on fees that voters approved in November under Proposition 26. But City Attorney Rick Doyle disagreed because the city doesn’t receive the paper bag fee; merchants do.

The ordinance exempts restaurants and nonprofit secondhand stores such as the Salvation Army. City officials said paper or reusable bags may be impractical for carrying moist, messy takeout foods, and that secondhand stores already reduce waste by encouraging people to reuse things.

The ban also doesn’t prohibit plastic bags made available to protect meat, produce or bulk foods, nor does it prohibit sales of sandwich or trash bags.

Retailers could face fines of $500 to $1,000 for violating the ordinance.

Mayor Chuck Reed urged environmentalists and neighborhood groups to keep track of how many bags wind up in city creeks after the ban, saying, “It’s really important to demonstrate that we’ve addressed the problem.”

Mercury News staff writer Tracy Seipel contributed to this report. Contact John Woolfolk at 408-975-9346.

# Starting Jan. 1, 2012, retailers cannot offer disposable plastic carry-out bags at the check stand.
# Retailers must charge at least 10 cents to provide disposable paper carry-out bags; that amount will rise to 25 cents by 2014. There are exemptions for food-stamp recipients.
# Restaurants and nonprofit secondhand stores are exempt.

On Tuesday, November 16, 2010 (Source: Huffington Post), The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a measure to ban plastic bags at grocery stores and other shops in unincorporated Los Angeles County areas. The goal of the ordinance is to get people to use their reusable bags. It applies to grocery stores, drug stores, liquor stores and convenience stores.

Customers would no longer have plastic bags as an option. They would need to bring in their own reusable bag or they could purchase a paper one for 10 cents. That’s to pay the store for the cost of the bag.

The measure, which will come back for a final vote when exact language is finalized, was approved on a 3-1 vote. Large stores have until July 1, 2011 to comply. Smaller stores have until Jan. 1, 2012.

“It’s a historical day because L.A. County will be the largest municipality in California to ban single-use plastic bags,” said state Assemblywoman Julia Brownley (D-Santa Monica). “And then we’re going to go back to Sacramento because this ordinance mimics exactly the bill that I carried in Sacramento.”

“It’s too bad that we couldn’t pass it in the state, but L.A. can lead the way for other cities in California,” said Angela Howe, a Surfrider Foundation representative. “San Francisco has already done it. Santa Monica has already done it. Manhattan Beach has already done it.”

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On Monday, November 29th (Source: Sacramento Bee) , Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called on lawmakers to reconsider a defeated bill to ban plastic bags. The bill to ban plastic grocery bags faced fierce opposition from the Virginia-based interest group American Chemistry Council and died in the Senate this year. Schwarzenegger said the measure might fare better in the current, post-election political climate.

“Of course we fell short a few votes, but we said, ‘We’ll be back,’ and we are back again,” Schwarzenegger said at a Capitol press conference. “And if we don’t get it done in December, we’ll get it done next year.”

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Here’s what you can do……

1) Use Reusable bags for everything (buy some here!)

2) Encourage everyone you know do to the same!

3) Click here to sign the petition to your local CA state assembly member with our friends at Environmental California to support a CA state wide ban on plastic bags in California.