Data released by the United States Environmental Protection Agency shows that somewhere between 500 billion and 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide each year.

Less that 1% of bags are recycled. It costs more to recycle a bag than it does to produce a new one.

There’s harsh economics behind bag recycling: It costs $4,000 to process and recycle 1 ton of plastic bags, which can then be sold on the commodities market for $32

A study in 1975 showed oceangoing vessels dumped 8 million pounds of plastic annually. The real reason that the world’s landfills aren’t overflowing with plastic was because most of it ended up in an ocean-fill.

A plastic stew twice the size of Texas, has formed in the Pacific Ocean. Scientists have dubbed it the “Eastern Garbage Patch”, and its volume is growing at an alarming pace.

With plastic particles outnumbering plankton 6 to 1, it’s inevitably entering the food chain, of which YOU are at the top. Bon Appetit!

Plastic bags do not biodegrade, they photodegrade: Over time they break down into smaller, more toxic petro-polymers which eventually contaminate soil and waterways everywhere.

Plastics, from large chunks to microscopic particles, has entered the food chain. The effect on wildlife can be catastrophic

Nearly 200 different species of sea life including whales, dolphins, seals and turtles die due to plastic bags. They die after ingesting plastic bags which they mistake for food.

If just 1 out of 5 people in the U.S. used cloth bags, we would eliminate 1,330,560,000,000 plastic bags over a life time.

The Garbage Patch

The North Pacific Tropical Gyre also known as the Garbage Patch – seven millions tons of floating plastic waste spanning an area twice the size of Texas. There is six times as much plastic in the gyre than there is plankton. Plankton is the area’s most abundant food source. Animals mistake this waste for food dying either from plastic poisoning or blockage of their digestive system. This plastic absorbs, transports, and releases hydrophobic pollutants (PCB,DDE,DDT) not only harming the oceans food chain, but us as well. Diseases, infertility, etc. Plastic is 100% nonbiodegradable. Reduce your plastic waste. Learn more at www.algalita.org.

The only positive way I can look at this catastrophe is that nature seems to be gathering our toxic slosh into a big pile for us, while today we may be technologically incapable, one day we will have the means. Cleanup is inevitable.

Check out all 5 at TreeHugger

While running some errands today I happened upon a new (to me) produce market baring “locally grown” signage. I enthusiastically pulled in for a peek at the goodies. Long story short, I found some amazing prices on some delectable fruits and veggies.
I walked up carrying my own tote bag, of course. I made my selections and the older merchant man reached for the plastic bags and I said “well we can just throw ‘em in here if you like”, in my own polite little way. He nodded and proceeded to fill er’ up.

The bag I was using was the one you’ve been bypassing in the WalMart lines for a few months now. That black and green recycled/reusable number that you should certainly pick up if you happen to be a WalMart shopper(well they do have eco-friendly items and organic food). The reason I make mention of this particular bag is because of the small graphic on the bag’s side grabbed the merchant’s attention. He read it aloud and said ‘well I’ll be’. I explained my story on living green, and after agreeing on the BYOB mindset, he said he would be sure and tell his customers from there on out about bringing their own bags.
I facetiously asked him if he received his produce in plastic bags. He obviously chuckled and replied with a big “no”. I am glad I could make a difference, no matter how small it may seem.

As for the well established green shopper, you are more than likely well equipped with hemp, bamboo, or even organic cotton bags. A quick search reveals Reusable Bags, a site containing facts concerning plastic bag devastation as well as how to get your hands on some toxin free baggage.

“estimated at well over 500,000,000,000 (that’s 500 billion) plastic bags annually, or almost 1 million per minute”

Most of the plastic bags you see are polyethylene, a petroleum based plastic.
“Over 60 million tons of the material are produced worldwide every year” Wikipedia

Another quote from Reusable Bags on Ireland’s successful Plas Tax.

In 2001, Ireland consumed 1.2 billion plastic bags, or 316 per person. An extremely successful plastic bag consumption tax, or PlasTax, introduced in 2002 reduced consumption by 90%. Approximately 18,000,000 liters of oil have been saved due to this reduced production. Governments around the world are considering implementing similar measures.

How about that. A 90% reduction! Although I am not a huge fan of big government regulation, in the case of reducing plastic it might be justified. Here in the U.S. some cities are trying to curb the waste by banning plastic bags from major retailers. Do we really want the government to have to waste effort on our trashy ignorant habits? It was reported in 2005 by United Nations Environment Program that ‘currently over 13,000 pieces of plastic litter floating on every square kilometre of ocean’.  That is unacceptable.

This has to start with you as the individual consumer. As common sense as it may seem to the choir upon which I preach, without being exposed to these ideas one will continue to think just as the status quo-upholders tell them.

Stop trekking your happy arses to the store knowing you’ll be hauling away plastic bags bound for a landfill, where it shall release poisons into the ecosystem for thousands of years. Do not be embarrassed because you rarely or even never see anyone bringing their own bag. Tell the lookers why you do it, as if they didn’t know. Say something like ‘currently over 13,000 pieces of plastic litter is floating on every square kilometre of ocean, do you really want to add to that?’ and say it loud. Bring Your Own Bag!

These look very relaxing and I would love to try one out. You can find some truly impressive designs over at Woodhouse Natural Pools. The outdoor ambient sounds on the homepage are quite serene. I am still listening to it as I write.

Thanks Michael d’Estries at GroovyGreen for the great find!

For those of us in the U.S., a quick search led me to Total Habitat based in Bonner Springs, KS, says not to be fooled by installers unless certified by the Natural Swimming Pool Association, and sport this logo.

Here are a few pics from their site of their gorgeous work.

There are many things to consider before beginning an eco-friendly swimming option. Here is a site that outlines everything you will need to plan your chemical free relaxation spot.
How to Build a Natural Swimming Pool

Ask most American swimming-pool contractors to build a backyard pool and chances are they’ll roll out a long list of goods, including rebar, gunite, fiberglass, chlorine and an energy-sapping filtration system. But in recent years, a few builders and a growing number of homeowners have learned how to build pools without relying on a mass of manufactured materials and chemical additives. – from Mother Earth News How to Build a Natural Swimming Pool

Humans have the innate ability to see exactly which foods have the most enticing amount of nutrients, by simply examining the color of them. When you shop for fruit, do you not choose the brighter more vibrant looking of the bunch? This is your brain letting you know that this particular fruit is the most favorable choice for your body. These instincts have served humans well for thousands of years, if not hundreds of thousands of years.

Mike says:

For example, a red cabbage that is actually a dull grey doesn’t look very appealing, but a purple cabbage with a saturated, bright-purple color looks fantastic. That’s because we have an innate perception gauge telling us we should be attracted to these foods — they are healthier for us, and the health quality is indicated by the saturation of the color.

Companies are fully aware of these facts, and have built an entire market around this lesser known reality. Artificial dyes such as Yellow #2 and Blue Lake #40 can cause health problems on a scale so complex that it is difficult for even doctors to trace. These dyes, along with the bleached sugar in candy, are disastrous combinations for your health and should never be considered as a food supplement for you or your child. These toxic ingredients are hardly limited to candy. Other chemical additives such as MSG, bleached flour, bleached sugar, or some other form of preservative, are found in most all processed foods, chips, junk foods, and just about all non-water shelf drinks.

Get educated on how to shop for foods that are petrochemical free. Getting involved with Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and buying locally grown organic produce is a way to ensure a high quality exchange, plus reducing the distance the food needs for transporting, using even more fuel, more emissions, not to mention the more hands your veggies have to pass through or get tossed around by. Buy locally and support your community. That is one of the most positive and sustainable choices you can make.

Mike also tells us how salmon feed farms add toxic chemical dyes to the salmon to give them a more appealing appearance. We are more likely to prefer the lively colored salmon.

And don’t miss the finale of the Health Ranger’s report, explaining how some of the food colors comes from boiled and ground up insects!

Carmine Wikipedia:

Carmine may be prepared from cochineal, by boiling dried insects in water to extract the carminic acid and then treating the clear solution with alum, cream of tartar, stannous chloride, or potassium hydrogen oxalate; the coloring and animal matters present in the liquid are thus precipitated. Other methods are in use; sometimes egg white, fish glue, or gelatine are added before the precipitation.

Read the informative article at: How food companies fool consumers with food coloring ingredients made from petrochemicals and sign up for Mike’s newsletter @ NaturalNews.com with more than 800,000 monthly readers.