If you’re anything like Carla and me, you may feel a bit overwhelmed hearing the constant chatter about what to do / what not to do in order to live a green lifestyle. Sometimes it’s hard to differentiate the facts from the fluff. One of the reasons we started Neela was because we felt that there were some easy, common sense changes we could make to help the environment – driving less, bringing a thermos on the morning coffee run, buying produce from the local farmer’s market, and of course, using reusable bags instead of endless amounts of paper and plastic. We like to think it’ s just going back to the basics.  Check out this interesting article from last Sunday’s New York Times.

 Thanks for your patience and please check back soon!

Wow! Can’t believe we finally have our beautiful bags ready for sale! It has been such fun getting here, and we are thrilled with our products and think you will be too.

So, are you a first time reusable bag user? Maybe wondering how does one kick the bag habit? We all tend to mindlessly accept bags for our purchases all day every day. But – we’re here to help with some handy tips for using reusable bags. As you’ll see it’s a fairly straightforward three-step process: Buy, Use, Reuse.

1. Buy some cute bags.

Emphasis on the word cute. You know how you might have a perfectly good notebook at home that you jot down phone calls on – perhaps an old spiral left over from a previous job? Then you see a beautiful patterned one, printed on recycled stock, with lovely little delicate flecks in the paper, and you must have it? That’s known as the cute factor. Which is why we made Neela bags so stinkin’ cute that you won’t be able to resist using them. Nothing helps us change behaviors more readily than having an appealing new option.

So – say goodbye to paper AND plastic – neither of them are remotely cute.

2. Use said cute bags.

Simple truth: “When one buys goods, one usually needs to carry them.”

Have your bags readily available so that when you buy goods and need to carry them, you ALREADY have a bag! May we suggest keeping a market pack in your car, a fold-up bag in your purse or briefcase, AND a shopper in your suitcase when you travel. Neela bags store easily and expand large for when you’re ready to carry. You’ll be amazed at how much you can carry in these bags without spending a single second worrying that the handles might break.

3. Care for said cute bags.

When we say “reusable”, we mean it. But, like most things that get used over and over, your bags might need a wash every now and then to keep them looking as spiffy as they did the day you bought them. No problem. We recommend hand washing your bags and hanging them up to dry. Good as new, literally. Now, imagine doing that with paper or plastic and you’ll be glad you kicked the habit.

Do you have ideas for how to use reusable bags? Let us know and help spread the word.