Reusable shopping bags save the day
MONTREAL (CUP) -- Reusable grocery bags are fast becoming fashion statements as designers jump on the eco-bandwagon. But universities and municipalities are also jumping on the bandwagon.
The Loblaws supermarket chain claims they're worth switching supermarkets for. The reusable shopping bag has hit the nation as the latest quick consumer fix to global warming. Reusable bags are available for a couple bucks at just about every retailer — from Walmart to your local farmer's market, and universities across Canada are no exception.
An estimated 20,000 reusable shopping bags have been distributed through Concordia University's bookstore since September.
The reusable shopping bags have now almost entirely replaced plastic at that bookstore.
“I think the reason the reusable bag program has been so successful is because we're not giving the students any other options,” said Chantal Beaudoin, Concordia's environmental coordinator.
Initially offered free with a purchase over $100 ($2 otherwise), bookstore staff, along with a Concordia environmental group, hoped to change student attitudes and reduce the amount of plastic headed to the landfill.
Plastic bags take about 1,000 years to decompose.
“Our hopes are that students will bring back the bag, or use their backpack or briefcase,” said Danny Kane, Concordia bookstore's merchandising manager.
As the program enters its second semester, Kane says the response has been positive, with almost no complaints from students.
Proceeds from the program are going to support R4, the university environmental initiative, and the Student Emergency Food Fund, provided by the Multi-faith Chaplaincy. Kane said that, as of November, $2,400 had been raised for each service.
Kane says The bookstore and R4 have also teamed up to sell pre-used lab coats and recycled school supplies like binders and notebooks.
The bookstore and Sustainable Concordia are also gearing up to present at a trade show on university merchandising.
While Concordia is taking voluntary steps to reduce waste, many businesses also see an opportunity to make a buck. The effects are dramatic.
This month the Halifax newspaper Chronicle Herald reported that in Atlantic Canada alone six million plastic bags “have been diverted from the waste stream,” citing a spokesperson from the Sobeys supermarket chain.
Some municipalities are taking still greater steps. In April the northern Manitoba town of Leaf Rapids was the first municipality to ban plastic bags outright. On January 4, the town of Huntingdon became the first in Quebec to enforce the use of reusable bags.
The Loblaws supermarket chain claims they're worth switching supermarkets for. The reusable shopping bag has hit the nation as the latest quick consumer fix to global warming. Reusable bags are available for a couple bucks at just about every retailer — from Walmart to your local farmer's market, and universities across Canada are no exception.
An estimated 20,000 reusable shopping bags have been distributed through Concordia University's bookstore since September.
The reusable shopping bags have now almost entirely replaced plastic at that bookstore.
“I think the reason the reusable bag program has been so successful is because we're not giving the students any other options,” said Chantal Beaudoin, Concordia's environmental coordinator.
Initially offered free with a purchase over $100 ($2 otherwise), bookstore staff, along with a Concordia environmental group, hoped to change student attitudes and reduce the amount of plastic headed to the landfill.
Plastic bags take about 1,000 years to decompose.
“Our hopes are that students will bring back the bag, or use their backpack or briefcase,” said Danny Kane, Concordia bookstore's merchandising manager.
As the program enters its second semester, Kane says the response has been positive, with almost no complaints from students.
Proceeds from the program are going to support R4, the university environmental initiative, and the Student Emergency Food Fund, provided by the Multi-faith Chaplaincy. Kane said that, as of November, $2,400 had been raised for each service.
Kane says The bookstore and R4 have also teamed up to sell pre-used lab coats and recycled school supplies like binders and notebooks.
The bookstore and Sustainable Concordia are also gearing up to present at a trade show on university merchandising.
While Concordia is taking voluntary steps to reduce waste, many businesses also see an opportunity to make a buck. The effects are dramatic.
This month the Halifax newspaper Chronicle Herald reported that in Atlantic Canada alone six million plastic bags “have been diverted from the waste stream,” citing a spokesperson from the Sobeys supermarket chain.
Some municipalities are taking still greater steps. In April the northern Manitoba town of Leaf Rapids was the first municipality to ban plastic bags outright. On January 4, the town of Huntingdon became the first in Quebec to enforce the use of reusable bags.
