Reisenthel EasyBags for Shopping

Look up and live EE. EE is Embodied Energy. Do a google on Embodied Energy.

Here is a 9th grade course sylibus on the subject.
http://www.wested.org/werc/earthsystems/energy/appleenergy.html

Now, lets have a look at this product above.
Aluminum Frame.
Al is the MOST difficult metal to refine. It is the least responsible material to use because of this. Want to help the planet? But your drinks in glass bottles not Aluminum.

And dont buy this basket with its idiotic wastefull material use.

We also see that the basket has a bunch of unnecessary rubber elements around the edge. Useless.

The fabric, a nice glowing red - what chemicals were used in the dye? What material is the fabric? Probably synthetic. Maybe teflon? Look up teflon on google.

Do you want a shopping basket?
Buy some material at a resale shop and make one yourself. This is a low embodied energy alternative.

Even considering it is the best decision from a responsiblity perspective, you dont want a soft sided bag?

Buy a weaved basket. Made from a locally grown material (willow, jute etc). Buy one made by artisans in your area. Dont buy something made in a sweatshop in China down at your local walmart.

This site gives "treehugger" a bad name.

You are further ahead to take the plastic bags than to buy this basket! Treehugger my arse.

s/sylibus/syllabus

here:

http://www.simplybaskets.com/

If you want to do the planet a favour, buy one of these baskets. If it dosnt meet your 'style', and this basket above does, then so be it.

Just dont imagine yourself doing the world a favour when your behaviour is EXACTLY the antithesis of responsibility.

Thanks.

Hi there Mr. Be Realistic,

You've got some great points here which we will
take to heart. Up until recently, we have had
writers writing posts and myself posting them
while sometimes editing parts or doing image
work. On this one, I selected the wrong image
(which is why the post didn't make much sense).
I just found the image that was meant to be
there and changed it. The same die issue
may exist but it is a soft bag sans aluminum and as such
deals with most of the issues you raise.

We are getting our sea-legs here at
TreeHugger and I can promise you
that we will get better and better as
time goes on. Readers like yourself
who give us things to look into are
an important part in this process.

best,
Graham Hill

"Be Realistic" - be realistic. While this product may or may not be any good, your suggestion to make your own bag or to buy a woven bag from a local artisan is pretty unrealistic for the vast majority of people.

Take a look at ReusableBags.com they offer a wide range of totes and bags designed to reduce plastic bag consumption. There are also lots of facts about problems caused by plastic bag overconsumption.

I have these bags and LOVE them. Bought them in Germany for a song and they work v well with the carts in the US. Certainly, they are not the "perfect" solution but they are a start. And in a country as behind the environmental times as America, we need to take what we can get.

I think your products are a good idea. I´ve bought a kind or "trolly" for shopping with wheels in one of my travel, in Vnise,and I´m very sorry because in the first use I gave it, It made a couple holes. I´d like to Know how to have a new one for free, because I think it´s on garantice.

I bought one of these bags(Resienthel Market tote/ basket) at Marshall's and I love them. I keep it in my car, and use it to grocery shop. I just walk into the store with this tote, put my groceries in it as I go instead of grabbing the stores plastic basket, and I check out with the items already in the bag. It is so convenient.
In terms of the first obnoxious post, I thought that one of the important factors is finding a bag that you will reuse. This bag wipes off, and I have been resusing it for 2 years now. I have saved thousands of plastic bags at this point from being wasted. I do not like the "natural" cloth bags. They don't come in a collapsable basket, and they don't wipe clean, nor can you spray a sanitizing product on them to keep hygenic. This bag is a great solution for the practical minded. Also, suggesting a wicker basket- does the blogger realize that these bags fold flat and will actually fit in the back of a mini cooper? Obviously the "teacher" has some pent up anger and aggression, and took it out on this blog site. Treehuggers should not have to apologize for posting this item. Though the material is not environmentally friendly, the long term usability of this item of wonderful and makes up for it. I have put this bag through the ringer, and it still looks brand new. I am giving this bag as X-mas gifts this year, and I would encourage others to do so as well. This is the end all shopping bag for me, and thankfully, because I found this product I will never have to buy another crappy unreliable, unhygenic cloth bag again that will just rip or wear through with the amount of use that I have put this market tote through.