Long Time Coming

I have been doing SO much research trying to find truly green products for the readers of She Spys The Buys after a request came in. And do I have some wonderful eco conscious fashions for you... First of there is the plastic bag problem. Although it isn't particularly about fashion:

• Worldwide, over one million plastic bags are used EVERY MINUTE.
• In the US, about 12 million barrels of oil and 14 million trees go to producing plastic and paper bags each year.
• About 4 billion plastic bags end up as litter each year.

Now that the stats have been established there are lots of plastic bag alternatives, such as reusable shopping bags and eco chic totes. The ones I have found are:

• First and most talked about is Anya Hindmarch's "I am not a plastic bag". Basically a totally styling alternative to the plastic bag and a super cheap $15.00 for designer fabulousness. It sounds too good to be true and it is because they are completely sold out everywhere. Plus, Ms. Hindmarch has decided to put all her attention towards growing her brand. You can still pick one up on eBay though.
  
• If you like the idea of green living you can find great tips and products at Ideal Bite. Sign up for their mailing list and have green living emailed to you everyday. They definately subscribe to the idea of your own bag as opposed to paper or plastic so much so that they even have their own version. Spread the word and become a Biter!
• The lightest reusable bag on the market is the ACME bag. Yeah, you can rock out like the coyote chasing the road runner when you do your shopping. The best part is it conveniently folds up into a tiny little carrying pouch that you can put in your big purse.
• Last but not least there is my old eco standby Ecoist. They have their own set of 5 reusable bags that are colored to match and come in their own carrying case. With 5 different sets of 5 bags each there is something for everyone.
  

Now, maybe you're not doing your groceries your out on the town. There are plenty of ways that you can still live the green life while doing your everyday things.

• First place to shop is HER Design. With bags made out of linen, hemp canvas, organic cotton, vegan leather, silk, etc. It's easy to see that there is a little something for everyone. My personal favorite, The 'Iris' in any of the many different fabric options.
  
• Kim White specializes in handbags made from vintage automobile fabrics. Personally I really like the 1975 AMC Gremlin clutch. Reusing is the way to go. It keeps this stuff out of our landfills and is really a slap in the face to our unbelievably wasteful society.
  
• Speaking of keeping stuff out of landfills. There is always Ecoist and now Escama Studio. They make a bag similar to one on Ecoist but they use colorful thread to keep them together.
  
• If your looking for a whole plethora of organic and green things check out this online shop. They have a little bit of everything and all in that loving mother earth kind of way.