Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Be the change

In a quiet way, we're trying to change a few things about our lives. Noel's on a personal no-HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) kick, trading his Cokes for natural sodas. He's been making us delicious simple dinners without as many processed ingredients. And slowly, as schedules and kids make it possible, we're hoping to start shopping for local produce at the farmer's market.

I'm going to turn my latest obsession -- knitting -- to that cause. I was struck by a debate I heard on the Diane Rehm show about plastic grocery bags, in which one participant opined that it should be illegal for stores to give them away. They are without a doubt a menace, and I feel terrible every time I bring another batch home -- it's pure waste. So I'm knitting reusable market bags for Noel. The full story, and a picture of the current work-in-progress, at Toxophily today.

5 comments:

Eric B said...

Sodas from Mexico use cane sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup, including Coca-Cola. You can probably find several varieties of tasty and inexpensive Mexican sodas in the hispanic markets around town. Cane Sugar Coke can be ordered through vendors online.

Anonymous said...

Cane sugar coke can also be found at our local Costco! Keep an eye out for "hecho en Mexico." You might be surprised where you find things.

Eric Grubbs said...

Natural sodas? Such things exist?

Anonymous said...

I feel terrible about it, but I always get plastic bags. We use them for our dog. There's not really a better solution, as I wouldn't want a reusable dog bag.

Stephanie said...

I love to hear about the change in your shopping habits. Joining my local CSA has been one of the most rewarding things I've done.

While my CSA goodies come in a basket that I take back for reuse each month, I've been working on a crocheted market bag that is actually made out of all of those grocery bags I've collected from the grocery.