Paper or plastic? It's been a long time since anybody gave me that choice at the grocery store checkout. A plastic bag is what you get unless you take a big dramatic stand and ask for one of the old-fashioned brown paper variety, like the ones Grandma used to carry home.

So you take plastic, and with it you get a small dose of guilt. By going along, you've just felled one more tree in the rainforest, contaminated one more pristine arctic wilderness, poisoned one more critical wetland. Whatever. The bottom line is that you have sinned.

Or have you? The right answer to the paper or plastic question might not be what you think. According to a study by Franklin Associates LTD, a Kansas-based consulting firm specializing in waste management and life cycle analysis, the reality is that paper bags are, for the most part, just as bad as plastic (possibly even worse). When it's added all together, the pollution caused and resources used in manufacturing, distributing, etc. the two types of bags were roughly the same. (Links to explanations of the study findings are in the sidebar at right.)

So, it doesn't matter?
Great, you can use plastic bags without guilt now, right? Of course not. They still pollute big time. An estimated one trillion (that's trillion with a "T" folks) plastic grocery bags are consumed every year, and over 97% of those are discarded without being used a second time or recycled! (Read more depressing statistics just like these at Reusablebags.com.)

Reducing your consumption of both plastic and paper bags is critical, and the obvious solution is to carry your own reusable shopping bags. It doesn't really matter if it's a backpack or canvas tote or a hankerchief tied in a bundle at the end of a pole. If you care about the environment, get a bag and carry it with you. Put one in the car, just in case. Put one in your purse or briefcase or backpack, just in case. It's a simple change that takes very little effort, but it makes a big difference.

Convinced? Great. Now find out how to make your own shopping bags from reused materials with these instructions.