Did you know that each year, “an estimated 500 bilion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide? AND that plastic bags don’t biodegrade, they photodegrade…breaking into smaller and smaller toxic bits, contaminating soil and waterways and entering the food chain when animals accidentally eat them” (Thanks for the info SnackTaxi.) Pretty sad and icky, eh? And do you ever think about that when you’re packing up lil’ Johnny or Suzi’s lunch or stashing a half-eaten apple into the fridge, only to throw it away after one use?
Yeah, I thought so.

Well, this is something I now think about every time I pull out an ol’ ziplock to preserve my pb&j. Since having my daughter, we’ve been using plastic baggies on a regular basis, even when we’re trying not to. They seem so convenient and necessary, and of course… available. But I’ve always known I could find something equally effective yet better for my family, my pocket and for the planet. (Not to mention something to remove the images of landfills and dead marine animals from my already stressed-out brain.)

So when I attended the GoGreen Expo in NYC two weeks ago, I was happy to find Erin Kelly-Dill, owner and creator of SnackTaxi, along with her hundreds of smartly-designed, fabric and velcro snack and sandwich bags. Each bag has a 100% cotton exterior and are lined with a nylon/polyurethane coating on the underside (the side that doesn’t touch your food) to protect the fabric from moisture. The baggies have a velcro closure and come in many designs and sizes from snack to sandwich to lunch bag size. Both inner and outer fabrics are free of lead and phthalates, and the best part is… they’re only like $7! Yes, more than a box of ziplocks, but these bags can last years and think of how many boxes of baggies you go through in one year.

We’ve been using our one snack taxi to cart around o’s and peanut butter crackers, and my daugher loves it! My next step is to purchase more taxis and phase out our use of plastic baggies as much as possible. I know we can do it… and so can you.

Oh, and in honor of Earth Day next month, I’ve decided to highlight eco-friendly, food-related products for the month of April. This will be fun.