paper not plastic

Philly has joined a number of other cities in pushing for a ban of plastic bags from grocery stores. S.F. made the move in March and its about time that this country shows some concern about planet earth. Even though the bill hasn't officially passed in Philly, many environmentally conscious stores are already moving in this direction.

As for me, old habits die hard. A couple days ago I waited in the express line at Whole Foods, paid the bill and got my change. The cashier then stood still - staring beyond me - apparently waiting for me to move on as my food items sat in front of her. I stared at her for a 20 seconds until her eyes returned to me. She then asked politely, "Would you like a bag?". I shot back, "Umm...yeah that would be nice."

My wife nudged me and pointed down at the reusable Whole Food cloth bags being sold at the checkout line racks. Finally I saw the light. Oh, damn the cashier's passive-aggressively (in a not-so passive way) pressuring me to bring my own bag next time! My eyes dart around catching people toting their reusable bags past the BYOB sign. Oh they mean bags not beer! I felt like an elderly man trying learn technology - except we're talking biodegradable bags. I knew the plastic bag ban was under consideration but I never felt the push as hard as this. But again its Whole Foods. And its for the better.

Of course my wife, who frequents grocery stores more than me - is ahead of the curve. Her native Japan demands that people separate their garbage by material. They even rip off paper labels off glass containers. Wow that's a lot of work!