I don't usually set New Year's resolutions for myself because they never really work. Then, I just feel incredibly guilty for failing at whatever I had decided I was going to achieve. However, I'll go with the old adage and say "this year will be different" and that's because I am setting an attainable, earth-friendly goal that will not only benefit myself but also future generations. With such a huge responsibility to look after our precious planet and set the right example for my kids, I am determined to be successful.
Without further rhetoric, my New Year's resolution is to
stop using plastic grocery bags and only use reusable shopping bags. I feel guilty for not doing this already as I have had great intentions at changing before and I always seem to forget to bring my reusable bags. However, starting immediately, I am going to make a concerted effort to stick to my plan. I am also going to admit if I mess up and that might be rather embarrassing with the blogosphere holding me accountable.
Now to the review and giveaway that is going to help me stay on track! I recently discovered the Envirosax brand of reusable shopping bags and they are a huge improvement over the cheaper, non-user friendly ones that are available near checkouts in your local grocery store. There are so many things that I like about them so I'll go with point form to keep it brief.
What I love about Envirosax:
- Large and roomy
- Holds up to 44 lbs worth of stuff!
- Stylish designs that make you want to use them for all sorts of things
- Wide, flat handles for comfortable carrying
- Light, thin fabric
- Easy to fold with a button strap to hold it together once it's rolled up
- Fully washable
- Water resistant
- They come in sets of five with a variety of coordinating patterns
- The Envirosax company believes in fair trade and has no middle men with their production overseas
There are many more reasons that they are a great shopping bag (and environmentally-minded company) and you can find a ton of information on their website, particularly in the
FAQ's.
Here's a couple photos of the Envirosax bag they sent us to try out. Of course, we chose Elmo from their Sesame Street series but there are lots of other designs to choose from. We used our bag throughout the holiday season and it's still looking good as new after being stuffed full of toys and gifts.
For this giveaway, Envirosax is giving the winner their choice of an Envirosax pouch which includes five reusable shopping bags in a handy pouch.
Now, let's get to the details! There are five ways to enter this contest. I will be numbering entries and using a random online selector to pick the winner. If you are leaving a comment below and don't have a public profile, please make sure to leave an e-mail address.
You can receive up to five entries:
1. Comment on this post and tell us which pouch is your favourite on the
Envirosax website.
2. "Like" A Sophisticated Mommy on
Facebook and "like" or comment on the giveaway post.
3. Share this post on Facebook or Twitter. You can just let me know you did this in the comments.
4. Follow my blog.
5. Bonus Entry: Let me know if you already use reusable shopping bags on a regular basis OR if you promise to make an effort to only use reusable shopping bags for the New Year! Once again, just let me know in the comments.
The contest will be open until Monday, January 3rd, 2010 at midnight. I will announce and contact the winner the following day.
Here are a couple more photos of the Envirosax bag with our 8 month old daughter just to give you an idea of how big the bags actually are.