Reusable Shopping Bags:

Did you hear? Italy has banned single use, plastic shopping bags. Though they are not the first, they are certainly the most recent. This is a decision that I stand behind 100%, so much so that I once attempted to purchase reusable shopping bags for friends and family in lieu of Christmas presents, an idea that was promptly shot down by one of my many sisters. (The one sister who, despite owning a garbage can, refuses to purchase actual garbage bags. Instead she uses these pesky, tiny, single use plastic bags to collect her garbage. In every bin.)
"Environmentalists are pleased with the ban because plastic bags are horrible on the environment, degrading extremely slowly and taking decades to decompose. They are also potentially harmful to marine life and other animals." (Thanks Huffpost, I couldn't agree more.)

I for one switched to reusable bags years ago, and haven't blinked an eye since. And for the inevitable bag that does make it into my home from time to time, I save it up and recycle it, hoping that one day it might be lucky enough to be made into lovely wrap-around-front-porch or backyard garden paving stone.

And for those of you who feel bad about filling your reusable shopping bag with not so reusable plastic produce bags: might I recommend stocking up on a few old-fashioned brown paper lunch bags? (Made from recycled paper, of course.) I take some with me when I go shopping. Sure I receive a few strange looks at the conveyor belt when I checkout, but it's well worth it. They are excellent for storing fresh mushrooms and herbs and will help ripen up all of those fruits that you buy hard as a rock because the American food system just can't seem to figure out growing seasons. Alas, more on that another day...