New Year and Resolute

We're not really into making New Years resolutions, but I think being resolute concerning our environment and how we impact it is important and very doable. Our family continues to use our reusable cotton bags and discover new ways to avoid using things that will stay in the landfill for years to come. We've even started to use our own bags when we go to Subway to grab a sandwich. It's all little steps, but little steps make for longer journeys and that's what we're talking about here.

About a year ago, we reduced the size of our city trash bin to the smallest they have and typically we now fill up only half of it, if that! A lot of it is simply thinking before just letting our habits take over. Do we really need a container to carry this stuff we just acquired? If we do, can we provide one with what we already have? Can we compost or recycle instead of throwing in the trash? Can this "throw away" item be used by someone else? Tons of different ways to keep from adding to the landfill - as much.

So our personal challenge for ourselves is to reduce even more. Turn it into a game. Create great new habits. Care to join in?

So maybe more of this -

Instead of this.

I know we can do it - share your ideas and look around for what others are doing. And remember to Bring Your Own Bag to the store, it's an easy place to start.

So if you've got any ideas you want to share here, feel free to comment or put it in your own blog or mention it to someone, just take a step in the right direction. You know, it feels kinda good to make that sort of change - one you know is right to do.

Like we said, make a game of it. Have fun with it. See ya.

Saturday Market - 10/10

Another market day come and gone. Good turnout on a day that required some patients to get the sun up and started. Eventually the coffee kicked in and the sun and people got more active. Thank you to those that came out - no Duck game to compete with in town this time.

Wanted to take a second and introduce our Bzz Bags coffee bean bag - one of our newer family members. As with all of our other bags, it is 100% cotton with an elastic band at the mouth of the bag for easy access. Just need to wrap a tie (supplied by the store) to the top with the product number. We reuse our tie a number of times to create less waste that way too.

So join the recycle, save and BYOB generation. One way is through our website at BzzBags.com. Another is to stop by the Saturday Market in Eugene and see us. Heck, make your own or find another vendor online, just do it (sorry Nike).

Saturday Market - Eugene 10/3

Summer has left us, as you could see Saturday with the change of leaves, cooler weather and a Saturday Market that had most of the Oregon Duck football team cruising through. Unfortunately, we didn't get any pictures of the team as we were still setting up to help save the planet one bag at a time. Not a bad turnout with rain predicted that never really materialized. We had a few droplets, but that was about it. The wind made it a little chilly, but it really didn't deter the market fans. So if you came out, thank you.

We wanted to share a picture of our newest set of bags to the Bzz Bag family. These are organic material. We'll be selling them in a set a seen here as well as individually - in two sizes. Take a look later this week on our website. We should have it updated by mid-week to include the new bags. I know a lot of people are really interested in using organic materials, so this is very exciting for us. Please visit us next Saturday or check it out online.

Saturday Market - Eugene 8/22

Another Saturday Market in Eugene, another beautiful day to spend outside. About 82 today with morning clouds - perfect.
Met a lot of great people this weekend, so if you weren't there, you missed out. Here's some pics for you to soak in. I'm telling you, it was nice and the fountains help for a great ambiance.

These guys were probably just taking a break from their intensive Bzz Bags shopping experience. There we are in the background. Hope you stop by next weekend. See you there.

Organic Bags Coming Soon

Exciting news for those who are organically driven. Bzz Bags is going organic with new certified organic fabric. We will continue to use the popular elastic banding sewn into the opening of the bag, so you'll get the best of both worlds.

No pictures to share yet, but it will be coming soon. Come on out to the Saturday Market in Eugene or visit the us at BzzBags.com to see what we've come up with for you.

So, until then, keep remembering to BYOB - Bring Your Own Bags. Whether you're buying from Bzz Bags, making your own or buying from someone else, the important thing is to remember to grab them, take them to the store and use them over and over again. We've got one planet and we should all think green - do the right thing - help save our planet one bag at a time. Recycle what you can't reuse and think about leaving this place in better shape than it when you first got to it. That's just got to make you feel good.

Plant to Help Pollinate

Here's a test. What kind of plant do you think this is. Is it under water? Is it from a rain forest?

Okay, we'll pull the picture back a little and see if this helps.

Give up? Well, first of all, the bees love them when you let them bloom, but you've given up a good meal for it, so your decision. If you just let them go, the artichoke plants have a unique bloom and the pollinators seem to love it. So from our garden, to you your computer - the blooming artichoke.
Here's a couple more plants that the critters love. Remember, if we didn't have pollinating critters, there would be no need for Bzz Bags, because you wouldn't have any good food stuff to put in them.

Saturday Market - Eugene 7/18

Got a lot of feedback from our give away of bags from last week. We heard and saw people using them at the market today and it really feels like a grass roots push. Can't wait to start hearing from people at the grocery stores in the area.

It was warm today in Eugene - low 90's, with a decent turn-out. Here's a picture of a local pirate. Okay, probably not a pirate, but he did have a bird on his shoulder. They don't allow dogs at the market, so I'm only guessing here, but this must have been his next best choice - man's second-best friend.

Speaking of birds, we've started to Twitter - so feel free to check it out on the site. You can also see the most recent twitters just to the right of this - second from the top.

Have a great one folks and don't forget to Bring Your Own Bags (BYOB) when you go to the store. Lot's of folks are starting to now and its definately the thing to do. Get ours, make your own, buy from someone else, just do it. Its fun to watch things change and head in a more responsible direction and its even more fun to know that you're part of the change.

Saturday Market - Eugene 7/11

Lil, my grandaughter came to the Saturday Market this weekend. I never mentioned that you can get your face painted while you're standing in the long line to buy Bzz Bags. Hard to understand, but Lilian would have more fun getting her face painted instead of helping us sell bags. I would have chosen a bag painted on mine, but she, for some reason, chose a unicorn - kids, what ya gonna do?

BYOB - just Bring Your Own Bags and everything else is gravy.

4th of July Market

Summer's here in Eugene, Oregon. Our Saturday Market was at about 94 degrees today. Hey, this is why we moved away from the desert!!! Oh, well, we also moved here because we love the seasons, so much to my dismay, summer is a season too. Here's a quick shot of people waiting at the start of the Saturday Market on July 4th.

In addition to crafts and other hand-made items (like Bzz Bags), they have some great food and a large locally grown fresh produce area. This picture shows where we sign up in the AM, and behind that is the produce section. We set up off to the left around a grassy area this time.

Hope to see you next week. Come on by, we've request slightly cooler weather for that weekend.

Promoting BYOB

Here's a fun way to promote Bring Your Own Bag. Lots of us like to wear stuff that says how we feel. Well, dang it, I feel that we should bring our own bags to the grocery store and do what we can to save the planet. This is Bzz Bags way of saying how we feel - and we think it looks kinda cool too.

So jump on board and pick a shirt or a hat or whatever you find on our Cafe Press site we call BYOBzzBag. Have some fun with it, I know we have already. See you at the grocery store.

Saturday Market - Eugene 6/20

We had great weather this past Saturday for the Eugene Saturday Market. No rain, in the mid-60's with some sunshine peaking through every once in awhile. A little light on attendance this week, but lots of food, fun, music and good company. This is a great open air market venue with hand made items from around the state. Come on by and visit us or just listen to the music.



Here's a picture of one little corner of the market this past week. We had a small 4' booth and talked to a lot of people about using resuable bags and being good friends of the environment. Cool stuff. And another shot of some of the local musicians. We look forward to seeing you here next week.

Web Site Up and Running

Well, I'm not sure "up and running" is exactly correct, but it is functional. BzzBags.com is finally a reality. Just having the opportunity to get the message out in a different format is really exciting. All of our various bag set combinations are up to date and available for purchase. I'm also thrilled to help anyone make their own shopping bags - the point is to use less plastic that fills up the landfill and stays there for years and years.
I've notice that there are a growing number of sites out there now that offer similar type bags for sale. Some of them are on my links here. I love it! I hope more and more show their faces and continue to help save our planet, one bag at a time. Remember to BYOB - bring your own bags - when you shop.

We're also going to have some animal only bags on tapirback.com - my sister-in-law's long standing site for animal preservation. Nothing like a picture of a tapir with a plastic bag in its mouth to make you want to keep this stuff out of the landfill.
Enjoy your bag journey helping keep our planet clean and alive for future generations. Thanks

Pollinators Partnership, Bzz Bags & Cottage Grove Growers Market

Bzz Bags is proud to be a supporter of The Pollinators Partnership. Pollinators are birds, bees, butterflies, mosquitoes, beetles and bats that help transfer pollen between seed plants. Recently, I became aware of what has been dubbed Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) which refers to honey bee colonies around the world that have been mysteriously disappearing. Remember that many (nearly 80%) of the world's crops require pollination. So, its a big deal if it doesn't get done and we certainly rely on nature to do its part.

When Bzz Bags begins to market our produce and bulk food bags, planned for the beginning of summer in our "home town" of Cottage Grove, a portion of our profits will be donated to this group and a cause that certainly gives us pause and concern.

So, feel free to join us in Cottage Grove in Oregon on Wednesdays in the park downtown (Coiner Park) starting June 25th. The first week happens to coincide with National Pollinators' Week, which is recognized in many states - Oregon currently is an exception. I have written to Governor Kulongoske to request that Oregon jump on the bandwagon, but either way, I will be giving my support and would love to have yours. In addition to Bzz Bags, there will be many local growers and artisans along with live music. I will be there each Wednesday throughout the summer, so come on by and have some fun and maybe even help save the planet . . . one bag at a time.

The weekly events are a combination of "Concerts in the Park" and "Cottage Grove Growers' Market." Remember Wednesdays throughout the summer - late afternoon through early evening - 4PM to 8 PM. Have some fun, get some good deals and great locally grown produce, oh and save the world.