At tonight’s ID Project Portland meeting Davee Evans wrapped up his month long series of talks about how our meditation practice influences our consumption choices. During the discussion the inevitable issue of plastic bags came up. We all agreed that we appreciate how in nearly every store in Portland you are asked at the checkout counter whether or not you want a bag.

This puts you in a position of either:
1. Being reminded that you might not actually need one, in case it slipped your mind. Maybe your purchase can fit in your backpack.
2. Feeling good about the fact that you brought your own bag and can reply, “No, I don’t.”
3. Feeling guilty when you realize you forgot to bring a bag and therefore you have to reply in the affirmative.
After the meeting I stopped by New Seasons Market, a store that I and many of the people I know end up shopping at several days a week, because even though it is one of the more expensive grocery stores, it is certainly one of the best, if not the best. Portlanders are picky about the quality of their food (to the extent they can afford to be), and hey, at least New Seasons isn’t as expensive as Whole Foods. Besides, you get social time as well, because you almost always run into someone you know from somewhere.
So as I was walking past the checkout counters towards the produce section, I overheard a cashier say to a customer:
“Like, 95% of the time when I ask someone whether or not they want a bag they say, ‘Yes, and I’m really, really sorry.’ I don’t get it. This is a grocery store.”
I thought that was funny. Maybe he is new to town.
For what it’s worth, I did not take a bag (this time). I packed a few bottles of wine and a few days’ worth of groceries into my backpack and pedaled home on my bicycle.
On a related note, tonight I came across this article in the New York Times about how advertisers are starting to shy away from green marketing because the volume and lack of crediblity of certain environmental claims have come to generate skeptical and, in some cases, hostile, responses from consumers. Sad.