• Each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide. That comes out to over one million per minute. Billions end up as litter each year.


• According to the EPA, over 380 billion plastic bags, sacks and wraps are consumed in the U.S. each year.


• Hundreds of thousands of sea turtles, whales and other marine mammals die every year from eating discarded plastic bags mistaken for food.


• Plastic bags don’t biodegrade, they photodegrade—breaking down into smaller and smaller toxic bits contaminating soil and waterways and entering the food web when animals accidentally ingest.


• Plastic bags are among the 12 items of debris most often found in coastal cleanups, according to the nonprofit Center for Marine Conservation.

Reusable bags also donates 1% of their sales to help the environment!

As I think I have mentioned before, being Eco-conscious and frugal seem to go hand in hand. Why not help save the planet while saving money? And do it in style too!

How can you win a b. happy reusable shopping bag from me?

It's simple, click over to reusablebags.com. Check out their site and their products, and then come back here and leave a comment or email me and tell me which are your favorite reusable products, and you will be entered to win the b. happy reusable shopping bag pictured above.

As always the winner will be chosen using a random number generator. I will announce the winner next Monday!

Good Luck and please consider switching from plastic bags to reusable bags! Each high quality reusable shopping bag you use has the potential to eliminate hundreds, if not thousands, of plastic bags over its lifetime.


Note: Right now my readers can get 15% off their entire order at ReusableBags.com.

Here's how:

How to get 15% off your entire order at ReusableBags.com:
1. Visit http://www.reusablebags.com/
2. Add desired items to cart
3. Proceed through check-out
4. Redeem your special code: Enter the following code in the Gift Certificates/Discount Coupons section: 0bf956 (note that it is case sensitive).
5. Complete check out process (discount will be shown before confirming the order). Special offer is valid from till 09-30-08. One use per customer.

Monday, May 19th
7 p.m. -8:30 p.m.

Join us for a FREE workshop on turning your yard into a water-efficient garden. In just 90 minutes, we’ll show you how to:

• Create a self-sufficient landscape from plants that will thrive in your yard and cut your outdoor water use by 50%.
  


• Use mulch to reduce water evaporation by keeping moisture beneath the soil surface.
  


• Use ground cover and patios to maximize your curb appeal and cut down on mowing and lawn clippings.
  

Insulation:

• saves money and our nation’s limited energy resources by reducing the amount of energy needed to het/cool your home


• makes your house more comfortable by helping to maintain a uniform temperature throughout the house, and


• makes walls, ceilings, and floors warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer
  

Thus, in addition, to this newly found comfort that insulation provides your home and the reduction in energy costs, you are also helping the environment by reducing the amount of energy pollution and green house gases caused by excessive energy use.

Sounds great right, save money and help the environment while doing so? To top all that off there are now some environmentally friendly formaldehyde free and recycled materials forms of insulation that have replaced the not so friendly chemical based insulation of the days of old.

If you are in the Western Kentucky, Northwest Tennessee, Southern Illinois, Southeast Missouri, and Southern Indiana areas and are looking for an environmentally friendly insulation for your home and a professional to install it, visit the Ecosafe Insulation website to contact a professional installer.