Great post! I've read about this recently and wondered, who spends a month's rent on a *bag?* Seems the idea of conserving resources is lost on a lot of people. Or else Mad Ave. has finally perfected the art of selling us frivolous "green" products.

I wonder if the plastic or string net shopping bags ("avoska" in Russian--I don't know what you would call them in English) are still available somewhere. I'd like to get a couple or a half dozen to tuck into jacket pockets and the like. They aren't nearly as bulky as the canvas bags. More porous, yes, not quite as easy to use or carry, also, yes, but always handy if they live in your pockets and purse.

A non-issue. I use plastic bags as bin liners and when I take the dog for a walk. No- they do not hurt marine animals as claimed by green groups - those bags come from the fishing industry or disposal of waste at sea.

Get on to a real issue!

Gerard, Sydney, Australia

Who pays that much for a shopping bag. Apparently the readers of Vogue. Their May issue has an entire article on reusable shopping bags and sites some bags such as the $960 Hermes bag you mentioned as well as one from Boudicca made from leather for a mere $1,425. Seems like everyones jumping on the band wagon.

IKEA www.ikea.com sells their "Big Blue Bag" for 59 cents, or they charge 5 cents for their plastic bags and then donate the proceeds to American Forests. Whole Foods www.wholefoods.com gives you 5 cents back for every one of their paper bags you reuse.

I think I'll take a page from your book and start buying bags from the retailers who do something with the money I'm spending.

I bought 6 reusable fabric grocery bags from my local supermarket. They are fantastic. They hold more than plastic bags, stand up better in the back of my car, and fold up very neatly. After I unload my groceries, I use a couple of them to hold my recyclable plastic and cans which I drop off at the recycle station on my way to get groceries. Then the cycle starts again. My Wal-Mart even said I could use some of them there.

Want a designer look? I found a replica Louis Vuitton site and bought 6 monogram Sac Plat bags for 48 bucks each. The real Sac Plat sells for 885.00. I've used them for over a year. Had a lady 3 weeks ago with a real L.V.SacPlat behind me in line and she was amazed I went to such expense. I compared mine with hers ( told her I wanted to see how well they were holding up )They were identical..I don't mean almost..IDENTICAL..granted there isn't much to the bag..but a $835.00 difference..People..if it's a shopping bag you want..go REPLICA..

I started designing grocery totes because I found the selection of reusable grocery bags to be pretty ugly, and those that were nice looking were not very functional. My bags are made in the USA too; most of these so-called "green bags" are mass produced in China, which seems a bit hypocritical to me.
check them out at www.minusbags.com