Why Buy Bare?

About Us

We have an eco-friendly vision to populate the earth with reusable, natural cotton (aka Bare...um naked) shopping bags. We want to do our part to help reduce the amount of plastic shopping bags and non-woven polypropylene bags that end up in our land and seas. We are committed to offering these quality, sturdy, not to mention fabulous, reusable shopping bags made from natural cotton to all shoppers near and far. These cotton bags can be used over and over again for many years. Every little bit that we can do helps the environment (and us humans too - we are so connected!).

We promise to provide customers with the best quality products and personal service. You can order from us using our online catalog, over the phone, or by email. We also offer discounts for large orders - ask us!

These cotton bags can be used to express yourself and your desire to make a change, one bag at a time. Bring It, Bag It, Repeat!

What's wrong with plastic bags?

500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide each year (US EPA, National Geographic News 9/2/03)
Less than 1% of those bags are recycled
It costs more to recycle a bag than it does to produce a new one
It costs approximately $4,000 to recycle 1 ton of plastic bags, which only sell for $32
Plastic bags "photo degrade," which means they break down into tiny toxic particles that make their way into the food chain (CNN.com/technology)
Plastic bags have been found floating as far north as the Arctic Circle and as far south as the Falkland Islands
Animals gets caught in the bags, and some mistake them for food and ingest them
Plastic bags are a suffocation danger to children
It takes 12,000,000 barrels of oil to make single use plastic shopping bags.

What about the cheap, reusable bags I can get at the grocery and department stores? (They even look like fabric)

While it is a good start, these bags are made of non-woven polypropylene, which is an oil-based product (more oil dependency...)
These bags will not biodegrade in our lifetime and only have an expected lifespan of two years
The Wall Street Journal reports: "An Inconvenient Bag." "The environmental giveaway at the moment--the reusable shopping bag--... It's manufactured in China, shipped thousands of miles overseas, made with plastic that could take years to decompose. It's also the hot "green" giveaway of the moment: the reusable shopping bag." Ellen Gamerman, The Wall Street Journal. 9/28/08

So what can I do?

One canvas bag holds at least two plastic shopping bags' worth of items
By using canvas bags, a family of three can reduce the number of plastic bags by 10-15 per week, or more than 800 in a year!
Canvas bags are sturdy, stand up to hard shopping and heavy items, and last for many years
Canvas bags are biodegradable
canvas bags are made from a renewable resource
Canvas bags are washable
Canvas bags are easy and comfortable to carry
Canvas bags are great for all shopping: mall, grocery, market, pharmacy, department stores, shoe stores
Canvas bags are great for more than shopping: carrying workout clothes, lap top and notebooks, school books, Bibles, lunches, children's activities, and more

What more can I do? (So glad you asked!)

1. Hang your clothes out to dry. The clothes dryer uses massive amounts of energy. By hanging your clothes out you will find they smell naturally fresh, and you will save money too! You can hang them inside or outside. Retractable clotheslines work in smaller areas and even across your family room! Companies also offer stand-alone styles for inside. My Grandmother believed that when you hung your whites out on a cold winter day, they would get even whiter. Now I don’t know if that is true, but it does tell me that they hung clothes out even in winter. I would recommend wearing gloves, though.

2. When the temperature drops, put on a sweater, put warm cozy socks on your feet, and wrap up in a shawl or blanket. Sit close to a loved one and share the warmth and snuggle time. Try this instead of turning up the thermostat. But be careful, that snuggle time could lead to an even “warmer” evening…

3. Keep your freezer full, leaving only enough space for the air to circulate. The freezer is more efficient that way.

4. Save water, shower with a “friend”…

5. Support local agriculture. The food is fresher - it doesn’t have to be harvested long before it’s time to make the trip to your grocery store. This also saves emissions from the trips the produce makes across the country to arrive in your neighborhood. Take the string bag along…produce loves this bag!

6. Support you local businesses, too. It helps your community and your neighbor. Money goes back into your community and you don’t need to drive as far. In fact, maybe you could walk, ride your bike, or catch the bus!

7. Drink tap water. Have it tested regularly and use a filter if necessary. Reuse glass jars to tote water to work. I use an old spaghetti jar; the water tastes so much better than the water in plastic.

8. Unplug your electronics at the end of the day. This saves energy and money from the “phantom” usage.

9. Turn off the electronics for at least a half hour a day and unplug yourself from the cyber world that sucks us in. Go for a walk, play a game with your family, talk to your neighbors, listen to the birds, go to a local park or the library. The results will be priceless.

10. Ride your bike or walk to work. Take public transportation. Plan your errands ahead of time to save your time and fuel.

11. Shop your local community resale shops for gently used stuff. Depending on the type of store, the proceeds go to a local charity or mission like a prison ministry or boys and girls clubs. It gives used items a new purpose and your patronage helps your community.

12. REMEMBER TO TAKE YOUR CANVAS AND STRING BAGS WITH YOU!

Switch to Canvas Bags
100% All Natural and Renewable!

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