I recently signed up for a pilot program with Rafflecopter, working toward developing a platform to connect companies looking to promote their products with bloggers interested in running giveaways, and so you’ll see several giveaways from me over the next little bit. It’s exciting to see new opportunities pop up, but I’m working hard to only apply for products that I know I’ll love. That way my reviews aren’t just marketing mumbo-jumbo, they’re what I really think!

First up, we have these re-usable product bags from A Greener Kitchen. I am in no way a model for 100% eco-friendly living, but I am trying to make small changes. Was anyone around when I posted about my transition to re-usable shopping bags? Each “green” step has felt like that, like a big deal or something, and then after I do it for a few months I wonder why I made such a big deal about it. One thing that I think about every time I go to the grocery store (and at the farmer’s market as well, though it isn’t as bad) is how many plastic bags get used up as I collect my produce. Avoiding ultra-processed foods and eating nearly-vegetarian means we buy a LOT of vegetables, and during the winter months when the farmer’s market is closed I depend on good old Treasure Island to keep our fridge stocked. I hate bagging up everything in individual plastic bags, but I’ve never taken the time to work out a better solution. I usually tie knots in the top of them, and sometimes I can’t get the knots out, so I’m left with ripped bags that just end up being thrown out.

Which is why I wrote a very passionate application to review and giveaway these 100% organic cotton produce bags from A Greener Kitchen. No more filling my cart with bags of plastic covered fruit! I can put everything in these bags, and the clerk can weigh my fruits and vegetables right in them. When I opened the package they were mailed in I was pleasantly surprised to see they were packaged up all pretty, Etsy-style. Whenever I order from a company that puts time into details like this I want to order them again. And it was really green packaging. they wrapped up 5 of the bags in the 6th one and printed the label on recycled paper. I like the green-topped ones but they have a few different patterns/colors to choose from.

A little bit about A Greener Kitchen’s origins and where they source their materials from:

Founded by Lacey Lybecker in 2009, A Greener Kitchen offers you sustainable style solutions for kitchen and dining with eco-friendly kitchen products and accessories, including organic cotton aprons and reusable produce bags. We are proud to be a Green America Approved Business and members of One Percent for the Planet.

Our organic cotton products are cut and sewn in the USA by family-owned Tailoredwear, Inc. using fabric from Harmony Art, one of the USA’s few eco-friendly textile artisans. Harmony Art sources their organic cotton from Texas and India. For their fabrics made in India, the fiber is Fair Trade Certified, and the fabric is produced in a Fair Trade certified facility. Working together, A Greener Kitchen, Tailoredwear, and Harmony Art are bringing eco-chic into the kitchen.

I’m still visiting the farmer’s market each week, and when I brought these out some of the vendors were really impressed. Most of the stalls at the market rely pretty heavily on plastic bags when giving out produce, something they might not like but don’t really have a lot of power to change. I picked up a little green bin of grapes and turned them over right into my bag.

Then I took the elastic loop in the corner and cinched it shut. I put the grapes and the bag right in the fridge and snacked on grapes with T1 throughout the week. Once the grapes were all gone I rinsed the bag out and laid it out to dry overnight.

Pros:

A light organic cotton that dries quickly after being washed

The elastic loop that cinches it closed

Very light, so won’t add extra costs to your grocery bill

Can be used to store your produce as well as to transport it (I have a bunch of onions sitting in the larger sized bags right now.)

I received 2 large, 2 medium, and 2 small bags. I liked the variety of sizes.

They make you feel good about yourself (being nice to the earth (and to the workers who make the products) feels nice!)

Cons:

This is a product I think you could make yourself if you know how to sew, and if you’re willing to figure out how to source the eco-friendly materials and how to attach the elastic and such. I am one of those people who does not know how to sew, and I have a husband who has taught me that it is often better to capitalize on my talents instead of trying to do it all but doing it all poorly. If you’re like me, going DISE (do-it-someone-else) on this one is the way to go!

I buy a lot of stuff at once, so I would prefer 1 small, 2 medium, and 3 large bags (but that isn’t really a problem with the product, just a personal preference).

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As the title suggest, this isn’t just a review, it’s a giveaway! Use the Rafflecopter widget to enter below. If you don’t win, I’ve got some good news — A Greener Kitchen is offering $5 off a set of produce bags at checkout when you use the code THATWIFE at checkout. Offer expires 11/30/11.



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