Eco-consciousness is in the bag

I must confess, I'm not nearly as "green" as I should be -- but I do try. I'm all about eco-fashion (when it looks good), I love mineral makeup and I recycle and compost with the best of them. Plus, my dreadlocked, PCC -lovin' niece makes organic chocolate, which I sometimes eat. (I'm happy to support the cause.)

At the grocery store, I usually go for the paper bag, which I later use as wrapping paper, but on a recent trip to Australia, I discovered Envirosax bags, reusable shopping bags that are roughly twice the size of a typical grocery-store plastic bag and are splashed with hip, colorful designs. The waterproof bags (definitely a bonus in Seattle) are made from recyclable and renewable materials such as hemp.

Envirosax is an ecologically friendly Australian company that uses solar hot water and photovoltaic cells for electricity at its headquarters in southeast Queensland and waters its gardens with recycled wastewater and filtered rainwater. The company is committed to reducing the number of plastic bags that are used and discarded around the world every year.

Envirosax bags are available locally at Aussie import emporium Bangalla in the Redmond Town Center and online at www.envirosax.com. Prices range from $6.95 per single bag to $35 for a pouch of five themed bags.

Maybe green is my color after all.