Bag-Strs makes the NEWS!

The article and picture below was published by the Palm Beach Post located in Florida.

Sisters create reusable canvas totes to curb use of plastic shopping bags

By LADY HEREFORD
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Sisters Diane Hutchinson and Leslie Hughes have declared war on plastic grocery bags.

The Lantana residents say they offer a fashionable and environmentally friendly alternative: Bag-strs, handmade and hand-painted reusable canvas shopping bags.

Sisters create reusable canvas totes to curb use of plastic shopping bags Hughes is the seamstress and Hutchinson is the artist behind Bag-strs, which stands for "bag sisters." The two sell the large tote bags at the Oceanside Farmer's Market at the Lake Worth Beach on Saturdays.

Hughes, who said she has been environmentally conscious for years, still has the first canvas bags she bought in Maine in 1996. She began using them as shopping bags, and the habit stuck.

"Very rarely do I go to the store without them," said Hughes, a mother of four who has four grandchildren and one more on the way. Her husband, Larry, is an accountant who now works in consulting.

Hughes said she asked her sister to decorate the bags for her, and the designs caught the attention of other shoppers.

The duo said they often hear people say that they buy reusable bags but forget to take them along on shopping trips.

"It gets to be a habit just like taking your pocketbook to the store," said Hutchinson, who has one son and three grandchildren. Her husband, Hutch, works in auto sales.

Hughes and her sister were among three siblings who grew up in a household that valued conservation. They were born in Akron, Ohio, and their family later lived in Greensburg and Columbus.

The family moved to Florida in 1967, drawn here by the year-round water skiing. Hutchinson remained in Ohio, where she worked in management for phone company AT&T for 18 years.

She never lost her childhood love for painting, however. While in Columbus, she managed an art gallery for a while, Hutchinson said. She also has painted landscapes and murals, painted designs on clothing and created miniature art for
dollhouses.

Hutchinson said that when she moved to Florida, she hoped to find something that she and her sister could do together. They came up with the idea for the bags, and they launched Bag-strs last year. Their slogan is, "Go green, and do it in style."

Hughes, who home-schooled her four daughters, said she became motivated when she learned from a news report that an estimated 12 million barrels of oil annually are used to make plastic bags, and Americans go through 100 billion plastic shopping bags each year.

"We need to do something," Hughes said.

The trend toward reusable bags is growing. Last year San Francisco became the first U.S. city to ban single-use plastic grocery bags. China will institute a nationwide ban later this year.

Many grocery stores now sell reusable bags and offer recycling for plastic bags. A few retailers now charge customers a fee for plastic bags, and the Whole Foods grocery store chain has announced plans to eliminate disposable plastic bags at its checkout stands by Earth Day on April 22.

Hughes and Hutchinson said they gave away several Bag-strs to family and friends before they decided to sell them at the Oceanside Farmer's Market. The bags start at $38.50 depending on the artwork. The sisters also have a Web site,
www.bag-strs.com.

Hutchinson said she gets requests from people who want her to paint their pets on the bags, which she can do for an additional fee.

At the green market, the sisters usually have their "bag ladies" with them. The bag ladies are made of plastic grocery bags with faces painted on them. Children are particularly drawn to them, the sisters said.

"What's important to me is that people become more aware of our environment," Hughes said. "Everyone can make some difference."