1. Can you tell everyone who you are?
My name is Aliana Marino and I am the VP of Innovative & Expansive Marketing for Eco-Bags Products, Inc. We sell ECOBAGS® brand products which promote a simplified and sustainable lifestyle. Our company currently focuses on reusable substitutes for the hundreds of plastic bags each of us use and dispose of each year which end up in our landfills, our eco-systems and just about everywhere else. We have been in the bag business since 1989 and operate an online store at www.ecobags.com.
2. What services do you offer the virtual community?
We offer ideas and products which help people "green" their everyday lives. Check out our resource page (http://www.ecobags.com/Resources ) designed to guide consumers as to how they can make an impact by simply modifying a few daily habits.
And, of course, we operate a store which enables consumers to purchase goods that help them lead more sustainable lives. Our products are natural and functional tools for greening one's lifestyle. Beyond the individual level, our store has evolved into an excellent resource for community groups to take part in the green movement. We are constantly working with scout troops, religious organizations, schools and non-profits to use our products as effective fundraising tools. Our site has really become a place where we can engage those interested in getting started on the "path to green" and give them the tools to embark successfully.
3. What is the concept behind Eco-Bags Products, Inc.?
Eco-Bags Products, Inc. opened for business in 1989 with a simple goal: to produce quality bags at great prices so that "Reusable becomes a way of life." Way before "green" become the hot, new buzzword we foresaw a future littered with plastic bags if changes weren't made. We attempt to be the change-agent that allows consumers to adopt more sustainable practices in an easy, enjoyable and enlightening way.
4. Why should I use ECOBAGS®?
So many reasons! For reasons NOT to use paper or plastic bags, check out the many, many articles on the topic, a few of which we've posted here: http://www.ecobags.com/Resources/Impact_of_Plastic_Bags
Our bags are made in a variety of styles and fabrics from recycled materials to organic cotton, so whatever your preference we have what you're looking for. If you're going to spend the extra money on organic fruits and veggies do you really want to store it in a toxin-leeching bag? Next time you head to the store, grab some organic cotton produce bags instead.
There's also a kind of positive, natural feeling when buying foods, clothing and household items that are packaged in a more eco-friendly manner and carrying them in a reusable bag. You actually feel and smell the foods and fabrics, and you have the feeling of a canvas bag on your shoulder rather than plastic bags cutting off the circulation in your wrists!
5. Tell us what you predict for the plastic bag?
The plastic bag does have its place in the packaging world. If you're bringing raw meat or fish home from the market, you probably want to take it in a plastic bag for sanitary reasons. And don't think paper bags are off the hook either! Paper bags take up much more space in landfills and don't necessarily biodegrade completely either.
I do think that our communities are slowly shifting away from the rampant use of plastic bags which has plagued us for years. In Europe it is much more common to bring your own bags. And as fashion tends to travel Westward over the pond, we hope that consumer habits will spread this direction as well. I see the world of packaging and carry products evolving to one that is more sustainable including more pure materials like organic fabrics. I look forward to seeing what the great innovators of our age give us as alternatives to the plastic bag and know that Eco-Bags will continue to evolve as well.
