Say no to plastic!

Here is a plug for a fantastic operation that my mom is running.

Over the past six months, she has taken it upon herself to reduce the number of plastic bags being used in Bombay. I am exaggerating a bit, but the intention is there.

She started by buying raw cloth and giving it to her driver's daughter who was learning to stitch. She would buy the finished bag from the girl for Rs. 10 and then distribute them for free. A useful combination of creating employment and saving the environment.

She has taken a few steps forward (with some help from my dad and brother). She now makes more styles of bags and gets them from multiple sources - most are still made by women who work from 10p-12a to earn Rs. 30.

She sells the bags to shopkeepers, relatives and friends and also distributes them for free to vegetable vendors, drivers, cooks and their relatives, neighbors etc. The point is to keep the bags in circulation - so you want to get them to folks who will use them on a regular basis.

I'm going to help her sell some in the US. If you are interested, please let me know. The choice is between two types of bags. The first is a heavy duty, Trader Joe size, canvas-like bag, which is perfect for groceries ($2). The second is a series of multi-purpose, colorful cloth bags of varying sizes ($1).

All proceeds go into making more bags.