Japanese Food Bagging Practices - Non Eco-Friendly

Bagging food the "Japanese Way" is a courteous yet non-environmentally friendly act.

I had just run my credit card through the cashier machine, when I saw the Shirokiya (Japanese department store) cashier put my 3 food items into two separate plastic bags. Two bags?! I had only purchased 3 small things: a deep fried scallop croquet, a shrimp tempura sushi roll, and a small plate of potato salad. Why two bags?

"Did she have a spacial disorder? Did she not know that cities like San Francisco are banning the use of plastic bags? Or did she not realize that the extra wasted bag could be used for the next customer's groceries?" I wondered to myself.

Then that I got flashbacks from my memory of living in Japan.

Ahhh! "so desu ne!" I remembered in half English and Japanese.

This is the way that the Japanese bag their groceries. They put all the hot food items in one bag, and all the cold food items in another. This practice allows cold food to stay cold, and hot food to remain hot. How could I forget those days of bicycling home with multiple bags of groceries balanced on each side of my orange handle bars--in the rain? Oh, the flashbacks.

So I guess Shirokiya's grocery bagging practice is thoughtful on one hand, but at the same time I do wonder how they negotiate this with the growing movement of eco-conscientiousness. I'll be keeping an eye out for future bagging practices in Japan.

Politically Plastic – UN Bottles for Refugee Camps

I was moved by the concept of this award winning water bottle, the United Nation’s “United Bottle.” These disposable PET bottles are stackable, transportable, and reusable as resistant construction bricks when filled with sand and debris. The inspiration: for use in emergency situations and refugee camps...

...Now isn’t that smart drinking?

Best Water Bottle – Hydrate with SIGG Style

Thumbs up for these Limited Edition Asian-inspired reusable water bottles by SIGG ($22). SIGG, a 100 year old Swiss company, is known for its quality built products, garnering a consistent loyal base in Europe and Canada.

Four good reasons to buy a SIGG:

1) SIGGs are lined with ceramic leaving water tasting like water—not the plastic or metal container it’s in (FDA approved).

2) SIGGs are eco-friendly – Reusable, made from recyclable aluminum and 1% of every purchase goes toward environmental causes!

3) SIGGs are stylish – They come in 149 fun designs, 6 of them Asian themed

4) SIGGs are functional – They are well constructed and durable, noted as “the world’s toughest water bottle” (Backpacker Magazine), yet weighs almost the same as a plastic bottle.

Unfortunately, SIGG manufacturers are completely sold out of their products for 2008, and according to Hawaii store owners the Asian designs in particular are nearly impossible to find.

Island Secret - Where to Get It:

Lily Lotus Boutique, Kaimuki (only a handful of Asian designs left)
Online: REI and Patagonia (regular designs)