http://www.energybill2007.org

So, after years of inaction, Congress finally has a chance to pass meaningful energy legislation. The bill they are about to pass includes the best fuel economy standards ever (35 mpg by 2020) and a renewable electricity standard (15% by 2020) that guarantees the growth of renewable, clean energy. But there is a chance these two key advances won’t make it through to the final bill.

I am working with a coalition to make sure Congress sends the president a strong energy bill with meaningful changes for our environment and planet. This legislation would be a monumental step toward stopping global warming. Go to http://www.energybill2007.org and sign the petition. This is our chance for real progress, don’t let Congress back down!

The new recyclable bags fold up small, expand hugely and don't get too grubby looking (so far) and the 5¢ discount means they pay for themselves quickly. This is way better than the last round of mass consumer environmentalism.

We've halved our plastic bag use. It's a positive step, like Ed wrote, but until we have biodegradable bags, I'm not for taxing or elimanating them.

We use plastic bags for indoor garbage cans, kid lunches and cat litter.
If we don't get plastic bags free, we have to buy them. The grocery stores will monetize a freebie, but that's no benefit to the environment, just a cash grab. Canadians have too much of that.

I am surprised at your remark that plastic bags are "not actually such a huge issue." Similar to the link you provided about plastic bags in Nepal, etc... It was truly alarming when I travelled around southeast Asia 5 years ago to see the amount of plastic bag waste lying in the streets (and everywhere up and down the Mekong - people throw their garbage in a plastic bag and then throw that bag in the water.... not to mention the abandoned water bottles, because, naturally, no one wants to drink Cambodian tap water!).

When I lived in Edmonton/Calgary/Banff/Vancouver, I would always trek to the local grocery stores with my backpack - no hassles, no problem, often the cashiers would thank me. It was a bit of a shock to learn how intolerant many grocery stores are here towards customers not wanting a plastic bag. More than intolerant - incredibly rude, at times. Yep, it does take a few extra minutes to pack my groceries into my backpack so my bread doesn't get squished, but trust me, I'm fast.

I like what blork said: it’s a step in the right direction, and is a small daily reminder to consume less in general.

Thanks for the thorough posting!

But there are really tiny nylon bags that you can get buy that take up no space at all. For example, I have a black nylon bag that I bought in a store on St. Denis. When it's folded up and stuffed into its pouch it's about the size of two (soft) golf balls. Unfolded, it's about the size of a conventional disposable plastic grocery bag.

While most of my grocery buying is done on deliberate trips to the grocery store, in which I take my heavy-duty reusable bags, I always have that wee nylon bag in my shoulder bag, and I use it when I make unscheduled stops at the pharmacy or the depanneur, etc.

Such bags are a bit hard to find, but I'm seeing them more and more. They're not a panacea, but they're a small step towards reducing (not eliminating -- that will never happen) the amount of disposable bags we use.

And on a larger, global note, even if we eliminated disposable plastic bags, that wouldn't solve all the problems. But when you look at the larger problem of over-consumption in general, it's a step in the right direction, and is a small daily reminder to consume less in general.