Friday 14 March 2008

Always have (at least) one Onya!

Having had several people come up to me in shops saying 'I love your bags - where did you get them?' decided I just had to tell you about them.

For a long time (years, I'm ashamed to say), I'd been trying to use reusable bags instead of 'disposable' (er - or not, as we now know!) carrier bags. But, it wasn't working...I'd either forget to take them on my shopping trip, or, having taken them, leave them on the car seat, or find myself making an unplanned shop. Also, being somewhat vain, there was the 'style' thing. I really didn't want to carry a traditional (and bulky) 'shopping bag'. And, although the supermarkets do their own 'reusable' bags, wasn't mad about advertising Waitrose every time I went shopping!

So the 'green' shopping bag was a bit of an issue for me until I discovered...Onya bags!

Onya bags are the brainchild of Jon Brousson, who describes how he came up with the idea:

'One night whilst laying in a hammock gazing up at the stars I put some thought to this problem. A brilliant solution would need to be with you for every shopping trip, for all those unplanned 'spur of the moment' trips; as convenient as a plastic bag and certainly not bulky to carry around. Realising that current alternatives available have only really aimed at the 'committed', a true solution would need to be appealing to all ages and genders. Over and over in my head I would think, 'Attractive, Desirable & Convenient'. Soon I was very close to the answer, in fact I had been sitting on it for the past 5 minutes. My hammock was made from strong parachute material, had great colour and simply stuffed away into its own convenient pouch. Brilliant! These are the perfect principles for the bag we all need. I just needed to make sure it would never be forgotten, so I pondered, could a bag also fit on my front door key? The Onya bag was born.'

They are incredibly strong, and I guess that's the parachute silk! Mine have been filled to the brim with all sorts of fruit and veg, including melons, and after nine months show no sign of strain.

One of the many great things about Onya bags is that they pack up very small. That means you can always keep at least one in your handbag, backpack, pocket, or, as Jon suggests, on a key-ring. And they're easy to stow away in their pouches. There's no complicated folding required - just stuff 'em back in. I've pictured them here next to a lemon so you can get an idea of size.

Onya bags are £6.50 each and can be purchased in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, at http://www.onyabags.com/
If you already own Onya bags, how about buying some for friends and relations? They make perfect presents (very easy to pack and post), and every time the recipients use them, they, and the planet, will have you to thank. And just in case anyone's wondering, I am not an 'affiliate', ie I won't benefit financially if you buy one. But I do hope that Jon Brousson becomes ridiculously wealthy.
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RawforLife Raw Food Preparation Classes April 24th, May 14th
For full details see website at http://www.rawforlife.co.uk/

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