Press

Redlands, California is celebrating its 125th anniversary.  And, Albertson’s has been added to the list of local businesses and community members promoting the city’s 125th anniversary.

New reusable bags (manufactured and supplied by Earthwise Bag Company) carrying the anniversary’s custom logo (created by Richard Pennington of Pennington Designs) were recently made available at Albertsons Redlands store on Redlands Boulevard and Cypress Avenue.

Store manager Mike Enright said the bags celebrating the city’s anniversary were a natural fit for his store, which has previously sold bags featuring historic Redlands locations.  The first bags were released on December 1 and sold out within a number of weeks, Enright said.

“We sold 10,000 of the first design,” Enright said. “When those sold out, we had been considering what to do for a new design.”

Courtesy Photo: Redlands Mayor Pete Aguilar, left, and store manager Mike Enright display reusable grocery bags now for sale at the local Albertsons.

The new 125th Anniversary bags are available for $3.00 a pair. The idea for the bags stemmed from a conversation Mayor Pro Tem Paul Foster, who heads up the anniversary committee, had with Albertsons Store Manager Mike Enright. “He came in and showed us the new logo and said, ‘You have my permission to use (it),’” Enright said.

These new reusable bags also feature the logo for Hangar 24 Craft Brewery. They are the second custom Redlands bags purchased by the store and sold to customers.  The first bag showcased the city’s rich history by featuring on the historic nature of the city’s long-standing orange groves, the University of Redlands, the Redlands Bowl, Kimberly Crest and other city landmarks.  That bag design is know as Earthwise’s Hyper-Local Bag and every design is custom-made for each customer and created around the city in which their store does business. 

“We have always wanted to do a second edition of our bags, but we didn’t want to do the same thing we did before. So we were trying to find ideas to make it different and unique,” he said when asked about the new design. “The people of Redlands are so proud of their city… and they supported our first bag, which we didn’t expect to sell out as quickly as we did.”

Although Albertsons is a corporation, Enright says the store’s Redlands location wants to connect with its local community as much as they can. These unique bags are just one way the store continues to focus on its promise.

“The store has been here since the 1960s, so it’s been a part of Redlands for a long time, and Redlands has such a rich history,” he said. “We wanted to do something special to connect with the community, and that’s why we wanted to do another bag. ”

City officials say that the city’s 125th anniversary officially kicked off in December with the annual Redlands Christmas Parade, which was sponsored by the city and the Kiwanis Club of Redlands. All anniversary celebrations continue through November, also according to city officials.

Any group or individual interested in participating or serving as a sponsor of the anniversary celebration may contact Tommi Ng at tng@cityofredlands.org or 909-798-7514.

“We are just really excited and appreciate companies, local businesses and local outlets of larger businesses like Albertsons that are demonstrating a commitment to the community this way,” said Carl Baker, city spokesman. “Albertson’s is part of a chain, but their local store is operated by real people… and we appreciate Mike’s enthusiasm and the store for getting involved.

“And the same can be said… for all the other businesses who have joined in as well.”

Albertsons is at 450 E. Cypress Ave.

Earthwise Bag Company partners with organizations around the country under the belief that everyone has a responsibility to make a positive difference in this world. We are actively involved with a variety of environmental, health, and human interest groups to contribute to the overall well-being of the planet and each other. Upon its founding, the company’s initial motivation was to help mitigate the effects that plastic bags have on our environment and we have furthered that goal to include helping our community.

One of our partnerships is with Children’s Cancer Research Fund. Earthwise provides over 2,000 custom reusable bags for their annual Kids 4 Kids RUN/WALK. Children’s Cancer Research Fund (CCRF) Founder/President Matti Contopulos believes that kids possess a uniquely powerful spirit of hope and an untarnished belief that their wildest dreams can be accomplished, whether it’s becoming President of the United States, or finding a cure for cancer. She also believes that there’s a kid in all of us and created the annual Kids 4 Kids RUN/WALK.

The concept for Kids 4 Kids RUN/WALK evolved from important changes Matti has seen over the years in children’s awareness of cancer and the incredible generosity from kids of all ages wanting to help kids with cancer. “Countless times we’ve experienced amazing examples of hope and determination in children whether they were patients battling cancer or determined children who emptied their own piggy banks to make a donation to our organization,” said Matti. This is a spectacular Event as kids of ALL ages from throughout Southern California participate in a truly fun Event with a very special mission: to create a HAPPIER and HEALTHIER future for all children. With the monies raised, HAPPIER will be supplies for the arts and crafts programs at Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Camps, and HEALTHIER will be the funding of new grants in clinical research in pediatric oncology. There is no RUN/WALK like this in the country and we feel it has become a national campaign with an incredible impact on pediatric cancer, having raised over $1.6 million in the first six years. For the doctors tackling research, for the children and families dealing with cancer, and for our Most Valuable Players (EVERYONE WHO WALKS OR RUNS) who are participating…the event always promises to be an incredible occasion for all. The 2013 Kids 4 Kids RUN/WALK was no exception.  

A handful of Earthwise employees participated in this year’s event to support Children’s Cancer Research, as we usually do.  It was a challenging event with much reward and sense of accomplishment for all who participated.  All of us here at Earthwise Bag Company are proud to sponsor and participate in such an amazing event and will continue to do so year after year.

Carmen Camonayan of Earthwise with Granddaughters Showing Off Earthwise Donated Goody Bags

Here are some of our employees who participated in this year’s Kids 4 Kids RUN/WALK -

Lisa Garcia of Earthwise with Daughter Alexandria at Finish Line

Lourdes Munoz & Carmen Camonayan of Earthwise with Camonayan Granddaughters Right Before Race Begins

Lisa Garcia of Earthwise Right Before Race Begins

Reprinted from: http://blogs.berkeley.edu/2013/02/13/san-francisco-plastic-bag-ban-deaths/

Tomás Aragón, Medical Epidemiologist | 2/13/13 |

The Brooklyn Academy of Music – also known as BAM – is a not-for-profit urban arts center that brings international performing arts, media, and film to Brooklyn. This January marked the conclusion of their 150^th anniversary season, and they celebrated this with a very special event.  

Photo courtesy of BAM

On January 24^th, BAM hosted a Benefit for their Producers Council members, their highest level of donors, in conjunction with the opening of Can Themba’s The Suit, directed by the legendary Peter Brook. This is a Theatre des Bouffes du Nord production, and they were thrilled to be hosting this show in Brooklyn.

Photo courtesy of BAM

Earthwise was delighted to be one of the Theater Benefit gift bag item providers and did so by providing our newest, most eco-friendly reusable bags. We donated our biodegradable and compostable non-woven reusable bags for the over 500 attendees and honored guests.  We were absolutely thrilled to be part of this event and happy to provide the bags.

The 2012 Design-A-Bag Contest winner’s bag is now available in stores for only 99 cents!

Last week, Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market introduced the winning customer-designed reusable bag from the company’s 2012 Design-A-Bag Contest. The winner of the bag design contest was Eimi Marritt of Las Vegas. Her winning design is now available in Fresh & Easy stores. This is the third customer-designed reusable bag for Fresh & Easy and they are happy and proud to introduce this winning design.

2012 Design-A-Bag Contest Winning Design

One of ten finalists from nearly 600 original bag designs, Marritt’s design was ultimately chosen as the winner by Fresh & Easy’s Friends Rewards Program Members. Over 25,000 votes were cast online by Fresh & Easy customers who had signed up for the company’s rewards program at www.freshandeasy.com/friends. A year’s worth of free groceries (valued at $5,000) was the prize to Marritt for her winning design.

“I am very happy that my bag design is available in stores! It will be exciting to see my friends and family carrying around something that I helped create,” said Marritt. “I’m also hopeful that my fun design will encourage customers to utilize reusable bags more frequently rather than always using paper or plastic bags.”

“We’re happy to introduce our third customer-designed reusable bag,” said Fresh & Easy Chief Customer Office John Burry. “Our last customer-designed bag was a huge hit with customers and we hope this one will help encourage more people to help the environment by shopping with reusable bags.”

Designed by Las Vegas customer Tonya Jacobsen, last year’s limited-edition winning bag quickly became a coveted item for Fresh & Easy customers. The Design-A-Bag Contest is part of a continued effort by Fresh & Easy to encourage the use of reusable shopping bags.

For more information about this year’s winner and her design, visit www.freshandeasy.com/designabag

That’s right…shoppers will have a chance to win a $100 gift card if they bring their own reusable bag.

The sixth annual “Day Without a Bag” is sponsored by Heal the Bay, and will likely be the last event as the Los Angeles city ordinance banning plastic bags is set to take effect May 23, 2013.

“A Day Without a Bag” is an education and grassroots event coordinated by Heal the Bay that involves community groups, businesses and individuals throughout the state of California. This year’s A Day Without a Bag is set for Dec. 20, 2012, and will include “Bag-Free Blocks” where businesses come together to go reusable.  It is Heal the Bay’s “Holiday Gift to the Environment”! Earthwise is a proud sponsor of this wonderful event and has been for the past several years.

A select group of grocery stores will distribute free reusable bags on December 20th and offer additional discounts for customers who use their own reusable bags.

Heal the Bay is offering a $100 Vons gift card, t-shirts as well as other prizes. Albertsons will distribute free reusable bags across all its Los Angeles city stores from 11am to 1pm and Ralph’s will offer TRIPLE its reusable bag rebate.

“We’re hoping that this holiday season will be the last time Angelenos will see plastic bags as they do their gift shopping,” said Meredith McCarthy, Heal the Bay’s programs director, in a statement.  ”We want shoppers to get in the habit of using the reusable bags stashed in their closets and car trunks all year round. Bringing your own reusable bag is one of the easiest ways to have a positive impact on your own neighborhood and improve the health of our oceans.”

According to Heal the Bay, there has been a 95% reduction in plastic bag distribution since L.A. County banned plastic bags in July of 2011 in unincorporated Los Angeles County. In addition, Cities and municipalities spend as much as $25 million to collect and dispose plastic bag waste, and less than 5% are recycled annually in Los Angeles, according to Heal the Bay.

If you would like to enter the Heal the Bay $100 gift card contest, take a picture of yourself or anyone using their reusable bag and post it to Instagram, Twitter or Facebook with the hashtag #RockinReusable and tag @HealtheBay to enter.

Press Provided by the San Francisco Chronicle and SF Gate Online

Keasbey, NJ August 28, 2012

ShopRite is introducing America’s first durable yet compostable non-woven reusable shopping bag. The bag will be offered in selected ShopRite supermarkets in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware. For more than 30 years, ShopRite has been dedicated to preserving the environment and conserving natural resources and consistently works to procure green products to offer to its customers.

“ShopRite has a long history of innovation and we continue to look for new ways to ‘green’ our business practices,” said Karen Meleta, ShopRite spokesperson. “We are proud to be the first retailer in the United States to offer these alternative new bags to our customers.”

As part of its ongoing commitment to the environment, ShopRite stores promote the use and purchase of reusable shopping bags and offer a rebate to consumers using non-disposable bags. These incentives have encouraged shoppers to be more conscientious in the use and reuse of shopping bags. In 2011, more than 58 million bags were reused by ShopRite customers and in the last five years ShopRite customers have kept almost 200 million bags out of landfills.

In its continuing efforts to offer new and innovative sustainable alternatives, ShopRite is working with Burbank, CA-based Earthwise Bag Company, Inc., the exclusive supplier of these biodegradable and compostable bags. This new 100% biodegradable and compostable non-woven shopping bag is manufactured from a combination of corn and tapioca fibers, using by-products from the food manufacturing process. This re-use of “waste” materials further reduces materials entering the waste stream. The bags are printed with water-based inks, sewn with cotton thread, contain no petroleum and are non-toxic and carry the ASTM 6400 certification, a national standard for biodegradability and compostability awarded by the U.S. Composting Council. They also carry a distinctive leaf embossing, which sets them apart from other bags in the marketplace.

The new bags will serve customers for at least 100 uses and can be composted at a commercial composting facility, where they will biodegrade within 90 days. These bags are machine washable and durable as they have been tested to hold 50+ lbs.

“We continue to encourage our customers to move toward reusable bags whenever possible and we are making more products available to consumers that are green or more sustainable by design, and we are making sure these products are available as interest in them increases.”

Press Provided by Supermarket News.com

KEASBY, N.J. — Select ShopRite supermarkets in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware will offer what they are calling the first reusable shopping bag that is compostable and biodegradable.

Supplied by Burbank, Calif.-based Earthwise Bag, the new bag is made from a combination of corn and tapioca fibers, using by-products from the food manufacturing process. The bags are printed with water-based inks, sewn with cotton thread, contain no petroleum and carry the ASTM 6400 certification, a standard for biodegradability and compostability awarded by the U.S. Composting Council.

The machine-washable bags will serve customers for at least 100 uses and can be composted at a commercial composting facility, where they will biodegrade within 90 days. They have been tested to hold 50-plus pounds.

Read more: West Hollywood Bans Plastic Bags

ShopRite stores promote the use and purchase of reusable shopping bags and offer a rebate to consumers using non-disposable bags. In 2011, more than 58 million bags were reused by ShopRite customers, and in the last five years ShopRite customers have kept almost 200 million bags out of landfills.

“ShopRite has a long history of innovation and we continue to look for new ways to ‘green’ our business practices,” said Karen Meleta, a spokeswoman for Wakefern, the wholesale cooperative owned by ShopRite store operators, in a statement. “We are proud to be the first retailer in the United States to offer these alternative new bags to our customers.”

Reprinted From Article Online Here: http://supermarketnews.com/retail-amp-financial/shoprite-offers-compostable-reusable-bag

Press Provided by Progressive Grocer.com

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As part of its ongoing commitment to the environment, ShopRite is bringing out what it describes as the United States’ first durable yet compostable nonwoven reusable shopping bag. The bag (left), exclusively supplied by Burbank, Calif.-based Earthwise Bag Co., will be sold in selected ShopRite stores in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware.

“ShopRite has a long history of innovation, and we continue to look for new ways to ‘green’ our business practices,” explained Karen Meleta, a spokeswoman for Keasbey, N.J.-based Wakefern Food Corp, a retail co-op whose members operate almost 250 Northeastern supermarkets under the ShopRite banner.

ShopRite already promotes the use and purchase of reusable shopping bags, offering a rebate to consumers who used them. As a result of this policy, more than 58 million bags were reused by ShopRite customers last year, and in the past five years, the chain’s shoppers have kept almost 200 million bags out of landfills, according to the companies.

Earthwise creates the bags from a combination of corn and tapioca fibers, using byproducts from the food manufacturing process. This reuse of “waste” materials further reduces the amount of material entering the waste stream. The bags are printed with water-based inks, sewn with cotton thread, contain no petroleum, are nontoxic and carry the ASTM 6400 certification, a national standard for biodegradability and compostability bestowed by the Besthesda, Md.-based U.S. Composting Council. Additionally, the items feature distinctive leaf embossing, differentiating them from other bags in the marketplace.

Further, the machine-washable bags have been tested to hold 50-plus pounds and will serve customers for a minimum of 100 uses and can be composted at a commercial composting facility, where they will biodegrade within 90 days.

“We continue to encourage our customers to move toward reusable bags whenever possible, and we are making more products available to consumers that are green or more sustainable by design, and we are making sure these products are available as interest in them increases,” added Meleta.

Press Provided by Austin Statesman.com

SHOPPING

Go for style in reusable bags

H-E-B stores’ new reusable bags give shoppers a functional and stylish option ahead of Austin’s ban on single-use paper and plastic bags in March.

“At H-E-B we have every kind of customer imaginable,” said Leslie Sweet, director of public affairs for H-E-B Central Texas. “And some of our customers want a great looking bag to complement their fashion style.”

The lightweight and washable Verdiva bags are made from a strong DuPont Tyvek fabric, and are available in orange and lime colors. They sell for $3.97. Sweet said the bags also soften with every wash, just like jeans. Bags should be hung dry after washing.

Shoppers can scrunch up the bags and stuff them in purses or pockets until needed. “We’re trying to make this transition easier for our customers,” Sweet said about the upcoming bag ordinance. H-E-B’s standard reusable bags will continue to be available.

H-E-B is the first retailer in the U.S. to provide this fashion conscious bag. About 30 H-E-B stores in Austin will carry the bags. To find the one nearest you, visit http://www2.dupont.com/Verdiva/en_US/stores.html

By Nancy Flores

American-Statesman Staff

Reprinted from Austin Statesman at http://www.statesman.com/news/lifestyles/fashion-style/style-matters-h-e-b-introduces-new-stylish-reusabl/nSnc5/