Take an old bag shopping

Helen Strother

A catchy strap-line don't you think?

Of course, there will be a few literal folk out there who think this is a cue to take Aunty Maud on a day trip, but for most it's widely understood as Sainsbury's slogan to reduce plastic carrier bag use.

A good timely idea in my opinion, even if my first reaction was much less convinced.

While chatting idly with the cashier as I speed-packed my bags last Saturday, a sticker and a magnet bearing the slogan were thrust into my hand. Thinking it might be yet another schools token or worse still, something associated with the annoying cockney Jamie Oliver, I was about to hand it back until I remembered the once green-to-the-core Strother.

As an eight year old I was pretty annoying. I was the swotty one keen to impress and, more relevant to this blog, the green activist working tirelessly in suburbia (Sycamore Crescent to be more specific).

One summer I canvassed our whole street to find out their views on recycling and even collected cans door-to-door from those charlatans who refused to do their bit. That was 20 years ago mind, when kerbside collections, recycling boxes and green taxes were still an activist's dream and I was probably a kid ahead of my time.

In the years that have passed my green-ness has been replaced with a much paler shade, caught up in consumerism and endlessly wanting more - but my jaunt down memory lane reminded me it's the little things that count.

Little things like: taking a fabric bag to hold your shopping, walking to the shop instead of taking the car and switching the TV off rather than leaving it on stand-by.

Sainsbury's has left me inspired. So in the words of an annoying eight year old Strother 'do your bit - no excuses'.

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