Free range eggs, fresh bread, homemade cheese and yogurt, and organic local produce abound at Washington, DC farmers markets. I went to two this weekend and you just can’t trade the experience of chatting with the people who grow your food - especially when the alternative is the bored teenage checker at the local Safeway.

My favorite part of my weekend farmers market excursions was at the H Street Farmers Market when, upon seeing my reusable bag, a lettuce vendor told me how happy she is that everyone is bringing their own bags these days. Since last year, she’s seen a 50% decrease in the number of plastic bags her customers need.

I looked around the Dupont Farmers Market and noticed that she’s right - just about everyone was carrying at least one reusable shopping bag. Yay! But I also saw a distinct lack of reusable produce bags like my lovely organic cotton produce bag by Ecobags. My guess is that people don’t know they exist; I didn’t until six months ago. Maybe reusable produce bags are the next step in the anti-plastic bag revolution.

No matter where in the world you are, local markets and reusable bags are the way to go.

photo credit: kthread