A couple months back, I called on the city of Decatur to ban plastic grocery bags prompted by liberal standard-bearer San Francisco. The posting was a combination of silly and serious, as I chided myself about trying to remember to recycle the plastic bags that piled up in my garage.

Well today, its not a city but a company that has banned the plastic beasties. Whole Foods Market announced this morning that it will do away with plastic grocery bags in all of its stores worldwide by Earth Day on April 22nd. While its no surprise that Whole Foods would lead the charge on yet another eco-friendly initiative, its example will hopefully encourage other grocery store chains to do the same.

You may be wondering, what are the alternatives? Here’s the answer…

In place of the fly-away plastic bags scorned by many environmentalists, Whole Foods will offer several options: free paper bags in four sizes made from 100% recycled paper, reusable bags 80% made from recycled plastic bottles for 99 cents and canvas bags selling for $6.99 to $35. It encourages consumers to bring their own bags by taking 5 cents to 10 cents off the bill for each.

Hopefully this issue can continue to gain traction on both the governmental and business side, though it will be difficult to implement in other communities and stores that serve a broader segment of the population, as paper apparently costs twice as much as plastic to produce. Such a change could lead to higher prices on the shelves.

Personally, I reuse the small paper Whole Foods bags for my lunch everyday. Each one can last at least a month before ripping and dropping my sandwich on the sidewalk.

Publix? Kroger? Decatur? Anyone want to follow suit?

UPDATE: AsianCajuns has a great beginners guide on how to stay fashion-forward, while lugging food to your car.

h/t: My Wife

A Decatur Metro reader writes…

Hello, I was curious as to whether you knew anything about the empty Advance Auto Parts or AutoZone building next to Eckerds at the five points of Scott Blvd, North Decatur and Medlock? This building has been vacant for over four years and seems like a prime location for a Whole Foods or Trader Joes.

Well, first things first. This property is outside the Decatur city limits, in unincorporated DeKalb County, so the Decatur Downtown Authority has no jurisdiction. Personally, I haven’t heard anything about developing the property at that intersection, so I welcome any further info in the comments.

While we may all wish for a Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods closer than Midtown and Briarcliff/Lavista, respectively, I prophesy it would be difficult to convince either of these high-end food stores to come closer to Decatur due to a lack of upper income residences to our immediate east. I think the most likely of all of these scenarios is a Trader Joe’s inside the Decatur city limits. The Midtown location is a drive even for affluent Druid Hills/Emory residents (don’t get me started on Monroe Cr. traffic) so a Trader Joe’s around Decatur could be quite profitable.

But when I wish for a Trader Joe’s in walking distance of my house, even I feel pangs of greed and gluttony. I mean seriously, how much Mandarin Orange Chicken can one man eat?

OK, a lot. Why not email Trader Joe’s and let them know how you feel? Can’t hurt!