Going Green--> Reusable Bags (& Credits)

I'm looking at little ways to go green & wanted to share some ideas with you.  Let me just say this in advance, NO I'm not a crazy eco maniac, I'm not lining my roof with solar panels, flushing my toilet with gray water or anything that extreme. :)  I'm just looking for easy ways I can save myself some money and help save the environment.  I care about the world that I will leave to my children & I truly think everyone can make small changes that will add up to big differences.
If you are a crazy eco maniac, I mean no offense. :) If you have some tips for me & my readers, please let me know- I would love to share them!

Plastic bag facts:

The U.S. goes through 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually at an estimated cost to retailers of $4 billion. (The Wall Street Journal)

It is estimated that worldwide plastic bag consumption falls between 500 billion and 1 trillion bags annually. That breaks down to almost 1 million every minute.

Get other plastic & reusable bag facts here.



I have been using reusable bags for a while.  When I first started using them I would forget to put them back in the car after I unloaded them in the house so I got some extras & now there's normally a group in my car & in my house at all times.  I also try to keep one of the really compact bags with my coupons as a backup.



Did you know that if you take your own reusable bags to Target, you will get a .05 credit for each bag you use?

CVS offers a bag tag.  Buy your tag for $1 & have the cashier scan it each time you shop.  Once it's scanned 4 times, you'll get $1 ECB.  This is a rolling offer.  (Since I have so many bags, it's easier for me to keep my bag tag on my keyring with my CVS card.)

Bi-Lo gives you .05 per bag
Fred Meyers gives you .05 per bag
Shoprite gives you .05 per bag
Whole Foods gives you .10 credit per bag
Winco gives you .05 per bag


I'm sure other stores will follow sooner than later. 
Do you know of any other stores that offer incentive to use your own bags? Please share!