Kroger recently announced that it will eliminate plastic bags from its 2,800 stores by 2025. The Cincinnati-based company will start by cutting out the plastic bags in their Seattle-based grocery chain and will move forward from there. By taking this action, they will eliminate 123 million pounds of plastic sent to landfills each year. Kroger has made other efforts to help the planet as well. They have been working to create a plastic milk jug that uses 10 percent less plastic then their old containers. Both of these ideas help meet Kroger’s larger goal of reducing 90 percent of their landfill waste by 2025.
Plastic bags are the worst option when shopping, so it is great news to hear Kroger will be eliminating them from their stores. This being said, there is no reason a company worth $21 billion could not implement this and countless other techniques in much less time. A grocery store that is in 31 states should be a leader in sustainability. With the funding and demand for it, they should be doing much more and faster.
After spending three weeks in Europe, it blows my mind that the United States still uses plastic bags. When grocery shopping in places like France (where plastic bags are banned), you have two options: either bring your own bag or buy a reusable bag at the store. This makes sense to me, even if it was a bit of an adjustment to try and remember to bring a reusable bag everywhere you went. However, if you forgot, you knew you would have to carry everything with your hands or spend an extra five euros to buy a bag. This was standard in Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and Cologne. Even the clothing and souvenir stores gave out paper bags instead of plastic. In Europe, it is rare to see anyone with plastic bags. If they can do it, why can’t we? Since coming back to the U.S., I don’t go anywhere without a reusable bag in my purse. It’s second nature and so much less wasteful. We have known that plastic bags were bad for the environment since the 1980s, yet hardly any chain grocers have stopped using them. Props to Kroger for making a step in the right direction, but climate change is happening now. It’s time to leap.
By: Haley Hales | Guest Writer
Horoscopes
Aries: What’s food? What’s makeup? What’s sleep? What’s self-care? If you’ve been asking yourself any of these things, it’s time to re-evaluate your obligations.
Taurus: Functioning like an adult can be pretty hard sometimes, so don’t be afraid to do things to unwind — like sprawl out on the floor in the busiest part of Gallagher.
Gemini: What better way to redecorate your room or home than with all the floods and leaks this rain is bringing?
Cancer: Be like Shia Labouf (or Nike, take your pick) and, “Just do it.”
Leo: Don’t have time for me time? Make time for me time. Trust me, it’s better to walk into an exam knowing nothing about it but well-rested than pulling an all-nighter to study.
Virgo: For once in your life, you’ll actually have the discipline and willpower to sleep before 2a.m. The real question is: will you?
Libra: Hey, have you ever tried actually listening to the weird sounds you hear around your room in the middle of the night? What if it’s some coded message from the grade gods?
Scorpio: Pro tip for the lonely or homesick Scorpio: forgetting your pen or pencil at home for class and asking a stranger for one is actually a great conversation — and friendship — starter.
Sagittarius: You’re in that “I asked for a little rice but they gave be a bucket ton” mood, so step back, take a deep breath, and grab a friend who’ll accept your food sacrifice offering.
Capricorn: Be adventurous this week — and by this, I mean get your butt into one of your professor’s office hours, even if it’s just to look over a homework assignment.
Aquarius: Stressed out? There’s this puffy sticker that’s basically a squishy toy/stress ball but with a super sticky side. Slap that onto your planner.
Pisces: In an ideal world, you’d be looking at your grades and quoting the McDonald’s “I’m lovin’ it,” but you’re actually probably that dog surrounded by a fire saying, “This is fine.”
This post was assembled by Features Editor Soondos Mulla-Ossman.