This fall, Cam & I got really in to going to the farmers’ market here in Kerrytown in Ann Arbor. There’s no better way to spend a Saturday morning than browsing through all the fresh produce, and I love knowing that all the fruits, vegetables, meats, and baked goods came from within driving distance, so everything is super fresh. The farmers’ market also allows you the opportunity to actually talk to the farmers about the crops, and I think it’s cool to be more connected to the foods that you’re putting in your body. Plus, here in Ann Arbor, many of the farmers are concerned with using sustainable farming practices, so their is a wide variety of organic fruits and veggies. Shopping at a farmer’s market is also a great way to put money back in to the local economy (which a great thing in Michigan!), and it also allows you to shop in season and encourages you to incorporate different veggies into your meals–Cam & I became big fans of butternut squash are and brussels sprouts thanks to the farmers’ market! Ok, I could go on for paragraphs about how much I love the farmers’ market (and how fortunate I am that we have such a great one here in Ann Arbor!), but I’ll stop myself, since it isn’t even the real point of this post! The reason I wanted to talk about the farmers’ market is because when you go to it, generally, you going t
o want to bring some kind of reusable tote bag to take home your produce, because it’s fairly counterproductive to go buy fresh organic veggies, and then bring the home in a plastic bag! So, I had been on a search for a cute, eco-friendly tote…Anyway, after one unseasonably warm November Saturday morning at the farmers’ market here in Ann Arbor with my mom and sister, we wandered down to walk around Main Street, and on the way, I spotted the most adorable totes in the window of Kilwin’s Chocolates! (so random) The totes are made by Planet Saver Sacks out of LA and feature Lichtenstein-esque artwork on the front (which is why I fell in love, I’m a huge fan of Pop Art) with facts about recycling on the back. The bags are made in the United States and are screened with water-based inks. I picked out the tote where the dark haired man is asking the blonde, “Daphne dearest, do you recycle?” to which she responds, “For you darling, anything!” This SO reminded me of Cameron & I, because from the beginning of our marriage, he’s always been very insistent about the importance of recycling. At first, I was a little bit resistant to jumping on board the green train because I saw his views as a bit extremist (I’m sorry, I’m from the Midwest, recycling newspapers and pop cans is about as far as we go!) However, as time has gone on, I’ve started to change my opinions. This paradigm shift has come out of both a desire to honor my husband’s wishes, as well as a result of me becoming more well-informed about what an impact human wastefulness can have on the earth. The back of my tote says that the average American can save 6lbs of glass in a month, which is fairly incredible to think about, considering that if Americans were to throw away that glass instead of recycling it, it would basically never break down in our landfill, essentially trashing our Earth for the next million years. Originally, I bought the tote to bring to the farmers’ market, however, it’s so roomy and adorable, that I ended up using it as my gym bag, as it easily fits in my workout clothes and running shoes! So, I guess I’m still on a hunt for a farmers’ market tote, but I’m glad I have a bag for the gym that’s fashionable, functional, and educational 🙂
*Note: I’d definitely recommend buying the tote online, Kilwin’s charged me twice the price on the website, grrrr…
