It’s In the Bag

A woman’s bag is like her shrine to daily life on the go (really, what do men do without one?!). If you’re like me your purse doubles as a traveling desk, vending machine and drugstore all in one.—no wonder my shoulder hurts!

But that reliable bag might be a tote of chemicals if you aren’t paying attention to everything that you throw in. Now that fall is here, it’s the perfect time to see what’s in your bag and give it a green makeover.

First, lets look at the bag itself. We know you may not be ready to give up your favorite purse, but know there are some fashionable eco-options on the market, not to mention cute reusable totes. I know I’m often carrying an extra bag in addition to my purse, so find a reusable one that fits your style.

Next, clear out the clutter. It’s easy to keep a stash papers and receipts in your purse, but did you know that bisphenol-A (BPA) is present in cash register receipts? That means you’re exposing yourself and all of your goods to this dangerous chemical. Be sure to get rid of them as soon as you can.

Following my clean-up, I laid out my must-haves to see where I could shift to greener options. From health remedies, to beauty items to the miscellaneous items you didn’t know you needed, here is an outline of how to give an eco-edge to some of our most treasured trinkets:

1. Natural Value Small Tissue packets
2. CleanWell Hand sanitizer
3. Hand Lotion, I like eos or Herbacin
4. Bic-ecolutions pens & Bic-ecolutions sticky pads
5. Natural or homeopathic tablets for a Headache (Homeostasis is one of my faves)
6. Recycled change purse from Guatemala
7. Natural hard candy
8. DeVita Cosmetics Lipstick
9. Natracare sanitary pads
10. Eco-friendly eyeglasses (for reading)
11. Earth friendly nail file
12. Binder clip (to use for many things including putting your hair up and clipping papers together
13. Library Card (recycling DVDS, paperback books and e-books)
14. Dental floss by Tom’s of Maine
15. Go Green Forever Series US postage stamps
16. Keychain carved from rock from Etsy. (pricey, but unique)

What other green items do you like to make sure you keep in your bag? We’d love to hear–comment below!

In the spirit of full disclosure some brands mentioned in this article were, are or could be in the future, client’s of our parent company, the leading healthy lifestyle agency, ADinfinitum, Inc.