How Are You Going To Carry All Those books? An Eco Backpack Review
By Jillian Polaski
Filed Under Conscious Commerce, News & Reviews |
It’s that time of year again. Days are shortening, shadows are lengthening, and the air is cooling. As fall once again creeps silently onto the scene, people of all ages are getting preped to head back to school. Companies still give us little opportunity to be environmentally responsible with our choices in pens, highlighters or binders, and the debate over using post-consumer recycled paper or taking notes on your laptop remains heated. One thing that we can choose to be responsible with this year is what we stash and transport all of our heavy books in: our backpack.
Sacks and bags that you sling over your shoulder have been around for as long as there has been stuff to carry, although the word “backpack” only became a part of mainstream American vocabulary in the early twentieth century. The messenger bags used by Pony Express men and telegraph boys don’t differ too much in design from the ones used by bike messengers and school children today. Yet what is different is the materials that backpacks are made of. Many modern day bags are made from PVC vinyl plastic. PVC is made by fusing vinyl chloride molecules with a toxic metal such as lead or cadmium. Because PVC is the only major plastic that contains chlorine, it tends to be more toxic and more persistent in the environment and our bodies than other plastics.
So what’s a modern day back-to-schooler to do? Luckily, there are companies out there that make their bags from natural and recycled materials. We narrowed the field, loaded them up, drug them around and finally chose these three eco friendly, durable and functional backpacks to present to you:
Hemp Sisters
Hemp Sisters, soon to be known as Earth Divas, is a truly inspiring company. All of Earth Divas products will be Fair Trade made from countries like Nepal, Columbia, and Thailand. Their natural fiber accessories from Nepal are made by working woman’s co-ops and small woman-owned cottage industry producers. Besides book bags, Hemp Sisters also offers Fair Trade jewelry, clothing, and bath and body items, among other things.
Hemp Sisters has several styles of bags to choose from. I tested an Earth Divas hemp backpack. With a drink holder on both sides, padded straps, plenty of compartments, and a padded section on the inside that will hold a laptop computer, this bag definitely made the grade.
MSRP: $25.99-$63.99
Ecologic Designs Green Guru Gear
Ecologic Designs Gree
n Guru Gear is devoted to making bags and accessories from recycled and reclaimed materials, as well as hemp and organic cottons. Materials such as nylon climbing rope, Neoprene wetsuits, rubber inner tubes, and highway billboards and vinyl banners all become fodder for a really funky bag or a stylish bracelet in their hands. Through their Reclamation Station, they collect these materials from individuals, towns, and businesses, keeping them out of landfills and reducing their eco-footprint.
Their Billboard Map Bag is pretty cool. Made of recycled highway billboards with a reinforced recycled inner tube bottom, it will hold a small laptop or your books and notebooks. It has side pockets for a water bottle, an extra velcro compartment on the back of the bag for miscellaneous items, the billboard front is waterproof, and no two are exactly alike.
MSRP: $78.95
O loves M
O loves M makes their bags from recycled yoga mats, scraps of fabrics, and unused materials that companies would otherwise have thrown away to end up in landfills. These bags are a zero waste creation made by home workers in Colorado, and they’re really stylish.
For back-to-school, check out the Rainbow Messenger Bag. It’s sleek and funky. The bright, eye catching colors will make it stand out in the hallways, and there’s plenty of room for everything you need to carry. It will fit your laptop and your books, has a back pocket, and a water bottle holder on the inside of the bag.
MSRP: $64.00
So which bag should you choose? It really just comes down to personal preference. Some of us prefer a backpack so the Earth Divas bag is the clear choice there. If you prefer a messenger bag, the Green Guru Gear Billboard bag and O loves M messenger bag are great choices-both of these companies really do make a difference in keeping waste out of landfills and will send you to school in A grade eco-style.
Posted on August 25, 2008 |
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[...] out some high-quality reusable BACKPACKS (!) to haul those books to class in style. Eco Times has a very informative comparison article about some great sustainable options worth checking [...]
What a great comparison of bags and packs and good to know there’s eco-alternatives. ‘Tis the season after all~