Paper vs. Plastic: Nobody Wins

Once a week, I buy groceries. And once a week, I'm asked a question that makes me cringe: "Paper or plastic?"
The question seems meaningless enough to us; we make the decision in one second and throw away, reuse or recycle the bags when we unload our haul at home. But our decision's significance to the health of the Earth is more meaningful than most of us take the time to think about. Perhaps what we should be hearing hidden in that innocent question is, "Chop down a tree, or increase our dependence on fossil fuels?"
There are arguments for and against both choices. Unlike plastic, paper is compostable and biodegradable; however, much more energy is used to produce and recycle a paper bag than a plastic one. On the other hand, even though plastic bags are recyclable at the bins at your local grocery, the truth is that many of those plastic bags are NOT recyclable at all. Their fate? The local dump, where they never break down. When you really start to look at the seeming lack of advantages to either choice (for example, take a look at "Paper vs. Plastic- The Shopping Bag Debate" on Greenfeet.com), the answer for the bag boy becomes obvious: "Neither."
If every American family would simply invest in a few reusable shopping bags to take to the store with them, the reduction in plastic and paper bag waste would be enormous. There are a number of attractive and functional options out there today: organic and recycled cotton canvas, cotton mesh, and even insulated bags made from recycled soda bottles and bags. Some have cute designs and some are plain, but remember the basic, least expensive ones will do the job just fine. I just purchased five plain organic cotton canvas totes. By my calculations, I will probably be able to fit the equivalent of about 3 plastic bags into one of these bags. I spent $35 including shipping, a small investment for bags that will last us for years to come. I also just learned that my grocery has started refunding customers 5 cents per store plastic or paper bag that they don't use, so my investment will pay for itself in time.
Of course, this topic spawned discussion between Jake and me about how we plan to bag GHH customer purchases. First and foremost, we'll make be making cotton (and other materials) shopping bags available for purchase. Alternatively, we'll also be using paper bags that are approbated by the American Forest and Paper Association, and we'll of course encourage customers to return those bags to us for recycling and offer a partial refund of their purchase for every bag re-used or recycled.