Years ago, when I first came to this country, I still had my long-handled Spanish shopping baskets with me.  I remember well the suspicious looks the local bagger at our Midwestern supermarket cast on me, as I deftly intercepted his efforts to put my purchases into his plastic bags.

I can't really claim to have understood in totality the consequences of our reliance on plastic at that time, it just didn't feel right.  And people are finally beginning to come to the same conclusion - San Francisco, for example, has completely banned the use of plastic shopping bags.

It may be just in time, as this Captain discovered when he sailed into a filthy, trashy area of the ocean about the size of Texas, contaminated throughout by plastic.

But it will be too late for some birds.

And we may already be eating plastic fish.

With untold consequences for our future - may there be enough of us left to turn this thing around!!

Give up plastic - buy yourself a beautiful handwoven basket from Africa, made by striving artisans   - and do good while helping the environment.