New York Chain Wegmans Holds Creative Bag Exchange Promotion to Encourage Reusable Bag Use; Reduce Use of Plastic Carrier Bags in Stores

'Green Retailing' -- Reusable Carrier Bag Promotions

The family-owned, upstate New York USA-based Wegmans supermarket chain held a creative customer carrier bag exchange promotion for Earth Day 2009 last week, on Saturday, April 25, in its 72 supermarkets in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania,Virginia, and Maryland.

The award-winning supermarket chain invited shoppers to bring in a single-use plastic carrier bag filled with additional thin plastic bags, and in exchange receive a free Wegmans' reusable canvas shopping bag like the one pictured at the top, which sells for just 99-cents in the stores.

Wegmans' then had all of the single-use plastic grocery bags brought in by shoppers and collected by the stores recycled.

We think the Wegmans' Earth Day-Earth Week event is a creative example of how food retailers can encourage shoppers to use reusable bags, while at the same time doing another good -- collecting a bunch of single-use plastic carrier bags that would most likely have ended up in a landfill but instead were recycled.

The supermarket chain said it decided to hold the event on Saturday rather than on Wednesday, the actual Earth Day, so that it could reach more shoppers. Saturday's are generally the number one grocery shopping day in terms of the number of customers that go to the store.

And of course, the "green bag" promotion's creativity also serves as a smart marketing device for Wegmans, which recently was named the number one supermarket chain in the U.S. by Consumer Reports magazine, based on the non-profit group's extensive national survey of shoppers and their favorite food and grocery stores.

Wegmans' also was named for 2008, and has been for the last 11 years, as one of the top places to work in the U.S. in Fortune magazine's annual "Best Places to Work" survey. Wegmans' was rated by Fortune as the fifth best place to work in America for 2008. The 2008 rankings came out this year. The 2009 rankings come out in 2010.

According to Jason Wadsworth, Wegmans' sustainability specialist (yes, they have one of those), the Saturday, April 25 shopper bag exchange event was a big success. Wegmans' collected bags full of single-use plastic carrier bags and handed out numerous free reusable shopping bags in its 72 stores.

The Saturday bag exchange event was part of a nearly-day long (11 a.m -to- 3 p.m.) Earth Day celebration inall 72 of Wegmans' supermarkets, centered on the what Jason Wadsworth and Wegmans' call "the three R's of environmentalism": Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

In addition to the bag exchange, the event included tastings of organic and locally-produced foods throughout the stores' aisles from 12 p.m -to- 3 p.m. Saturday, along with educational activities and other in-store "green" happenings stressing those three R's of environmentalism.

"In the nearly 40 years since Earth Day was proclaimed in 1970, many of us have become more aware of how our daily activities can have an impact on the planet – from the kinds of lights we use at home, to the bags we use to carry our purchases, to the kind of car we drive. Earth Day is an annual reminder for people, businesses, and communities to review where things stand and to explore better options," Wadsworth said in explaining the thinking behind Wegmans' Earth Day event on Saturday, April 25.

"Choosing organic foods is another shift toward greater sustainability, and customers were able to sample organic foods throughout the store, while learning about the practices that go into growing and producing these delicious foods. These include innovative technologies to lower energy use, reduce water used for irrigation, and reduce reliance on artificial fertilizers and pesticides," Wadsworth added about the Earth Day event.

Wegmans' first introduced reusable shopping bags into its stores in 2007.

Last year the privately-held supermarket chain, which had estimated 2008 gross sales of a whopping $4.8 billion for its just 72 supermarkets, according to various industry ranking sources, added a new, thicker, stronger plastic bag in its stores as part of its carrier bag offerings, according to Wegmans' sustainability specialist Wadsworth. The thinking behind the introduction being that by adding the stronger plastic carrier bags, more shoppers would ask for them and reuse them, unlike is normally the case with the thinner single-use bags, which generally get tossed in the garbage after consumers unpack their grocery purchases at home.

Wadsworth says that since introducing its various varieties of reusable bags (in 2007), offered at various price points, along with offering the stronger plastic bags last year, the supermarket chain has reduced the volume of the thin, single-use plastic carrier bags it uses in its 72 supermarkets by 30% thus far.

The retailer's goal is to encourage as many of its customers as possible to bring their own reusable bags to the stores, which is why it held the bag exchange event and regularly creates other promotions designed to encourage and increase shopper use of reusable bags.

We think Wegmans' model of offering the bag exchange -- bring a single-use plastic carrier bag full of more single-use plastic carrier bags to the store, get a reusable shopping bag in turn. -- is an excellent model for food and grocery retailers in California, Nevada and Arizona, the three states where Tesco currently has its 119 small-format grocery and fresh foods markets in. For that matter, the reusable bag promotion is a good one for grocery retailers throughout the U.S. and globally to adopt and offer in their stores a few times each year.

The promotion creates shopper awareness, keeps some single-use plastic bags out of landfills and waterways, puts reusable bags into the hands of consumers who likely aren't already using them, and overall increases awareness on the reusable bag use topic.

Single-use plastic carrier bag fee or tax legislation is now on the national agenda in the U.S. House of Representatives [See our April 23, 2009 story here: Virginia Congressman Jim Moran Introduces First-Ever Federal Single-Use Bag Fee Legislation Into U.S. House of Representatives on Earth Day 2009.] The federal legislation would put a 5-cent per bag fee on both plastic grocery bags and paper grocery sacks.

Additionally, for food and grocery retailers in California, the single-use plastic bag issue is heating up once again in a major way. Legislation that would put a 25-cent per bag tax on single-use plastic carrier bags and paper grocery sacks is working its way through the California State Assembly Natural Resources Committee at present. [See our April 16, 2009 report here: Virginia Congressman Jim Moran Introduces First-Ever Federal Single-Use Bag Fee Legislation Into U.S. House of Representatives on Earth Day 2009.]

Because they are in the direct line of fire as the retail format that uses the most plastic bags, food and grocery retailers often get a major part of the blame for the single-use plastic bag problem in the U.S., as well as elsewhere in the world.

Creative promotions like Wegmans' bag exchange therefore a good way for grocers to demonstrate their commitment to reducing plastic and paper bag use and in promoting reusable bags.

We think bag exchange programs modeled on Wegmans' April 25 event offer grocers in California, Nevada and Arizona (and elsewhere), such as Tesco's Fresh & Easy and its competitors, a great tool to promote and encourage greater shopper use of reusable bags. We hope to see bag exchange programs like Wegmans hitting stores in the three states soon.

Related Stories and Posts:

April 23, 2009: Strategy Session: The In-Store Reusable Bag-Sharing Program -- A Way For Grocers to Significantly Increase Reusable Bag Use Among Shoppers

April 23, 2009: Virginia Congressman Jim Moran Introduces First-Ever Federal Single-Use Bag Fee Legislation Into U.S. House of Representatives on Earth Day 2009

April 16, 2009: Two New Bills in California State Assembly Would Put 25-Cent Per Bag Fee on Both Single-Use Plastic and Paper Carrier Bags.

April 22, 2009: Earth Day 2009: California-Based Grocers Conducting A Myriad Of Reusable Bag Promotions Today; Other 'Green' Activities For Earth Day

>April 9, 2009: Competitor News: One Year Since Eliminating Plastic Bags in Stores Whole Foods Market Says Reusable Bag Use Tripled; 150 Million Bags Out of Landfills

>April 21, 2008: Earth Day 2008: Whole Foods Market, Inc. Becomes the First Major U.S. Food and Grocery Retailer to Stop Using Single-Use Plastic Carrier Bags Tomorrow

>April 8, 2009: News & Analysis: Tesco's Fresh & Easy Gets Reprieve As Manhattan Beach, California Plastic Bag Ban Law Held Up By Plastic Bag Industry Group's Lawsuit

>March 19, 2009: Another Tesco Fresh & Easy Future Market City Bans the (Plastic) Bag: No Plastic Carrier Bags In Palo Alto, CA Supermarkets Starting September 18th

>March 7, 2009: Analysis & Commentary: The Seven Retail Operations Changes Tesco's Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market Needs to Make to Help it Get On the Success Track

>December 7, 2008: Fresh & Easy Offers New Definition of 'Double Bagging;' Says Sales of Reusable Bags Has Doubled Since Introducing its 99-Cent Bag in October

>August 13, 2008: Tesco to Offer Shoppers Free Plastic Bags in UK Stores Only if Requested; Still Offering Plastic Bags-Only in Fresh & Easy USA Stores; No Paper Option

>August 1, 2008: Bag Bans and Fees: Seattle, Washington Imposes 20-Cent Fee On Single-Use Plastic Carrier Bags; Bans the Use of Foam Meat Trays in Supermarkets

>July 23, 2008: Plastic or Plastic: Single-Use Plastic Carrier Bag Bans in California Cities Threatening Tesco Fresh & Easy's Free 'Plastic Bag-Only' Policy

>September 25, 2008: Competitor News: Wal-Mart Joins Tesco, Others in Announcing A Plastic Bag Reduction Program of its Own

>April 20, 2008: Earth Day 2008: California Bag-Fee Bill AB 2058 Passes California State Assembly Natural Resource Committee; Next Stop Appropriations Committee

>April 21, 2008: Earth Day 2008: City of Los Angeles, CGA and Southern California Grocery Chains Partner in Major Reuseable Shopping Bag Giveaway Promotion

>April 18, 2008: Earth Day 2008: New Issues Are Beginning to Emerge With Growing Consumer Use of Reusable Shopping Bags: Worker Injuries, Shoplifting, 'Double-Bagging'

>April 24, 2008: Legislation: Oakland, California's Plastic Grocery Bag Ban Law Not in the 'Bag' Yet

>April 13, 2008: California State Assembly Natural Resource Committee to Vote on Statewide 25-cent Single-Use Plastic Carrier Bag-Fee on Monday

>March 15, 2008: UK 'Banish The (Plastic) Bags' Campaign Update: Morrison's Latest to Make Announcement; Tesco Holds Firm

>March 5, 2008: Britain's 'Banish The (Plastic) Bag' Campaign and Tesco: London Street Artist 'Celebrates' the Tesco Plastic Bag; More UK Retailers to Charge Bag Fee

>March 8, 2008: More UK Retailers Jump On The 'Banish The (Plastic) Bag' Campaign.

>March 4, 2008: "Message From Across the Pond: Tesco is Right Square in the Middle of the 'Banish the (Plastic) Bags' Campaign in the United Kingdom

>May 1, 2008: Green Retailing Report: UK Supermarket Chain Waitrose Creates A 'Reusable-Bag Only' 'Green' Checkout Lane in One of Its Stores

>April 21, 2008: Earth Day 2008: Massachusetts'-Based Stop & Shop Supermarket Chain and General Mills Launch Free Reusable Shopping Bag Cross-Promotion For Earth Day

[Follow Fresh & Easy Buzz around on Twitter.com at www.twitter.com/freshneasybuzz.]

Strategy Session: The In-Store Reusable Bag-Sharing Program -- A Way For Grocers to Significantly Increase Reusable Bag Use Among Shoppers

Earth Week 2009: 'Green' Behavior Change Through Innovation & Effort

Yesterday was Earth Day 2009, the official day of celebration of the planet earth, its natural resources, conservation and related pro-environmental behaviors. But all this week is Earth Week, which is being observed by community groups, businesses, including grocery retailers, environmental groups and individuals.

Yesterday in this story [April 22, 2009: Earth Day 2009: California-Based Grocers Conducting A Myriad Of Reusable Bag Promotions Today; Other 'Green' Activities For Earth Day] we wrote about Earth Day 2009 "green" activities that a number of California-based grocers, including Tesco's Fresh & Easy, were conducting in their stores, including offering reusable shopping bags at reduced prices and in the case of a number of grocers for free.

In our piece yesterday we mentioned that Fresh & Easy Buzz would be offering a suggested reusable shopping bag program for food and grocery retailers, both in the United States and globally, that if implemented by a number of chains and independents, has the potential to significantly increase reusable bag use by consumers and thereby reduce the volume of single-use plastic carrier bags and paper grocery sacks distributed by retailers, and used by shoppers.

Our program is a simple one, based on various elements of behavior change and mere convenience. It requires retailers to initiate it, and consumers to participate in it.

We call the program "The In-Store Reusable Bag-Sharing & Exchange." Retailers that adopt it -- which we hope many will -- can call it what they choose.

The program is extremely low-cost for retailers, and requires devoting very little store space to it. How can they lose?

Below is the blueprint for "The In-Store Reusable Bag-Sharing & Exchange" program which we invite retailers in California, Nevada and Arizona, along with the rest of the U.S. and throughout the world, to implement in their stores.

The In-Store Reusable Bag-Sharing & Exchange Program

The reusable bag exchange program for food and grocery retailers (and for that matter all format retailers) is a simple and straighforward one.

Grocers will dedicate a small space in their stores (perhaps a kiosk-like set up), most logically in the front of the store near the checkout lanes, in which they place a table, counter or bin containing reusable shopping bags. Their is signage at the in-store reusable bag kiosk explaining what it is -- that it is a spot where shoppers are encouraged to take the number of reusable bags they need, take them with them to checkout, and have their groceries packed in the reusable bags rather than requesting single-use plastic or paper bags.

The signage at the reusable bag exchange kiosk also explains the premise of the program, which is "take-a-reusable-bag(s)-bring-back-a-reusable-bag(s)." In other words the program is based on the age-old behaviors of sharing and reciprocity. If a shopper takes two reusable bags from the in-store kiosk, she knows to bring at least two bags back with her on her next store visit.

We think the program also will encourage "bagless" shoppers who arrive at the store without their own reusable shopping bags to actually purchase reusable bags at the store, at times not wanting to take a bag or more unless they have a replacement at their ready. But it is fine if they do. The point of the program is to encourage reusable bag use over plastic or paper.

And we suspect that over time most shoppers will not only bring one bag to the store but many will bring back multiples, wanting to contribute to the kiosk's inventory because they know others who take bags might not bring back bags. They also will want to make up for the previous "bagless" deficit.

We also believe that many shoppers, especially "greenies" and serious proponents of reusable shopping bags, will see the in-store reusable bag kiosk and the sharing program and actually buy two or three or even more reusable bags in the store and add them to the kiosk's inventory. Retailers can include a sign at the kiosk encouraging this practice.

In this way it's similar to the take-a-penny-leave-a-penny containers at the counters in many convenience and other retail stores. The volume of pennies taken to pennies left by customers generally always balances out.

Once the in-store reusable bag sharing program is in place we also believe environmental and community groups will provide bags -- as will bag makers -- to the stores as a way to join in the program -- to become part of the solution.

We suggest retailers kick-off the reusable bag program by donating a number (25 -to- 50 canvas reusable bags per store that retail for $1.00 each is a good start) of their reusable bags, placing them at the in-store bag-sharing kiosk or space on opening day.

Additionally, nearly every grocery chain and independent's vendors would be more than happy to donate some reusable bags. We bet that without much effort a retailer could get 50 -to- 100 reusable bags donated for each store to start the program by having company category managers and buyers make just a few telephone calls to suppliers and brokers.

From there retailers might have to add a few bags to replenish the supply now and then. But the amount of money they will be saving from the reduction in shopper use of plastic and paper bags at checkout will more than make-up for that small cost. And supplier paticipation can be a regular practice.

Also, we suggest retailers get employees involved. A supermarket that employees 100 workers needs for only each of them to spend $1.00 in order to have an instant 100 reusable bags for the kisok, for example.

And once again, we suggest getting community groups and schools involved -- and they will want to be.

And we bet that when "green" shoppers see only three of four bags at the kiosk at any given time many of them will buy three or four to add to the supply. It's there program -- not just the store's.

Conclusion:

We've provided the basic blueprint for the "In-Store Reusable Bag-Sharing Program." It's basic elements are:

>The premise: offer reusable bags for free in the stores, to be shared by shoppers. Shoppers follow a simple "take-a-bag-leave-a-bag" practice.

>Retailers dedicate a space in the store, preferably in the front-end near the checkout, for the reusable bag customer kiosk. Signage draws shoppers to the kiosk and explains what the bag sharing program is all about. We also suggest small paper handouts, including bag-stuffers, that communicate the bag program to customers.

Retailers should also promote the program in their weekly advertising circulars and via other media, such as on their Web sites. The program also should be promoted by sending news releases to media outlets, who we believe will jump on the chance to write about it.

Using this basic blueprint, retailers can customize the in-store reusable bag-sharing program as they see fit. It can be simple and minimal or more fancy and elaborate. A small kiosk in-store or a larger one.

We think that if enough retailers adopt this program, there eventually will be a dramatic reduction in plastic and paper bag use over time because of it. It's all about scale and changing shopper behavior. Grocers are in the unique position to do that in-store.

Food and grocery retailers are right square in the point-of-purchase line of fire when it comes to the super-hot single-use plastic bag and lesser but still heated paper grocery sack issue. Bag ban (particularly single-use plastic) and bag fee laws have been passed -- and more are being proposed -- including a statewide bag fee law in California, as we reported in this April 16, 2009 story: Two New Bills in California State Assembly Would Put 25-Cent Per Bag Fee on Both Single-Use Plastic and Paper Carrier Bags.

China has banned single-use plastic carrier bags, as has Taiwan. A number of countries in Africa have also banned the single-use plastic carrier bags.

Ireland has placed a fee on the plastic bags, which they say has caused a 94% reduction in their distribution and use since implementing the law a few years ago.

Britain is currently flirting with other a plastic bag ban or fee legislation, and has started a national PR campaign to encourage consumers to bring reusable bags with them when they go shopping.

Many cities in Canada (and the nation is considering a national plastic bag ban or fee law) and the U.S. have already banned single-use plastic carrier bags, including San Francisco and Palo Alto in Northern California and Manhattan Beach in Southern California, although its law is being challenged in court by a plastic bag industry trade group.

The County of Los Angeles is considering either banning the bags or adopting a fee law. It's waiting first to see if the statewide plastic and paper bag fee legislation currently working its way through the California Assembly passes first. If not, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors say they likely will pass their own legislation.

And Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire-Mayor of New York City, has announced that he plans to promote a single-use plastic carrier bag bill this year that if passed would levy a 15-cent -to- 35-cent consumer fee on all single-use plastic bags requested by shoppers at the city's retail stores.

Numerous other cities, counties and U.S. states are debating bag ban and bag fee laws in addition to those listed above, as are many others throughout the world.

Grocers are at the nexus of the issue because they are the retailers that distribute the most single-use plastic carrier bags and paper grocery sacks, due to the nature of the store format.

We believe the reusable bag sharing program outlined above offers the retail food and grocery industry in the U.S. and globally a way to demonstrate its commitment to reducing plastic and paper bag use and increasing consumer use of reusable bags. It's a win-win for retailers regardless of bag bans or bag fee laws. It also is a way to help them get out of the direct line of fire a bit in a positive and proactive rather than mere public relations-only way.

The bag-sharing program also is an economic win for grocers and other retailers. After all, single-use plastic carrier bags and paper grocery sacks cost grocers money. Imagine how much money a big retail chain like Wal-Mart, Kroger or Safeway could save if plastic and paper bag use was reduced in half in each chain's respective stores over the next two year, for example. We can tell you -- lots of money.

And even a small 30 or 50-store chain (and even smaller) stands to save money if a 50% or more (or even less) reduction in plastic and paper bag use occurs.

Food retailing is a penny profit business. Therefore every penny saved, including on things like carrier bags, adds up. After all, a penny here, a penny there, pretty soon you are talking real money in the retail grocery business.

But even more important than the important economic benefits mentioned above, instituting the in-store reusable bag sharing program demonstrates a retailer's "green" retailing commitment in the area of natural resource reduction and related environmental attributes involving the single-use bags.

The first movers (first retailers to start such a bag-sharing program) in adopting this program stand to gain the kind of positive public relations attention for their businesses that paid advertising, regardless of the amount spent, can't deliver.

So we offer up the program to America's and the world's food and grocery retailers. And of course to consumers, the key in making the program an ultimate success. And perhaps in getting grocers to start the program.

We also encourage the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), the national trade association for the supermarket industry in the U.S., along with major state grocers' associations like the California Grocers Association (CGA), to look at the reusable bag sharing program and perhaps adopt it for its retailer members, acting as a coordinator and clearing house for such a program for the retailers. (It offers great PR and and advocacy elements as well as being a positive social and environmental program to do.)

We don't take a position on telling shoppers to bring their own bags to the store. That's up to them.

But we do know from experience and based on research that creating programs like the in-store reusable bag exchange will alter consumer behavior by in this case making it more convenient for shoppers to use reusable bags, along with putting the issue right in front of all of us right in the store.

Most consumers want to do the right thing -- and there is now a consensus among all parties, including grocers -- that using reusable bags is the right thing to do. Therefore making it easier for them to the right thing vis-a-vis carrier bags is a win-win for grocers and the retail food and grocery industry overall. We believe the in-store reusable bag-sharing program offers a major step for grocers in doing that.

[Readers: If you like the program feel free to share this post with others by clicking on the little file folder below, at the end of this post. When you do so it allows you to e-mail the post to whomever you desire.

If you are a reader who works in the food and grocery retailing industry, and you like the program, feel free to share it with your bosses and associates. Or if you work in the industry in a non-retail capacity, share it with your retailer customers and associates.

Lastly, if you are a reader who likes the program, feel free to post the story on whatever social media and news sights you use. Also feel free to e-mail it to your favorite (or even not so favorite) grocers, be they Wal-Mart, Whole Foods Market, Safeway, Kroger, Tesco's Fresh & Easy or the tens of thousands of others in the U.S. and throughout the world.]

[Follow Fresh & Easy Buzz around on Twitter.com at www.twitter.com/freshneasybuzz.]

Earth Day 2009: California-Based Grocers Conducting A Myriad Of Reusable Bag Promotions Today; Other 'Green' Activities For Earth Day

The attractive and compelling Earth Day 2009 graphic above was created by artist dana gray for the Environmental Council of Sacramento, California's Earth Day 2009 activities. Learn more about those activities here: Environmental Council of Sacramento. [Graphic courtesy of Environmental Council of Sacramento.]

Numerous grocers in California, which arguably leads the U.S. when it comes to "green" initiatives, are celebrating Earth Day today by offering reusable shopping bags to shoppers at greatly reduced costs -- and in the case of many retailers for free.

For example, all day today, El Segundo (Southern) California-based Tesco Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market is giving customers one of its free reusable canvas shopping bags in return for making a purchase of $10 or more in its stores in California (Southern and Bakersfield), southern Nevada and Metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona.

The Fresh & Easy reusable canvas bags normally sell for 99 cents each.

In addition:

>Supervalu's Inc.'s Albertsons chain in Southern California is giving away free reusable shopping bags at its stores in Santa Barbara, Calabasas and Southgate. Employees of the chain are also volunteering their time to assist in cleaning four state parks in San Diego.

>KV Mart, a Southern California-based privately-held supermarket chain, is going Albertsons one better in the free bag giveaway department: It's giving out a set amount of free reusable shopping bags in all of its Southern California stores today.

>Reno, Nevada-based Scolari’s Food & Drug, a family-owned supermarket chain, is giving the first 100 customers at each of its stores a free reusable shopping bag today.

>the upscale, Southern California-based Bristol Farms chain, which also is owned by Supervalu, Inc., is giving shoppers in its Southern California (and its one store in San Francisco in Northern California) supermarkets a free, high-quality reusable shopping bag for purchases of $25 or more made in its stores today.

>Another upscale Southern California chain, Gelsons, has created a special Earth Day 2009 limited edition reusable shopping bag which it's giving free to customers who buy $25 or more worth of groceries in its stores all day today.

>Modesto, California-based Save Mart Supermarkets (about 230 stores), which operates Save Mart banner supermarkets and Food Maxx banner discount warehouse stores in Central and Northern California -- from Bakersfield south to San Joaquin County in the north -- and Lucky banner supermarkets in the San Fancisco Bay Area, Sacramento region and other parts of Northern Califronia -- has teamed up with the makers of Tropicana brand orange juice in an Earth Day reusable bag extravaganza in all of its stores.

For each 128oz bottle of Tropicana Pure Premium Orange Juice customers purchase (the juice is advertised all week for $6.29 each in Save Mart-owned stores), they receive three free "Save Mart" reusable canvas shopping bags. The cross-promotion with Save Mart is part of Tropicana's "Save the Rainforests" campaign, in which the brand is donating money towards saving and preserving the rainforests.

>Safeway Stores, Inc. which operates supermarkets under the Safeway, Vons, Pak N Save and The Market banners in California, Nevada and Arizona, is giving shoppers a free, high-quality reusable shopping bag with purchases of $50 or more in its stores all day today. We're surprised Safeway is requiring such a high minimum purchase, since in the past the retailer has actually given reusable bags away for free. Maybe next Earth Day?

In addition to the reusable bag promotions and giveaways, numerous California-based supermarket chains are doing other good "green" deeds today for Earth Day.

For example:

>Sacramento, California-based Raley's Family of Fine Food Stores, which operates 133 supermarkets under the Raley's, Bel-Air, Nob Hill Foods and Food Source (warehouse stores) banners throughout Northern California and northern Nevada, is opening its "greenest" store today. The store is located in the San Francisco Bay Area city of Petaluma. The Petaluma Raley's banner supermarket has received a "gold" rating by LEED, the organization that certifies "green" commercial buildings in the U.S.. The only rating above "gold" is LEED's "platinum" rating.

The Petaluma store also employs state of the art refrigeration systems and a new induction lighting processes that dramatically decrease the amount of energy use in a building. Raley's says it is the first supermarket chain to use the new induction lightling system in the U.S.

Raley's is conducting all sorts of Earth Day activities at the Petaluma store grand opening, as it is at all of its 133 supermarkets.

>Natural and organic grocery chain Whole Foods Market, Inc. is holding a vitual Earth Day 2009 festival in its stores in California, Nevada, Arizona and elsewhere throughout the U.S. (and in Canada and the United Kingdom). Among those activities include giving away free trees to shoppers, selected free reusable bag giveaways, and partnership promotions with numorous local environmental and community organizations for Earth Day 2009, along with numerous other "green" activities.

Whole Foods also announced today that it plans to dramatically increase its use of alternative energy at its distribution facilities and stores, including putting solar panels on many of its natural and organic foods supermarkets.

>Wal-Mart also announced today it plans to significantly increase the number of its stores that have solar power systems on panels. The majority of the new stores Wal-Mart will be adding the solar panels to are in California and the Western U.S. Selected Wal-mat stores also are giving away free reusable shopping bags today.

>Southern California-based supermarket chain Stater Bros (based in the Inland Empire region). and Arizona-based natural foods chain Sprouts Farmers Market, which has a number of stores in Southern California, have both announced they are making a financial and corporate involvement committment tothe U.S. National Park system in the Western U.S. That committment is to help preserve and conserve the National Parks, which are a true American heritage and treasure.

>Los Angeles based Superior Grocers, a multi-store independent, is providing water and fresh fruit to volunteers participating in a tree planting event in the Sixth District of Los Angeles.

>Rainbow Natural Market, a high-volume natural foods cooperative supermarket in San Francisco, is holding an Earth Day 2009 festival in and outside its store today. The event consists of numerous informational and educational booth on topics like local foods, recycling and more. There's also local and organic food tastings, demonstrations of ways to "green" the home, and other pro-environment kinds of activities.

The examples we've listed above of what grocers based in California, the Western U.S., and elsewhere in the country are doing for Earth Day 2009 are merely the tip of the iceberg. Other chains and independents are doing similar and other activities, all designed around the Earth Day conservation and "green" theme.

In California, the California Grocers Association (CGA), the Sacramento, California-based food and grocery industry trade association for chains and independents, has played a major role in encouraging its grocer-members to sponsor reusable shopping bag promotions and giveaways today.

The trade group is committed to playing its part in getting more California shoppers to use reusable bags at its member's food and grocery stores. CGA members include most all of the leading chains and independents with stores in California.

"Using reusable bags is one of the easiest and most effective ways to have a positive impact on our environment," Ronald Fong, President and CEO of the California Grocers Association (CGA), said today. "On Earth Day 2009, we (the CGA) intend to increase reusable bag awareness and educate consumers to the benefits of their use."

"Grocers have sold reusable bags for years, Fong says, but it wasn't until the passage of Assembly Bill 2449 – California’s statewide plastic bag recycling bill – in 2007, and the increased worldwide focus on sustainability, that reusable shopping bags moved into the environmental spotlight."

The law requires supermarkets in California to sell reusable shopping bags, along with placing recycling bins in their stores for shoppers to return single-use plastic carrier bags to from home.

As Fresh & Easy Buzz reported in this April 16, 2009 story [Two New Bills in California State Assembly Would Put 25-Cent Per Bag Fee on Both Single-Use Plastic and Paper Carrier Bags], new proposed legislation is currently making its way through the California State Assembly in Sacramento that would levy a 25-cent per bag fee on all single-use plastic carrier bags and paper grocery sacks shoppers request in supermarkets, chain drug stores and convenience chain stores in the Golden State.

This proposed legislation, some version of which looks likely to pass this year, makes the effort by California's grocers to promote reusable bag use by customers in their stores all the more important on this Earth Day -- and beyond.

Of course, if a consumer behavior change would take hold, in which more shoppers bring their own bags to the store with them, such legislation wouldn't be needed. After all, in the larger scheme of things it really is up to each one of us as consumers and shoppers to use reusable bags and thus contribute to decreasing the use of non-renewable energy sources, isn't it?

Later today Fresh & Easy Buzz will publish a suggested, simple program, that if implemented by grocers in California and elsewhere we believe could lead to a dramatic increase in the use of reusable shopping bags by shoppers. Of course, that program, like any and all others, will require consumer cooperation and participation in order to work.

Stay tuned.

Happy Earth Day 2009.

[Editor's Note: Information about the reusable canvas shopping bag pictured above is available here.]

[You can follow Fresh & Easy Buzz around on Twitter.com at www.twitter.com/freshneasybuzz.]

Related stories and posts:

>April 9, 2009: Competitor News: One Year Since Eliminating Plastic Bags in Stores Whole Foods Market Says Reusable Bag Use Tripled; 150 Million Bags Out of Landfills

>April 8, 2009: News & Analysis: Tesco's Fresh & Easy Gets Reprieve As Manhattan Beach, California Plastic Bag Ban Law Held Up By Plastic Bag Industry Group's Lawsuit

>April 21, 2008: Earth Day 2008: Whole Foods Market, Inc. Becomes the First Major U.S. Food and Grocery Retailer to Stop Using Single-Use Plastic Carrier Bags Tomorrow

>March 19, 2009: Another Tesco Fresh & Easy Future Market City Bans the (Plastic) Bag: No Plastic Carrier Bags In Palo Alto, CA Supermarkets Starting September 18th

>March 7, 2009: Analysis & Commentary: The Seven Retail Operations Changes Tesco's Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market Needs to Make to Help it Get On the Success Track

>December 7, 2008: Fresh & Easy Offers New Definition of 'Double Bagging;' Says Sales of Reusable Bags Has Doubled Since Introducing its 99-Cent Bag in October

>August 13, 2008: Tesco to Offer Shoppers Free Plastic Bags in UK Stores Only if Requested; Still Offering Plastic Bags-Only in Fresh & Easy USA Stores; No Paper Option

>August 1, 2008: Bag Bans and Fees: Seattle, Washington Imposes 20-Cent Fee On Single-Use Plastic Carrier Bags; Bans the Use of Foam Meat Trays in Supermarkets

>July 23, 2008: Plastic or Plastic: Single-Use Plastic Carrier Bag Bans in California Cities Threatening Tesco Fresh & Easy's Free 'Plastic Bag-Only' Policy

>September 25, 2008: Competitor News: Wal-Mart Joins Tesco, Others in Announcing A Plastic Bag Reduction Program of its Own

>April 20, 2008: Earth Day 2008: California Bag-Fee Bill AB 2058 Passes California State Assembly Natural Resource Committee; Next Stop Appropriations Committee

>April 21, 2008: Earth Day 2008: City of Los Angeles, CGA and Southern California Grocery Chains Partner in Major Reuseable Shopping Bag Giveaway Promotion

>April 18, 2008: Earth Day 2008: New Issues Are Beginning to Emerge With Growing Consumer Use of Reusable Shopping Bags: Worker Injuries, Shoplifting, 'Double-Bagging'

>April 24, 2008: Legislation: Oakland, California's Plastic Grocery Bag Ban Law Not in the 'Bag' Yet

>April 13, 2008: California State Assembly Natural Resource Committee to Vote on Statewide 25-cent Single-Use Plastic Carrier Bag-Fee on Monday

>March 15, 2008: UK 'Banish The (Plastic) Bags' Campaign Update: Morrison's Latest to Make Announcement; Tesco Holds Firm

>March 5, 2008: Britain's 'Banish The (Plastic) Bag' Campaign and Tesco: London Street Artist 'Celebrates' the Tesco Plastic Bag; More UK Retailers to Charge Bag Fee

>March 8, 2008: More UK Retailers Jump On The 'Banish The (Plastic) Bag' Campaign.

>March 4, 2008: "Message From Across the Pond: Tesco is Right Square in the Middle of the 'Banish the (Plastic) Bags' Campaign in the United Kingdom

>May 1, 2008: Green Retailing Report: UK Supermarket Chain Waitrose Creates A 'Reusable-Bag Only' 'Green' Checkout Lane in One of Its Stores

>April 21, 2008: Earth Day 2008: Massachusetts'-Based Stop & Shop Supermarket Chain and General Mills Launch Free Reusable Shopping Bag Cross-Promotion For Earth Day