Natural-Fiber Bags Help Decrease Poverty in Laos

Wow, those are really cool. 

These bags truly are awesome! I have several of my own and use them for everything from holding my daughters toys and costumes, to grocery shopping, to heading to and from the pool with our wet gear! They are probably the most durable bags I've ever seen, which is completely contrary to what they look. They look so fragile with their dainty looking weaved design, but they are SO strong and expandable. I think the best thing about these bags is how I feel when I'm using them. Not only are they good for the environment by being reusable, I know I'm helping to reduce poverty in a part of the world that desperately needs help. We might not be able to fix all the problems in this country or the world, but we can start by making one change at a time!

I have three of these that I use regularly (in fact, one that I use every single day). My friends loved them so much that several have bought them, both for themselves and for gifts. They hold a ton, are really stylish, AND they are support a true poverty-reduction project. I highly recommend these bags!!!!

I have a few of these and they are nice - durable, flexible, strong. They are also easier to ball up and stuff into a backpack or purse than other reusable grocery bags sold by grocery stores. I use mine weekly for food purchases - no disposable bags!! These help to reduce poverty in a foreign country in a way that buying US-made bags could not possibly achieve. Poverty in the US has long, tangled roots in issues of health care, education, taxes and wealth distribution. You could do more for US poverty with a vote than a reusable bag. But, buying handmade goods like Nature Bags from countries or communities where the income is enough to prop up their whole economy makes a huge difference. Please see the video for a better picture: http://www.naturebag.org

I can personally attest to what a good buy these bags are. I've been amazed at how much I can actually fit into them. They stretch, but things don't move and jumble around in them. I literally filled mine up the other day with 28 cans of soda, hung it up in the garage and took it to a party a few days later. Not only is it big enough to fill that full, and strong enough to hold that load for days, but after I removed all the cans it went back to it's normal shape! I'm DONE buying the $1 canvas bags that just break! Not to mention that it makes me feel so good to know that my money is going to people who -really- need it. I own 4 bags, all different sizes, shapes and colors, but it sounds like they're all unique. If you haven't seen the video of people who make these, it's worth a minute. I found it on their websight NatureBag.ORG, and I know it's on YouTube too. Just Type in Nature Bag 2010. Enjoy all!

My wife and I have been trying to be very "carbon footprint conscious" in the last year or so. A friend of hers came over a few months ago and brought all of her food items in one of these bags. My wife just raved over it because it's so "pretty", but we were SHOCKED to find out that "pretty" isn't it's only quality. We never expected it to be such a sturdy and expandable bag. I ended up surprising her with 3 of her own for her birthday and we've been using them consistently ever since. I'd like to say we'll buy more when these ones wear out, but I now see that it's not likely that they're going to wear out! We plan on getting more for family and friends this Christmas.

I saw a spot on these bags on CNNs web sight and thought I'd do a little more research. They're very intriguing and from the looks of all the positive feedback I've been seeing I might need to try some out for myself....Here's the link to the CNN piece:     http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-347448

These bags are wonderful! The best part is you can fold them up to fit in your pocket and pull them out when you need them.

I have one of these bags myself and I did not think much of it when I saw it the first time, because it is not exactly glamorous, but I have found out that it is very handy for carrying all sorts of things from heavy grocery store cans to books for a lecture. It is both flexible and surprisingly strong, so the mountain people of Laos really show us a small artifact of genuine biological insight here, I think.