Greening The Marin Farmers' Market

Sunday was BYOB day at the Civic Center Market and the market did a great job - the vendors all had brown bags. The only plastic I saw was reused, which people carried with them from home.

The market was giving away canvas bags and the Green Sangha, was giving away for a donation, cotton net produce bags.

It almost felt wrong putting a bunch of dusty radishes and damp cilantro into a clean net bag. Free plastic bags off the roll I used to throw away, but now I've got beautiful bags that cost money. I want to keep them pristine.

I'm getting over it, slowly, but new habits take time, I keep reminding myself.

Another group that included the West Marin farmer at Paradise Valley Produce, had made and were actually making on the spot, produce bags from second hand t-shirts. The beauty of the bags were the labels kids had decorated that were stitched onto the front.

One woman had a soft sided basket with handles that she carefully laid her produce in with no bags at all. "This is how we did it as I was growing up," she said and ran off.

"I put everything in tupperware once I get home," a man said as he filled a brown bag with lettuce.

I whipped out a green bio bag and grabbed some lettuce too. "These are the bags to get," the farmer said pointing towards me.

I was trying to not let the wet greens stick to the side of the bag and have this green limelight moment turn into a plastic wrap debacle. No such luck.

The bio bags stretch when they come in contact with water taking on a strange consistency. The lettuce fell out of the bag, I went after it, the canvas bag with eggs, roots and broccoli on my shoulder hurled itself south. I couldn't untangle my left hand from the bio bag. I smiled. They politely looked away.

Along with plastic bags the market seemed to have also banned plastic boxes. I didn't see a one.

There were however a lot of people and even though that made parking a chore we were all pretty nice about it. And being nice to my neighbors is probably the most important greening I can do. Even when they do take the last damn parking space.