ONE THING IKEA SELLS THAT WILL LAST IS THEIR REUSEABLE BAGS

When the grocery store cashier asks you if you'd like paper or plastic, more and more people are responding "neither."Most supermarket chains are now selling reusable, eco-friendly bags, and this week, Whole Foods Market announced it's doing away with all of its disposable plastic bags."And our customers, to be honest with you, have really been leading this effort," said Whole Foods marketing director Kim Wynnyckyi. "A lot of them bring their own bags on a regular basis."

"I do love that idea," said shopper Monique Mead. "As a matter of fact, I just spent 10 years in Germany where there ain't no such thing. If you want plastic bags, you have to pay for them."Furniture giant IKEA charges a nickel per bag, hoping to convince customers to turn to inexpensive, reusable bags.But skeptics might wonder how much the changes really affect the environment. On an individual basis, not all that much, according to some experts, however, "over time, as the numbers build, yes, it could be quite a significant impact," said Helen Humphries of the Department of Environmental Protection.Plastic bags are made partially from oil and can take hundreds of years to decompose. According to the state, most are never recycled, turning into environmental hazards or at the very least, eyesores.But paper, by most accounts, isn't exactly eco-friendly either."It takes 13 percent more energy to produce a paper bag than two plastic bags," said Humphries.And it takes even more energy to recycle, Humphries said.