A recent trip to the grocery story got me pondering two questions: why doesn’t everybody use canvas shopping bags, and why do people buy bottled water? All this unnecessary plastic in our world is unhealthy for people and the environment.

When I traveled to Bangladesh in 2003, I noticed something different about the streets of Dhaka as compared to other big cities I have visited in Asia, Africa and Central America. It took me a while to realize that the difference was the lack of plastic trash.

If you don’t bring your own reusable bag, grocery stores in Bangladesh will sell you a bag made of hemp. These cheaply made hemp bags aren’t very sturdy and don’t last as long as canvas bags, but they are biodegradable.

Besides Bangladesh, Taiwan, South Africa, Ireland, Australia and Italy have enacted policies to prohibit or discourage the use of plastic shopping bags.

Canvas shopping bags are fantastic. They are strong and much easier to carry than paper or plastic bags. They never break. Many grocery stores will deduct 5 cents from your total each time you use your own bag. If your local store doesn’t do this, they should; have a talk with the manager.

I have saved at least 20 cents per week in the 10 years that I have been using canvas bags; that’s $104. Not a huge sum, but it makes up for the small amount of extra effort it takes to remember to carry the canvas bags in the car and take them into the store each time I go shopping.

If stores charged shoppers 5 cents or more for each paper or plastic bag used for their purchases, we would be motivated to bring our own bags. This would be a more successful strategy than the current practice of refunding 5 cents for bringing your own bag.

Using reusable shopping bags is not just about saving money. It’s about teaching children about reusing and recycling. It’s about cutting down on the amount of plastic and paper trash in our communities and in our landfills. It’s about recognizing that manufacturing paper and plastic bags uses energy and creates pollution.

On to the topic of bottled water. I’ve been to almost every county in Oregon and to at least half of the counties in Washington. I’ve yet to encounter foul-tasting tap water. Whether it’s good tasting or not, municipal water in the United States is closely monitored and is safe to drink.

So why do some people in the Pacific Northwest buy bottled water by the case?

I doubt that flavor is the issue, so it must be convenience. Maybe it’s a status thing to be seen sipping imported spring water.

I’ve seen bottled water selling for as much as $3.50 a bottle in a movie theater. I’m amazed that anyone would pay this much for something we can get for free from a drinking fountain.

Even if you’re buying the cheapest bottled water at 49 cents a liter ( still more expensive than gasoline), there are hidden costs. Most plastic water bottles are made of a plastic called PET, which is petroleum based. The manufacturing process causes toxic emissions, and fossil fuels are burned as the bottled water is transported from factories to stores.

There is no deposit on plastic bottles, so there is no financial incentive to recycle them. Only about 12 percent of plastic water bottles are recycled; millions of bottles end up in landfills each day.

I envision a world where everyone has their own refillable water bottle or cup, and fills up at a sink or drinking fountain as needed. Carry that bottle around in a canvas bag and you’ll be helping the environment while saving money.

Kathryn B. Brown is a family nurse practitioner with a master’s degree in nursing from OHSU. Is there a health topic you would like to read about? Send ideas to kbbrown@eastoregonian.com. You can find more local health news and information in the Health section at www.daily astorian.info