Samantha Lundin Thom

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NC7MH3EzBWM]

I’ve done a little research to learn more about the Japanese tradition of using furoshiki to wrap purchases, use as a bag, or for gift wrapping. These cloths can be folded in a multitude of ways to carry anything. The Japanese Minister for the Environment is now calling for a return to this Japanese tradition to reduce the amount of plastic bags being consumed. I saw one site that quoted Japan uses 30 billion plastic bags annually. Just think of how many we must use here in Canada.

I like furoshiki better than the current Canadian craze for post-consumer pop-bottle fabric bags because they are more compact to bring along on errand day and much more versatile. Check out furoshiki.com for more details. Plus, here’s a very informative video showing three different folding options for everyday use.