If you are choosing a reusable bag, look closely at a product such as the Nature Bag.This eco-friendly bag is clearly beneficial for everyone concerned because of its long life-cycle, biodegradability, freedom from agricultural production, miniscule weight, stretchable versatility, absence of manufacturing, life-enriching impact on its at-home makers, practical beauty and thousands of years of rigorous in-use testing, refinement & sustainability.
What is Nature Bag?
The Nature Bag is unique in style, structure and shape. Homemade in Laos from wild-growing JungleVine™ cord, its design has been perfected by thousands of years of use on steep mountainsides by the Khmu indigenous minority. The result is a sturdy versatile eco-friendly bag evolved from the survival necessity of safely carrying a day’s harvest.
Who makes the Eco-Friendly Bag?
Southeast Asia’s poorest make these environment-friendly tote bags at home by hand. Coordination and quality control come from a 23 year-old Laotian student. Skilled volunteers empower our poverty-reduction mission. Funding is entirely private, mainly from an elderly disabled American.
Why use Nature Bag?
The stretchable durable reusable grocery bags provide a fashionable ultimate green way to leave non-organic bags behind. JungleVine™ fabric, from tropical kudzu, purifies our air by removing harmful carbon and creating oxygen to breathe. Making these natural bags at home aids in child nurturing, preserves traditional social interaction and needs no wasteful commuting.
3. How do I choose the right size?
Described Size Minimum Non-stretched dimensions
Smallest 5" long 4" high (12 cm long 10 cm high)
XSmall 8" long 6" high (20 cm long 15 cm high)
Small 10" long 6" high (25 cm long 15 cm high)
Medium 12" long 8" high (30 cm long 20 cm high)
Large 15" long 10" high (38 cm long 25 cm high)
XLarge 17" long 11" high (43 cm long 28 cm high)
Jumbo 21" long 12" high (53 cm long 31 cm high)
Because of the varying structural characteristics of the bags, physical dimensions do not sufficiently indicate the carrying capacity of the bag sizes. Each bag stretches, but to varying extents and in different ways. The best means of choosing a bag according to your carrying needs is to look at the photos demonstrating capabilities you can expect from each size. As a base line, the medium bag will hold 4 2-litre containers of beverages.
How do I clean my Nature Bag? |
The JungleVine™ resists dirt and stains. Many users never clean their bags. Dry cleaning is the recommended method. Professional dry cleaning restores a bag to its new condition. If you have a cotton strap, it likely will be the part of the bag needing the most cleaning care. Following the instructions for a good quality spot home dry cleaning product can be the most convenient means of dealing with a heavily soiled strap. Or use laundry or dish detergent and warm water with a brush for either spot cleaning or for the entire strap. Rinse well with cold water. Hang by the strap with some weight in the bag to dry.
What if I wash my Nature Bag or it becomes saturated by rain, perspiration or other liquid?
Don’t be overly concerned, but be prepared for considerable shrinkage if the JungleVine™ is not stretched during the drying process. Most shrinkage can be prevented by continuing to use the bag for cargo while it dries. If the bag is loaded with something heavy and then hung by its strap to air dry, there will be very little shrinkage, and most shrinking that occurs will be reversed by subsequent ordinary use. Gallon or 2 liter beverage containers filled with water or other liquid are excellent cargo for your bag during drying. Load the bag as much as possible by both volume and weight and hang it over the knob or top of a door, making sure that the strap is open to its full width and not twisted or folded. If you machine wash or dry, do not use heat. We have not tested the Nature Bag using bleach in the washing process.
Will they wear out?
Good question. We do not know the answer. Our experience has been that bags never actually wear out. What happens is that small holes eventually grow or, more likely, consolidate with other small holes. Snagging and resulting holes or rips are the most vulnerable aspects of the Nature Bag. Some owners claim that they have repaired such damage. We’ve simply continued using ours. Holes or rips grow very slowly, if at all, because of the design of the knotting used in the cargo compartment’s formation and the subtle “tackiness” of the JungleVine™ surface which tends to keep pieces of JungleVine™ cord attached to each other even without finished knots.
A Nature Bag is not cheap. How do I protect my investment?
Avoid snags. Smaller sized bags are less likely to snag external surfaces than larger ones. Do not place objects with sharp edges in a Nature Bag so that there is repeated forceful contact between the sharp edge and nearby JungleVine™ cord. If you have cargo with square corners or other points, take a little time to fit the bag around the object so that its full weight or support is not pressed tightly into a single stitch opening. Don’t be self-conscious about holes that develop. Consider such holes an aspect of the bag’s special characteristics. Explain to others that they are consistent with the sustainable fashion statement you are making.USES????? Shopping, marketing, swimming bag, gym bag, carry all bag, tote bag,::::I am sure lots of ideas come to mind for many.
Standard Shipping and Handling Fee TO ANYPOSTALADDRESS ON THEPLANET IS $10 for up to 5 bags. For 6 to 16 bags the Shipping and Handling Fee is $16. Please contact me for a Pay Pal invoice (bag, size)----otherwise the shipping will appear in the check-out as more costly than quoted here. (diverdown@kirkscubagear.com)
"The Khumu people have made these types bags for centuries, and are now able to use their skills to reach out to the modern world and reduce poverty in their region by making Nature Bags available for sale. Consumers around the world now have an opportunity to benefit from the quality of the work and craftsmanship of the Khumu people and to provide poverty reduction assistance to an area that so badly needs it." — mgwhite at http://www.hubpages.com
“I like keeping everything local on Homegrown, so I was happy to find a great local connection to a green product that helps keep a group of people in southeast Asia out of poverty. It’s also great to hear about a use for kudzu, which is an invasive vine in the United States, especially in the south. I wonder if it’s viewed the same way in Asia.”
"This is not your mother’s generic mesh-like bag…. Because each Nature Bag is handmade at homes of the Khmu tribe members and not in a factory, no two bags are identical." — http://www.oceanstylemagazine.com
"For thousands of years, these bags have only been made in the homes of the Khmu ethnic group of Laos, a landlocked country in Southeast Asia with one of the lowest per capita income levels in the world. Aimed at reducing poverty in this region, the Nature Bag is the brainchild of Bounsou Keoamphone, a student and son of a poor rice farmer in the remote, mountainous Oudomxai Province in northern Laos. The startup funds came from a retired Iowa philanthropist." – Home Zone by Maggie Reed http://www.Creators.Com
Don't have a pay pal account???? No worries, when you check-out, Pay Pal offers you an option for payment with a credit card!!!
