SAVE Says 'Thank You' to Village Merchants

As you have read in the columns and blogs of Southampton Patch, Sunday marked the first day that Southampton Village went active with the first law in New York State encouraging the use of reusable shopping bags.

Village merchants deserve a big "THANK YOU" for their outpouring of cooperation, concern for our fragile aquatic environment and the education which they imparted to shoppers who asked many questions the first day.

SAVE's Co-Chairs Mackie Finnerty and Roger Blaugh distributed free reusable shopping bags on Saturday and Sunday in front of and until their supplies ran out. Many of the bags, which were very popular with shoppers, were generously donated by the following Southampton Village merchants:  , , , , ,  in conjunction with the and in Water Mill. Additional bags were supplied by Southampton Village's SAVE Committee, who researched and advocated for passage of the law.

Reaction to the new law was met with great favor and, not surprisingly, many shoppers said that they've been bringing their own shopping bags to the market "for years." A large number of others were reminded by the giveaway that they had reusable shopping bags in the trunks of their cars and returned to their vehicles to gather them before shopping that day. And a number of the ladies showed us clever fold-up shopping sachels, which they kept in their purses and were proud to say that they use every day.

One shopper declared her support for the new law, saying "it's about time," but lamented that she couldn't remember to bring her shopping bags from home. A gentleman passerby heard her confession and offered his suggestion: whenever he brings his groceries home, he unpacks them and hangs his shopping bag on the door knob, reminding him to take them to his car on the next trip. That's exactly what I do and it works "almost" every time (nobody's perfect!). 

For shoppers who forget their bags, local stores are offering paper bag substitutes made of 100 percent recycled paper for free or for a small charge. At Waldbaum's, the proceeds from the paper bag sales are being donated to The Peconic Land Trust and we applaud them for this sensational idea.

Southampton Village is the and SAVE thanks Mayor Epley and Trustees Yastrzemski and McGann, whose support for and passage of this legislation made this a reality for our Village.   

Congratulations Southampton.  B.Y.O.Bag with pride!