Paper or Plastic?

So, what's your answer to this question? Paper is a renewable resource, right? Plastic doesn't use any trees and are recyclable, right? Here are some facts about paper and plastic bags.
-To make all the bags we use each year, it takes 14 million trees for paper and 12 million barrels of oil for plastic.
- The production of paper bags creates 70 percent more air pollution than plastic, but plastic bags create four times the solid waste — enough to fill the Empire State Building two and a half times. And they can last up to a thousand years.
-Many paper and plastic bags don't get recycled and end up in landfills. While paper will biodegrade, it is bulkier and takes up more space in a landfill. Plastic bags, made of petroleum, are in the landfill to stay.
Well, you know where I'm going with this. Paper or plastic? Neither! I use canvas bags. I have 3 that I use. I just got number four on Earth Day from my son. He got it for free at an Earth Day event here in Napa. He knows how crazy mom gets if she walks into a store without a canvas bag and has to walk out with a store bag.
Not on the canvas bag bandwaggon yet? Would some incentive help? When I use my bags at Luckys, I get a 5 cent credit on my bill for each bag I use. At Trader Joe's I get an entry in a drawing for a $25 gift certificate. I haven't won it yet, but I'll let you know. Whole Foods gives a 5 cent refund, but gives you the option to donate it to a local charity, or keep it. I keep mine, thank you, but its nice that they offer it. If you shop once a week and get a nickle back per bag, you should pay for the bags 1 1/2 to 2 years. And think of all the paper and plastic bags you won't be using!
Still want to make a difference without buying the bags? Most of the same insentives apply when you resuse paper bags.