Mrs. Foster, who is a high school English teacher in Los Angeles, Calif., started 1 Bag at a Time after reading an article last year about global warming that predicted a rise in sea level. "I was really depressed about that," Mrs. Foster said. "I thought, ‘Aquinnah will be an island.'"

If it seems strange that polypropylene - a petroleum product - could be called eco-friendly, Mrs. Foster can explain.

"Each of my bags uses the same amount of petroleum resources as 11 disposable plastic bags," Mrs. Foster said. "But mine is designed to replace hundreds. If you use it twice a week for two to three years, it replaces two to three hundred bags."

Read an article written about Mrs. Foster and her vision, in Martha's Vineyard Times.

1 Bag at a Time is featured in House & Garden's February 2007 issue.  Check it out!

Purchase your reusable grocery bags from our online shop here.