http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wwno/local-wwno-862491.mp3
New Orleans, LA – From the ethic of reuse and recycle to the fair trade baskets from West African villages, farmers markets shoppers are expressing their personal ethics be they political, practical, or fashionable with the bags and baskets of their choosing:
While working my way around our region's markets, it's difficult not to notice the array of shoppers' bags. Sure, there are those desperately clutching those plastic bags that cut off circulation in their fingers. Incidentally, these bags are being phased out in many markets on environmental grounds. But have you noticed the other bags? One gentleman I noticed carries "the claw," a central handle for carrying many bags at once. Some insist upon the canvas feel of the beach with tote bags, while others reuse paper bags. There's also the practical and the political: Fair trade West African market baskets as well as rolling "granny" baskets popular in walkable Europe. Believe it or not, red wagons are the preferred vehicle for watermelons. For basket ideas and info about our region's markets, visit wwno.org.