Hybrid Mom, Bibi Rogers, Goes Eco - Hybrid Mom

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Hybrid Mom, Bibi Rogers, Goes Eco

Written by Bibi Rogers

My name is Bibi Rogers. I'm a mother, former surgeon, avid kite boarder, and now, a small business owner. I recently founded a startup called 4U2ReUSE in my hometown of Delray Beach, Florida, to carry out my commitment to the environment, to help others reduce their environmental footprint, and to teach my son, Daniel, the importance of living sustainably.

4U2ReUSE manufactures eco-friendly, handmade bag carriers designed to easily and conveniently store biodegradable bags or plastic grocery bags for reuse. Each bag carrier can be attached to a handbag, backpack, belt loop, or dog leash, and is designed to store reusable plastic grocery bags for trips to the grocery store or biodegradable bags for walks with the dog. My goal is to make it easier for everyone to reuse and recycle their bags day in and day out. The reason plastic grocery bags are so popular is because they're convenient, versatile, low-cost, and readily available. But let's face it: Despite their handiness, they come at a horrible environmental cost.

Each year, 500 billion non-biodegradable plastic bags are manufactured worldwide-and most of those bags end up polluting our environment in landfills, rivers and oceans. Of course, that's after millions of gallons of oil are used in the annual production of polyethylene to create those bags. What if we reused all of the plastic bags we already have? And what if, after four or five uses, we leave them at designated recycling drop-off points?

The average adult American uses 350 new plastic bags per year; if each of us reuses one bag five times, that number drops to 70 per year. Or better yet-what if we stopped our use of plastic bags altogether and used biodegradable bags instead? These are the types of questions that urged me to found 4U2ReUSE. From start to finish, 4U2ReUSE bag carriers are made with sustainability in mind. Every carrier is handmade in the U.S. completely out of organic fabrics and reused materials, often derived from vintage clothing or defective/non-repairable kite boarding sails-which are usually thrown into the garbage, as I discovered one sunny afternoon when my sail ripped.

I use local materials and fabric providers to cut down on shipping, energy consumption and other operational waste in the manufacturing process. Reusing plastic bags numerous times before recycling them and avoiding using new plastic bags whenever possible are the best ways to truly reduce the number of plastic bags out there. By reusing, we reduce. And by reducing, we make the world a cleaner, safer place, one bag at a time.

To learn more about 4U2ReUSE's products, visit www.4U2ReUse.com.

To learn more about how to grow your mom-owned business, visit us at HybridMomConsulting.com.

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