I can’t tell you how many awesome shirts, skirts and jackets I’ve found over the course of a year at various thrift store locations. One of my favorites that I must share — this awesome sequined shirt, courtesy of Goodwill‘s Patton Avenue location in Asheville. It was only $3. What a steal!

But what’s even more awesome about shopping for clothes at thrift stores is the impact you’re having on our environment. By donating and shopping for second-hand clothing you are putting the three R’s into practice. You’re reducing the amount of packaging, plastic shopping bags, textiles and electronics that end up in landfills, and you’re reusing and recycling items that don’t need to be thrown away (or in the case of my pink sequined shirt, NEVER should be thrown away).

Goodwill Industries alone reported keeping 38,886,595 pounds of clothing and other items from ending up in landfills in 2009. That’s 2,632,475 pounds of computers; 2,129,793 pounds of metal; 1,439,711 pounds of cardboard; 285,862 pounds of purses; 800,095 pounds of shoes; 2,531,919 pounds of books; and 29,066,742 pounds of textile clothing. Holy cow!

So next time you’re looking for a new pair of boots to match that dress, how about stopping by Goodwill, the Salvation Army or, if you’re in Raleigh, Father & Son Antiques, first?

If you’re an avid follower of the News & Observer’s blog The Green Scene, then you might have caught this, too. Japanese inventor Akinori Ito has created a device that will turn all of those abominable plastic shopping bags into gasoline!

Are you as excited as I am? This means there’s a place besides the landfill for the reported 500 billion to 1 trillion bags used each year!

With a $10,000 price tag, though, I won’t have my hands on one of these babies any time soon. In the mean time, here are a few ways to reduce, reuse and recycle plastic grocery bags:

Reduce
– While waiting to check out, bag your own groceries. If you do it yourself, you’re more likely to pack more groceries into one bag.
– I may sound like Captain Obvious here, but shop with reusable grocery bags. The best part is that you can usually snag a few for free during fairs, expos and school functions.

Reuse
– Don’t have enough reusable grocery bags? Bring back your old plastic bags! They’re most likely good for another round or two of shopping before they give out.
– Scoop your poop! No bag is a better size for picking up doggie waste than a plastic grocery bag. Even the little bags you can buy at the pet store aren’t cutting it for ‘ol Charley boy!
– Pack your lunch in a plastic bag. It’s what I’ve had to do since I’ve completely destroyed two lunch boxes.
– Donate your bags. Food banks, dog parks and thrift stores often rely on these donations!

Recycle
– Figure out where you can recycle plastic bags in your area. I recommend searching on Earth911.com. They have compiled a list of places in each city where you can drop off not only plastic bags, but also things like cell phones, batteries and ink cartridges.
– Encourage your local grocer to switch to 100% compostable plastic bags if they’re not using them already.

I know there’s a million other little ways to reduce, reuse and recycle plastic bags, and we want to hear them! Tell us how you’re keeping the planet green, one grocery bag at a time. We’ve got a special prize in store for our favorite greenie! Just submit your entries in the comments section below or on our Facebook page. Stay tuned for the winner…