A number of years ago, an environmentalist responded to a question I posed to her by saying, “Consumers and industry are going to have to change their habits.”

One of those habits is the use of plastic shopping bags. Plastic bags are a petroleum-based product and do not degrade in landfills. Last year I finally took up her challenge and purchased two 100-percent cotton reusable canvas tote bags from Hannaford. L.L. Bean and many other stores sell them as well. The Hannaford bags were nicely accented with the company logo and the words “reduce, reuse, recycle.”

It took me a couple of months to remember to take my bags with me to the store, but I did it. It was a good feeling to know that I was avoiding using plastic bags and, in a small way, reducing the amount of petroleum we in the United States consume.

A further incentive was that Hannaford gives a 5-cents-per-bag credit every time I use a reusable fabric bag, and 2 cents on reusable plastic or paper bags. The credit is printed on your store receipt.

Today, Hannaford and Shaw’s are making modest attempts to encourage shoppers to use reusable bags. Cotton is the best bet, made from renewable resources, not petroleum as in plastic. If you insist on plastic, Hannaford sells a reusable, foldable plastic bag for $1.50, and Shaw’s has a “10 for $10” reusable bag offer.

Nationally, several municipalities are considering sacking plastic bags, including Boston; Santa Cruz, N.M.; Annapolis, Md. and Portland, Ore. San Francisco has passed a ban on certain types of plastic bags for large merchants, which will go into effect in November.

Styrofoam – polystyrene – is convenient, but an environmental disaster. It, too, is a petroleum byproduct and when burned, releases a toxic chemical, benzene, into the atmosphere.

Most of the trash in the Bangor area is incinerated at PERC in Orrington. Although PERC has scrubbers on its stacks to remove toxic chemicals, a certain number invariably escape into the air. Again, the San Francisco Bay Area is in the lead, passing a ban on polystyrene in restaurants and eateries in 2006. It became effective June 1 of this year, so it is too soon to tell its effect on reducing the amount of polystyrene being used in that area.

Polystyrene does not bio-degrade in landfills. Containers made of polystyrene are blamed for harming wildlife when they break apart into small pieces and are ingested by birds and other animals.

Compostable products, including coated as well as non-coated paper and other natural fiber products, serve the same purpose as polystyrene and are much preferred.

Living in a sustainable world requires that everyone change their habits.