Companies Paying You to Help the Environment

Until recently, all I saw from most companies was lip service when it came to protecting/helping the environment. But now it appears that some organizations are providing financial incentives for their customers to be more environmentally friendly. The details from Smart Money:

Worried about the effects of petroleum-based plastic bags on the environment, both San Francisco and Oakland, Calif., have banned stores from providing them to customers. And Seattle is considering imposing a 20-cent fee per bag. Meanwhile, dozens of businesses across the country are offering customers incentives to leave the plastic and paper behind. Allstate offers a 2% discount on insurance to clients in Colorado and Ohio who use paperless statements, while Whole Foods, which stopped providing plastic bags to customers last month, offers a five- to 10-cent discount for each bag shoppers bring with them.

But let's be honest -- it's not all about helping the environment:

Not only do these businesses get to monopolize on the good PR of the green movement, but they're also boosting their bottom line. After all, those paper bank statements and plastic bags cost money. "This is a case where they are saving money and also getting to say they're doing the right thing," says Michal Ann Strahilevitz, a marketing professor at Golden Gate University. "It's win-win."

Still, I am willing to give kudos to companies for even trying. In our area, Meijer recently gave us a nice canvas bag with six compartments when my wife bought spaghetti sauce. We've also seen Costco offer reusable tote bags for a nice cost (three for under $4), but they were not canvas and not washable, so we passed on them. We're on the lookout for some nice, roomy, sturdy, canvas bags.

How about your area? Has any store/business started offering financial incentives designed to get you to help the environment?

Comments

[Kimberly]

I got my first canvas shopping bag a couple years ago from my city. They were selling them for $1 at the library. I get a 5 cent credit at Safeway when I bring it. Just last month, in celebration for Earth Day, Safeway was giving away their totes (printed with the Safeway logo) with a coupon when you spent $50. Then, a week later, we got one for free at local farmer's market because a green homebuilder was giving them out as a promotional item, which I love, because they are so much more useful than other promo items like mugs, bottle openers and cheap pens.

They hold so much, I love them! But it seems like the baggers at the grocery aren't used to them. I've had one put three light items in it and hand it to me. I took all of my other stuff out of the plastic bags he was using and fit it all into the one canvas bag.

[Kimberly]

I just remembered - Citibank offered $5 statement credits for me to choose paperless statements. That was several years ago and I took them up on the offer for all my Citi credit cards.

[Liz]

Trader Joe's stores have been selling and promoting their canvas shopping bag for years. I have one and use it at all the stores. Safeway in my area too is offering 5 cents back when I bring in my own or re-use my old plastic ones. Most stores where I live have recycle bins for those nasty plastic bags when you walk in the front of the store.

Also, I've long ago done away with paper statements for the environment, but I know there were a few incentives offered in there too - just can't remember them.

[Kevin]

Our local grocery store is selling a reusable bag of some sort - not canvas - but we've found it to be too small and too expensive. For now we are just using the plastic bags and recycling them. (Usually once a month or so once we accumulate enough around the house to make it annoying.)

[Jordan]

Ikea around here charges $0.10 per plastic bag you take.
Almost all of the grocery stores offer re-usable bags, the best (Loblaws and Maxi, Canadian Chains) being a canvas-like material made from recycled soda bottles, it's almost like woven polar fleece. Very sturdy, costs $0.99 and every time you do groceries they give you a $0.05 discount per bag you bring with you.

[monika]

I just wait for each bank/ credit card / utility to offer a $5-$10 rebate to go paperless. The moment I receive an offer, I sign up. I got tired for receiving paper statements with Citibank/ Sears card and called them up to stop paper statements without any incentive and was surprised when they said they cannot stop paper. Must be nuts!!

[Jay]

When we lived in Germany over 25 years ago, all stores charged for plastic bags. 'Bout time US stores started doing it! I've not had any experience with incentives for paperless billing (the closest is a .25% reduction in our Direct Loan for EFT). Local grocers do give credit for BYOB[ag].
I don't understand why some entities still charge to collect payment electronically. Our property taxes are that way: we'd have to pay a pretty large fee to go paperless. Crazy.

[Cheap Like Me]

Our grocery stores, too, offer a 5-cent discount per bag. The natural food stores have stopped giving the discount. I have several sturdy canvas tote bags from business conferences a decade ago that are still kicking, and some free bags or 99-cent bags from local grocery promotions.

Sometimes dollar stores have good plastic-y tote bags that are sturdy and large, and you can scrub them down with a sponge if not throw them them in the washing machine.

In other ways, being environmentally friendly is its own financial reward, as with composting (if you must pay for trash removal), using CFLs (cuts the electricity bill) and using less water (our water bills are on an escalating scale - once you surpass a certain level of water usage, your rates per gallon go up).

[Anitra]

I'd just be happy if more cashiers asked me if I wanted a bag if I'm only buying one or two items - most of the time I can carry them, or put them in my purse if they're small.