ChicoBag {Review, 20% OFF Discount Code & GIVEAWAY}

Introduction: "ChicoBag™ Company is equipping humanity with tools that will help eliminate the environmental damage caused by single-use paper and plastic bags. We have done this by designing reusable bags that are durable, tasteful and most importantly unforgettable."

ChicoBag reusable bags were first sold at a farmers market in 2005. Now ChicoBag is an industry leader in the compact reusable bag movement. Their stylish and lightweight bags and packs that easily stuff into an integrated pouch offer solutions for every lifestyle and are helping to break the single use bag habit.

Selection: ChicoBag Company now carries several styles of reusable bags in a variety of colors as well as reusable water bottle holders and reusable bags featuring collegiate logos.

1. Original 2. Vita 3. Daypack15 rePETe

4. Vita rePETe 5. Sling rePETe 6. Product Stand Collection

7. Bottle Sling rePETe 8. Nature Collection 9. Messenger12 rePETe

Review: ChicoBag Company sent us a Produce Stand Starter Kit as well as a Holiday Vita to review.

The Produce Stand collection by ChicoBag is the first of it's kind, a reusable line of produce bags specifically designed to maintain optimal humidity and air flow keeping fruits and vegetables fresh and healthy. This set is made up of three different reusable produce bags. Each of these bags is constructed from a different fabric designed to optimize freshness when paired with the right produce.

All three produce bags are machine washable and stuff into an adorable apple pouch. The apple pouch has an attached carabiner that makes it easy to carry and store the bags when they are not in use.

The Hemp-Cotton blend bag is designed for leafy greens and green beans and is designed to absorb excess moisture and restrict airflow.
 
The rePETe bag is great for squash, broccoli, carrots and celery because it restricts airflow and locks in moisture.
 
The Mesh rePETe is ideal for apples, oranges, potatoes, onions and allows ethylene gas, nature's ripening agent, to escape.
 
Like many of ChicoBag's rePETe products, the rePETe and rePETe Mesh bags are made of 99 percent recycled content.
 
We were very excited to review the Produce Stand Starter Kit. For a couple of years now we have at least attempted to use reusable shopping bags on our grocery shopping trips. However, we never had a way to avoid the plastic produce bags without have produce rolling all over the place in our cart. Now with our ChicoBag Produce Stand bags we are able to keep our produce together and fresh without wasting plastic bags.
 
I love that these bags have labels to remind me what produce each one is specifically suited for. I also like how easy it is to roll them back up and fit them into the apple pouch without a lot of hassle. And of course it helps that the apple carrying pouch is so cute (except that the kids think it's a toys and keep swiping it from my shopping bag stash).
 
We've used all of these bags since they came in the mail and have been impressed with their quality. We even experimented with placing one yellow squash in the rePETe bag and another simply on the shelf in our fridge. The rePETe dwelling squash still looked good three days after the shelf dweller had passed it's prime.
 

I'm also looking forward to using the Holiday Vita to wrap one of Tim's Christmas gifts this year. Chicobag even has a video to show you how to use these bags as reusable wrapping material. The best part of wrapping a gift with a reusable bag is that the recipient can reuse the bag over and over to replace dozens of single use plastic bags. (Of course the best part of wrapping my husband's gift with the Holiday Vita is that I'll get to reuse the bag over and over.)

Connect: Website, Blog, Twitter, Facebook

Buy It: You can purchase your own Produce Stand Starter Kit for only $15.99 from ChicoBag's website or use their store locator to find a retailer near you. Remember that ChicoBag brand reusable bags are the perfect alternative to wasteful gift wrap, a great stocking stuffer for anyone on your list and their produce bags, bottle sling, and print collections are unique gift options.

Special Offer: ChicoBag would like to offer all our our readers 20% off all ChicoBag brand products. Go to www.chicobag.com and get your holiday shopping done early! At checkout, enter the code CBM20 in the coupon section of your shopping cart. This will apply 20% off all ChicoBag brand products now through December 31, 2010.

I think the Bottle Sling rePETe is next on my list. Check out its large wallet/phone/iPOD pocket, its small lip balm/flash drive pocket and its skinny chopstick/pen pocket. Because "really you never know when you will need chopsticks." Love it!  

Win It: ChicoBag has generously offered one of our readers the same Produce Stand Starter Kit that we reviewed. 
To Enter This Giveaway:

Mandatory
1. Visit their website, then come back and tell us one item that ChicoBag carries that you'd love to have.

Make sure you leave an email address with each entry if it is not posted in your profile. (If we don't have your email address we will have to choose a new winner.)

For additional entries you may do any (or all) of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each entry. If you complete one of the following that is worth more than one entry, please leave the corresponding number of comments so your extra entries will be counted!

Bonus Entries

2. Subscribe to receive free updates through email or our RSS feed (2 entries)

3. Follow our blog publicly through Google Friend (1 entry)

4. Follow us on Twitter ~ leave your twitter ID in your comment (1 entry)

5. Tweet about this giveaway ~ leave the URL to your tweet & include @heart4home & #Giveaway. (1 entry) Feel free to use this tweet: Green & Clean Event Nov 1-Dec 13 @heart4home GREAT #giveaways http://tinyurl.com/green-clean-event Please RT

The giveaway will end Tuesday, December 14th at 11:59pm EST. We will pick the winner through random.org.

Photo Credit: ChicoBag and A Heart for Home

(While the products above were provided to A Heart for Home for review, no other compensation was given. All remarks are the personal and honest opinions of A Heart for Home. The prize for this giveaway will been supplied and shipped by the sponsor. A Heart for Home is not responsible for any unsent, lost or damaged prizes.)

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