By Marion Harmon
The problem of too much trash is what inspired Andy Keller to invent the ChicoBag.
It began with a trip he took to the local landfill while landscaping his backyard.
“I was horrified by the volume of trash being buried every day,” says Keller “The
plastic bags caught my eye, blowing around, stuck on the tie-downs. It was that
day I set the intention to kick the wasteful single-use bag habit.”
Keller went to a thrift shop and bought a sewing machine, then sat at his kitchen
table and created a prototype for a handy, reusable shopping bag. That was two-and-a-half
years ago, and Keller’s original inspiration has led to a successful and rapidly
growing business. ChicoBags have a compact design that makes them easy to throw
in a purse or fit on a belt loop…
“The big picture is that I want to make a difference,” he says. “It doesn’t have
to be in regard to the environment—I see it all tied together, actually, as far
as social causes, health, the environment. Basically just recognizing the interconnectedness
of humanity, to each other as well as to everything else in the universe.”
