Working through my stack of Croq zine back issues (not quite finished, yet!) I found a great article about Morsbags. This zine was published in 2007, but I checked it out, and the Morsbags site is still very much alive & kicking – & in fact, still growing. I wanted to post about the concept because it’s such a fantastic idea – as DIY & eco-friendly as they come.
Here are the basics about Morsbags, but the Morsbags website is the best place to go for full info:
What are Morsbags?
They are easy-to-sew eco shoppers (named after their inventor, Morsman), made out of old curtains, sheets (etc).
Why are Morsbags?
The point of Morsbags is to raise awareness of how bad plastic carrier bags are for the environment, and to pro-actively encourage shoppers (etc) to start carrying an eco-friendly Morsbag (or similar) instead.
How are Morsbags?
How does it work? Well, you can of course make & use as many Morsbags yourself as you like, but the point is to raise awareness and encourage/increase wider use. So the idea is that you get together with friends, make Morsbags in bulk, then simply give them away to shoppers (definitively NO selling!).
When & Where are Morsbags?
Groups of people who get together to make Morsbags call themselves pods. There are pods all over the country, all over the world. Check out the Morsbags website to see if there is a pod in your area, or set up your own!
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The Morsbags website tells you everything you need to know, so check it out. There’s a free PDF of instructions to follow, as well as leaflets, labels, stickers etc to promote the idea.
I have something of a fear of sewing machines, but the beauty of a Morsbag ‘pod’ (see above) is that you get together with friends and all take a part in the production process (so I could cut, or iron, instead) whilst having a nice afternoon/evening chatting about stuff. I’m about to move house, but perhaps I’ll make my first crafty day at the new house a Morsbag party! I have lots of crafty friends locally, so I’ll definitely be letting them all know about the Morsbags concept. But the free PDFs on the website mean it would be easy to print off a stack of leaflets & instructions & just give them to people you know. The more people who get involved with this idea, the better!
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