I was browsing around the internet today - procrastinating, more like - and read an older post by No Impact Man, suggesting we carry napkins and re-usable cloths with us when we are out and about.

We use cloth napkins at home… why not when we go out to eat too?

This may seem a little unconventional. But then, so is carrying a Mason jar for water. Most mornings we fill two quart-sized jars with iced tea for my husband to take to work with him. Why not? It’s free, and it saves me having to clean up the mess left by some hideous leaking waxed paper Big Gulp cup when it held the melted ice for too long and fell apart and left a water stain on my husband’s desk…  The mason jars don’t leak, and I don’t have to carry the trash out so often. My motives are purely selfish.

By now, we should be getting used to a few funny looks. You know - the one for politely stopping the overzealous kid from putting groceries in a plastic bag (one item per bag!) and pointing out the cloth bags you brought with you.

So now that we are accustomed to bringing grocery bags with us before heading to the store - is it that much more to remember napkins and a container for leftovers before going out to eat? I really don’t mind the own-container part especially. It often takes a while to get the styrofoam (ew!) container from the host/ess anyway, and then you have the guilt of bringing home something that doesn’t decompose in 100 years.

I’m putting a couple of napkins and a container for leftovers in my car now.