Sweepstakes -- Act2GreenSmart Bags

Trying to kick the plastic bag habit is a good thing.

Doing while using a bag made from recycled plastic bottles truly constitutes poetic justice.

That's why we're pleased to recommend the versatile tote bags from Act2GreenSmart (formerly known as Shoreline).

According to the tags on Act2GreenSmart's bags, 1 billion plastic PET water and soda bottles are dumped in landfills worldwide every day.

Cutting down that waste stream won't be easy. Partly it will depend on consumers deciding to drink tap water and drink from environmentally-friendly reusable bottles like those made by Kleen Kanteen.

The other way to reduce the waste stream while demand for disposable bottles remains high would be to figure out a way to reuse the bottles as raw materials for other consumer goods.

That's what Act2GreenSmart has done by recycling PET bottles into stylish totes, messenger bags, laptop bags and shoulder pouches. According to the company, making one tote bag saves 10 16-ounce PET bottles from the landfill. The tags on the tote ($39.99) - and on other products like the shoulder pouch ($29.99) - make it clear that 100% of the bag's internal and external fabric comes from recycled post-consumer PET bottles.

Both the bags we tested us impressed us with their versatility and build quality. The tote in particular seems like good value. We like the reinforced, structured base and the internal pockets and dividers. Our only quibble is that the handles seem slightly puny for a bag this tough.

In addition to the tote and shoulder pouch, Act2GreenSmart also makes messenger bags and laptop holders from recycled PET.

The company even has a shopping bag made from #5 polypropylene type plastic. From what I've heard, #5 plastics are more difficult to recycle. Usually, you see #5 getting made into something rugged like plastic lumber, so it's exciting to see that Act2GreenSmart has figured out a way to remake the material into a shopping bag. (You may still want to avoid consumption of #5 plastics like many yogurt and sour cream containers if your local recycling authority does not accept that type of plastic. Here in NYC, we're still limited to recycling #1 PET and #2 HDPE plastics.

Where to buy:

Order Act2GreenSmart bags ($29.99 - $74.99) and other eco-friendly products directly through the company's affiliated e-commerce site - AGreenPlace4U.com

Act2GreenSmart has generously offered an exclusive discount code just for 1GreenProduct.com readers. Order your bags through AGreenPlace4U.com and get 15% off any order by using the code "aug1GreenProduct". The discount is good from now until September 30.

Alternatively, you can find Act2GreenSmart bags at both online and offline third-party retailers. Note that some of these links may still mention the Shoreline name. Check to make sure you're buying the new Act2GreenSmart designs if you want to help keep PET bottles out of the landfills.

How to win:

Yep, it's another exciting 1GreenProduct.com Sweepstakes! Two lucky winners will receive either an Act2GreenSmart Messenger Bag (Approximate Retail Value $69.99 - $74.99) or an Act2GreenSmart Tote Bag (ARV $39.99).

Entering the sweepstakes is easy. Just sign up for the 1GreenProduct.com email subscription list. Most weeks, you'll get 3 emails from us (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) with news, reviews, discounts and sweepstakes announcements on great Green products.

Note that you must verify your email address and thus activate your subscription in order to actually enter the sweepstakes. To do this, just respond to the activation email that Feedburner will send you.

Already a subscriber?

Kick back and relax, because you my friend are already automatically entered into this and all subsequent 1GreenProduct.com sweepstakes.

Want more chances to win?

This time, you have two ways to get additional entries.

1) As usual, you can blog about the Act2GreenSmart Sweepstakes and get three (3) extra entries. Just send us an email with a link to your blog posting.

2) Invite your friends to enter the Sweepstakes. For every friend who signs up for our email list, you can get 1 additional entry up to a maximum of ten (10) additional entries. For example, if 5 friends join, you get 5 additional entries. Just make sure that your friends send us an email after they sign up for the mailing list and mention your email address so that we can give you credit for referring them. (As an added bonus, your friends will of course get entered into all future sweepstakes as long as they remain active subscribers.)

When it ends: 11:59 p.m. EDT on August 28, 2008.

How we choose a winner: On August 29, we will pick two (2) winners using an Internet-based random number generator at Random.org.

Our promise: We will never sell your email address to marketers or spammers. Your email address is used solely to deliver 1GreenProduct.com news, reviews, discounts and sweepstakes announcements.

One entry, many great prizes: Remember, as long as you remain an active 1GreenProduct.com email subscriber, you'll automatically be entered into all future sweepstakes. We'll try to run an average of at least one sweepstakes per month.

The fine print: Unfortunately, for legal and/or logistical reasons, we apparently have to limit the sweepstakes to residents of the 50 United States and D.C. who are 18 years of age or older.

Please play fair. You can only subscribe once to the email list. If you want additional sweepstakes entries, please either blog about the contest or invite your friends to sign up for our email list as described above. To read the complete list of Sweepstakes rules, follow this link.

Thanks for your participation and good luck to all!

Update - This contest is now listed on Sweepstakes Advantage, SweepsGoat and Swisher Sweetie.

PS - Congratulations to the third winner of our Green Works Dishwashing Liquid sweepstakes - Jamie from Rome, New York. We're still waiting to hear back from the owners of two more winning email addresses. If they don't respond, we'll eventually hold a supplemental drawing and pick two alternate winners, so stay tuned...