A friend of mine on Twitter tipped me off to this interesting article: By Earth Day, 2008, Whole Foods Market will get rid of plastic bags in all 270 of its locations in the US, Canada, and the UK.

The Portland Business Journal reports that the Austin, TX-based grocer "is the first U.S. supermarket to commit to completely eliminating disposable plastic grocery bags. The company first eliminated disposable plastic grocery bags last year at stores in San Francisco, Toronto and Austin."

I use canvas bags when I go grocery shopping, or, if I forget those, I'll use the paper bags - they're great for putting our recycling in. WFM says that you will get a discount of "at least 5 cents per bag" when you use your own reusable bag. If you don't already have them, WFM sells reusable bags made from recycled plastic bottles for only $.99.

I applaud Whole Foods' decision. There are certain cities (like San Francisco) that are passing laws banning plastic bags, but if businesses start to do away with them voluntarily, that will make other large retailers (hello, Wal-Mart?) take notice.