There were 20 of them, cute and innocent as could be. The farmer raised his shotgun and pumped one shot after another into each one of them, killing every last piglet, and their mothers too. This was heart-wrenching for the farmer, but he knew he had no choice since the State of Michigan was about to descend upon him with a SWAT-style team intending to arrest him as a felon if any of his pigs were found alive on his property. His crime? Harboring an animal that the State had designated as an “invasive species”. And this farmer’s tragedy was not the only one to play out in the State; there were thousands of others facing similar dilemmas.

Most Americans do their shopping once a week, a frantic day filled with yellow plastic bags. Whether your shopping list gets stuck to a slab of steak or you drop the eggs, it’s always a day full of surprises. Fortunately, there are ways to make this a better experience for both you and the environment; one of these ways is reusable bags.

Not too long ago, I was at the Clark’s Nutrition store in Palm Desert, CA. Well-stocked and so clean you could eat off of the floor, this store had another equally impressive side to it that caught my eye: a Value Added Information Center. Not only could you buy what you needed for your body, but you could also get what you needed to nourish your mind.