On a recent mid-morning, and the Admiral Way Metropolitan Market was bustling with activity. In addition to it being the day before Thanksgiving - a consistently busy day for the retail food industry - the store was launching its new "REbag," a reusable grocery bag made entirely out of recycled polypropylene.

Although the bags will be distributed at all Metropolitan Market locations, West Seattle resident Mayor Greg Nickels was on hand to introduce the new eco-friendly venture. The mayor is a frequent patron of the market.

According to Terry Halverson, CEO of Metropolitan Market, the store is looking for ways to help the environment and to "contribute in the best way." With the REbag, the goal is to lessen the use of both paper and plastic bags by one million over the next year.

Halverson said that each store will have 6,000 to 8,000 REbags, and will be giving them away for free to any customer who spends at least $50. After that, the bags will be available for purchase at $2 each.

The bags are slightly off-white, with a gray Metropolitan Market logo, gray piping on the edges and two sets of gray handles - one long, to put over the shoulder, and one short, to carry by hand. The shape closely resembles that of their regular paper grocery bags. The bag's material is thin and has a coated-paper - but durable - feel.

"Each time they are reused we will donate five cents to a non-profit, charitable organization," said Halverson.

Which organization will benefit from these donations is still up in the air and Halverson said it will probably change every year.

Halverson stresses that they would like to keep the charity local, and mentions projects involving the Duwamish River as possibilities.

The donations will be kept within the environmental realm, for sure, "to go with the theme," said Halverson.

Since the mayor, along with his wife, Sharon, shop at the West Seattle branch, Halverson said the store asked him to present the "cool, white, and always green" REbag to shoppers.

Arriving a few minutes late, the mayor was rushed down the pungent cheese aisle toward the store's "Kiosk," where television news were waiting. He is joined by Halverson; a REbag filled with groceries has already been placed on the counter in front of them.

The mayor's emphasis is on changing the little things suggesting we just need to change very small things in our lives to help the climate.

Instead of answering the question "paper or plastic," with "paper" or "plastic," the mayor urges patrons to answer with "I've got my own." Plastic bags are made from petrochemicals which take 400 years to degrade, said the mayor, and paper bag production requires many trees to be cut down.

The REbag is made from 100-percent recycled material, and "it's a 100-percent good idea to use these," said the mayor. It just takes a little thought to remember to have them in your car.

It's all of the small things we do together to make a difference on the climate and global warming, said Nickels, who predicts that the REbag will become the new "must-have" fashion accessory.

In addition to the REbag, the store is giving away compact fluorescent light bulbs to every customer using a REbag. These light bulbs are part of Seattle City Light's Twist and Save program. They are energy-efficient, and, adds the mayor, "They also have a very long life span."

Asked how global warming became such a main focus for him, the mayor said he tells this story a lot. "When I came in as mayor, it was not on the front of the burner."

But that has changed.

Seattle City Light provides electricity to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in the greater Seattle area. In 2005, it was a record low snowfall and there was no ski season, said the mayor. We depend on hydro-electric power, and no snow means "big trouble."

In the past, said Nickels, global warming seemed way in the future, but it is "here and now." After President Bush's refusal to honor the Kyoto treaty, "people got angry."

"(We are) the ones who benefited most from industry, but are doing nothing to mitigate the impact," said Nickels. He is taking local action, and encouraging other mayors to follow suit, so that efforts are "not just symbolic." So far, 728 other cities have joined him in his fight against global warming.

In his experience, the mayor has found that most people do acknowledge that global warming is happening and is human-caused, and want to know what they can do to help on an individual level. He feels that that these local programs provide people with an answer.

"The little things add up to a powerful impact," the mayor emphasizes.

More information can be found on Seattle City Light's web site under "Twist and Save." Retailers participating in this program are listed. For information on low-flow shower heads, call Seattle Public Utilities.

Mia LaCourse may be reached at wseditor@robinsonnews.com