Duane Reade, Alvin Valley offer shoppers designer alternative to plastic bags

NEW YORK Pharmacy retailer Duane Reade has teamed up with designer Alvin Valley to offer shoppers a new designer eco-tote available at Duane Reade stores. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the New Yorkers for a Green New York, a non-profit organization aimed at converting Manhattan into a sustainable “green” city.

To celebrate the new eco-tote, Valley and NYGNY founders Amanda Hearst and Annie Churchill participated in a bag-signing event at the Duane Reade store located at 1430 Broadway store on Feb. 6.

“This is clearly a way to drive awareness of the program and for us to offer New Yorkers an alternative to plastic bags,” David D’Arezzo, interim chief executive officer and chief marketing officer of Duane Reade, told Drug Store News during the event.

According to D’Arezzo, the company will donate $2 for each eco-tote purchased to NYGNY in support of The Stevenson Green Roof Project, a public-private partnership that brings new opportunities for learning and stewardship to the Bronx community. The eco-totes are priced at $14.99 each.

Beginning Feb. 7, a limited number of eco-totes will be available at three Duane Reade stores: 636 Broadway at Bleecker Street Midtown; 1430 Broadway at 40th Street Uptown; and 125 East 86th Street at Lexington Ave. The eco-totes will be widely available at all Duane Reade stores beginning in April in conjunction with Earth Month.

The mission of The Stevenson Green Roof Project is to transform the concrete roof of a building housing seven schools into a living laboratory for hands-on learning. To date, more than $1 million has been committed in pro bono goods and services and maintenance for the life of the green roof.