As we reported a few weeks ago, Disneynature contributed a percentage of opening-week ticket sales for its latest film, Oceans, to The Nature Conservancy’s Adopt a Coral Reef program.

The environmental partners have since announced that the proceeds will be used to protect more than 35,000 acres of coral reefs in The Bahamas. At 55 square miles, the area is 250% larger than Manhattan and could house more than 412 Disneylands.

A critically important ecosystem, The Bahamas’ 700 islands straddle the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. Miles of coral reefs serve as the foundation for a healthy ocean environment, providing shelter, nurseries and feeding grounds for hundreds of marine species, including dolphins, sea turtles and a wide range of fish.

Scientists estimate Caribbean coral reefs could disappear in 50 years unless they have a network of well-managed protected areas.

“Disneynature has captured the beauty, wonder and fragility of our world’s marine habitats and species in Oceans,” says Nature Conservancy President and CEO Mark Tercek. “We appreciate Disney’s commitment to help protect marine areas in The Bahamas, which is home to 30% of all coral reefs in the Atlantic Ocean.”

Disney Stores will also donate $1 from the sale of each eco-friendly Save Planet Earth Reusable Bag to the Adopt a Coral Reef program. Bags are now on sale for only $1.49 (50% off).

Actually, I’ve got five bags and they’re always in my car, ready to go. Now, while using them is better than traditional plastic shopping bags. They might not be as green as you think. In fact, some have a rather dubious upbringing. It’s pretty scary:

Reusable fabric bags are most commonly made from cotton, but the cotton-farming process is extremely fossil-fuel-intensive because of the machinery involved.

According to the Pesticide Action Network of North America (PANNA) conventionally grown cotton uses more insecticides than any other single crop. Worldwide, cotton growers use more than 10 percent of the world's pesticides and nearly 25 percent of the world's insecticides.

Cotton is also responsible for 25 percent of all chemical pesticides — insecticides, fungicides and herbicides — used on American crops. Chemical fertilizers are used to enrich the soil.

Well, then, what about organic cotton? Those crops generally yield less usable fiber, which means an organic farmer needs more land to make a profit.

Most of the cotton grocery bags are woven outside the U.S. where labor is less costly, but that increases the use of fossil fuels in getting them from the factory to these shores.

Typical shopping bags have drawn heavy fire lately with cities like Washington, D.C. considering fees for paper and plastic bags and New York State has passed legislation for statewide recycling of plastic bags.

But if you’re too leery about reusable shopping bags as they are, you could be like this whacky lady and use creepy bags made from cat fur. Eek!

Via ENN.