Today is Valentine's Day, so we wanted to show some love to a concept which often generates the opposite emotion ... change. One particular change to our daily routines, the state's single-use plastic bag ban, goes into effect next month.

The law was signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo last year as a measure to reduce single-use plastic waste and keep bags from littering roadways and waterways. All grocery stores, convenience stores, or any such retailer will no longer carry plastic bags.

There are some exceptions. For example, bags used to wrap uncooked meat, newspapers, bulk items, and more are allowed, as well as trash bags, dry cleaner bags and food storage bags.

?Currently eight other states and many countries have already instituted a plastic bag ban, as well as Dutchess, Suffolk and Ulster counties in New York.

So get those reusable bags ready! With any change it will take time for us to get used to it, and mistakes will be made, like forgetting to bring our bags with us to the store (a tip is to always leave a couple in your car).

Just like we finally know by the end of January which year to put when signing the date, we will adjust to the new law. Some places, like the newly-opened Liberty Market, have gotten ahead of the curve and don't offer single-use plastic bags. So you may get some early practice with your reusable ones.

While some may view the change as an inconvenience, we encourage you to look at the bigger picture.

For example, do you know that over 23 billion plastic bags are used in the state we call home each year? And what's scarier is that worldwide only nine percent of plastic is recycled, another 12 percent is incinerated, while the remaining 79 percent piles up in landfills or in nature.

In the end, the real winner is all of us because of the positive impact it will have on the environment.

Valentine's Day

We want to wish all our readers a Happy Valentine's Day. We love you and appreciate your support. We also hope it's the best possible time for you and that special someone.

And for those of us that are single, we're celebrating ourselves.

Whether you schedule a singles night with friends or have a hot date, at the end of the day, the money spent on the local economy is always a good investment!