When Kristen Brown was growing up, she probably didn’t think she could top her father’s invention–the plastic grocery bag. But now she is looking to do just that. Instead of topping his invention though, she’s made some improvements and updated it to be more sustainable for modern times.

Her creation is MY ECO Shopping Bag System, reuseable 4-in-1 grocery bags. The bags are made from 100% recycled polypropylene 5 (recyclables with the #5 on the bottom), and bags are specially designed for certain products. The smallest bag is for bottles and jars and has fabric bands to keep glass from banging together, another bag is insulated for frozen or chilled foods, the third bag is designed for fruits and vegetables and has a anti-bacterial liner to be easily wiped out and the last bag is oversized for all large items.

Many grocery stores are now selling their own reusable grocery bags, but My Eco bags appear to be more useful because of its functionality and its made from recycled materials.

Brown’s commitment to the environment is evident not only from her invention of the My Eco Bag System, but also through her consulting work with the Environmental Protection Agency. Brown explains:

The only long-term sustainable option is reuse. There are negatives to both plastic and paper bags. Paper bags devastate forests and create water and air pollution, while plastic bags blow around littering our environment. Recycling appears third on the EPA hierarchy (reduce, reuse, recycle) because recycling itself uses energy. Reuse is the ultimate answer to the grocery bags.

The official launch for this product is Earth Day 2010 (April 22), but you can buy online here. Also, check out their facebook fan page for more info.