Go Green on Little Things: Shopping
Go Green on the Little Things is a 7 part series, providing various tidbits and advice about green living and choices for the following: home living, office spaces, school, shopping, health and beauty, money and finance, and buildings.
Today, let's discuss Go Green on the Little Things: Shopping. Even as the US economy is shaking, we are still the world's top consumer nation. With 6.6 billion people on this small planet, just imagine the amount of refuse collected on a daily basis. Manufacturers require a vast amount of energy and water for production, as well as waste, and this is long before the products reach you and me, the consumers. Along with buying tons of products a year, we also produce tons of waste (literally) as a result of packaging and discarding used products and other.
Grocery shopping
Before you begin your grocery shopping, make sure you buy an eco-friendly, reusable bag(s). When you buy your food, consider this: less is more. Less packaging is much better for the environment and will help to make the planet greener. Also, shop for your fruits and vegetables at your local farmer's market. Buying bulk foods will also help to reduce packaging waste.
Natural Colors and Cotton
Did you know that the process of dyeing fabric is highly toxic? Therefore, consider natural colors. Also, buy organic cotton clothing, thereby eliminating the use of toxic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides.
Fair Trade & Eco-Friendly Gifts, Coffee, Clothing
Buy fair trade clothing, accessories, coffee, tea and other fair trade goodies. Visit the Fair Trade Federation or Trans Fair for additional fair trade information. Also, use Co-op America's Business Network Directory to find green products.
Second Hand Shopping
Buying used goods is a fantastic idea to curb waste, while taking hold of a unique items and saving money. Indeed, you can find used and almost new products for a fraction of the cost of a new item. In addition, used items usually come without the packaging, another way to reduce waste and green the planet. So the next time you need to buy something, consider shopping at a thrift store, garage sale, eBay, Craigslist, local want ads, and other. You may be delightfully surprised with the price, product and one-of-a-kind gift for you or your loved one!
Health
Homeopathic medication is an eco-friendly alternative to over-the-counter medication. Not only are homeopathic treatments better for the body, they are also better for the environment as the production of drugs emits toxins, negatively impacting our water, soil, and air.
So these ideas, if applied, will help you become an eco-friendly, socially responsible, and savvy consumer!
Happy shopping and making a difference in and for the world at the same time!
Green, Eco-Friendly Shopping Bags: Ethical Shopping!
As a result of San Francisco finally enacting a ban against plastic shopping bags and California requiring large supermarkets to sell reusable shopping bags, green entrepreneurs are creating reusable shopping bags. Traders Joes, Wholefoods, and Costco are my frequent shopping destinations and I have reusable shopping bags for each. When I forget my reusable bags I feel guilty about it; it takes the joy of being a planet friendly shopper to an ignorant consumer using more trees or causing pollution in the ocean! This brings up another planet unfriendly practice in need of eco-friendly alternatives: plastic and styrofoam packaging. Awhile ago, I saw this show on the Home Garden TV Network, where an artist recycled styrofoam plates by cutting them into various shapes to be used as cut out stencils. Naturally, I thought this to be a brilliant idea. But I am not a painter and so my plates collected and just took up space. So eventually they found their way to the garbage bin and into the California garbage dump. Now that I think about it, I'll start donating these styrofoam plates to a local school!
Become an ethical shopper by beginning with green, eco-friendly shopping bags. Buy them at one of the following online stores: Chicobag.com, MyOwnBag.com, Olive Smart Bags, or Reusable Bags.
Shop green, buy fair and be globally minded all the time.