Simple Earth-Friendly Shopping Tips: Guest Post

Lord knows that while I see the importance of making environmentally-friendly decisions, often convenience wins out for me.

Enter Caroline from Eco Baby Boom, who answered my call for guest bloggers, and is sharing here all sorts of quick and easy changes we (okay, I) can make to do our part to preserve our world for our children and grandchildren.

Take it away, Caroline!

***********

We all have very busy lives, and sometimes even though we may feel strongly about certain things, we have to take shortcuts and decide what is most important and what really needs to (and will) get done.

Fortunately, making earth friendly decisions often does not require much more time or effort. Sometimes the results even simplify our lives.

Here are a few earth friendly tips. Relax and enjoy them as they are all about SHOPPING!

1. Buy Organic. It’s better for your health and the planet. Organic growers do not use any pesticides/insecticides and cannot knowingly use GMO’s (genetically modified organisms) in their products. This lessens their impact on our planet while keeping your health safe.

2. Choose glass, over plastic. Glass has a much smaller carbon footprint than plastic. Glass can also be recycled an infinite number of times and there is no danger of chemicals leaching into your food or drink, even when heated. Stainless Steel bottles and containers are also a better option than plastic. It has a much bigger carbon footprint than plastic, however, because it is extremely durable, it is still a better choice to generally fast wearing plastics. A solid ss thermos can be a good option for a warm lunch if you want a kid-proof container. Stanley makes a very sturdy one that keeps food nice and warm. Warm the thermos with boiling water before adding the pre-warmed food.

3. Choose reusable containers or bags. Nowadays there are a great selection of earth friendly containers and pouches to use when packing lunches. I love Gogo bags and smitten pouches. They can be thrown into your laundry when needed. I find they also encourage healthy snacking as you can easily fit the soft pouches in your pocket/handbag. Enjoy sandwichs, nuts, raisins and more on the go! Bonus, they also come in a variety of stylish patterns.

4. Buy local, whenever possible. This one is a no-brainer. Again, this often has a positive impact on your health as well, since many fresh fruits & vegetables are sprayed with chemicals to slow down their aging process and often sprayed again upon arrival to ripen if needed. Often these foods were picked weeks if not months earlier and travelled here by container ship, causing the food to lose many of its nutrients.

5. Avoid non-recyclable material packaging. Buy your foods in bulk to avoid the plastic bags, styrofoam, plastic and other materials that create unnecessary waste. Bring your own cloth / paper bag. You can put your items on the scale then bag them. You may even save a little since you will not be paying for the packaging’s weight.

6. Give credit, where credit is due or request change. If you are happy with a change for the better (or the worse), let the business know. Companies will often make better choices if they think the consumers care. I always buy mushrooms in bulk and will never take the pre-cut pre-washed shortcut because they are only ever available in styrofoam packaging. Recently, I spotted some mushrooms packaged in a recyclable code identified plastic container. I still choose the bulk ones but took a minute to email the supplier and let them know that I cared about their choice to package their product in a better way.

7. Buy Once. It is always worth taking the time to research a potential purchase before making your final decision. This can avoid having to buy several products before finding the right one for you. Amazon has ratings and reviews for items on their website. Look for a high rating, preferably with many reviews rather than just a few. Many other websites offer similar product reviews and you don’t need to purchase through them to view the ratings.