Shopping isn’t just something we all have to do. It’s something we all pretty much love to do. While watching our bank account drain closer to zero is never really fun, getting that new item or some good food to cook is a great feeling.
However, some of the things we’ve all grown up doing while we shop aren’t exactly environmentally friendly.
Since we know everyone is moving in a greener direction, we want to highlight some ways that you can make your shopping trips a little more environmentally friendly; without adding a ton of hassle to the mix.
Let’s get started.
1: Custom Tote Bags
Custom tote bags are probably one of the best things you can add to your shopping trip; not just for the planet, but for yourself, too.
These bags are made of canvas, and while they’re plenty spacious for packing full of groceries or cool new items, they can be reused over and over again.
The idea is that, rather than going to the store and having the bagger, or yourself at self-checkout, toss everything into plastic bags, you bring your custom tote bags along with you, and everything goes in them. This keeps you from bringing home plastic bags that you will probably throw in the trash anyways, disincentives the store from providing them in such massive quantities, and keeps plastic out of landfills.
These don’t have to be boring, either. You can get anything you want to be printed on them.
2: Purchase Package-Free or Eco-Packaged Foods
Have you ever sat down and really looked at your grocery haul when you got back home? How much of it is laid on top of the plastic, wrapped in plastic, and then covered in plastic stickers before being jammed in a plastic bag? Our guess is that a lot of it is.
You can make your trip eco-friendlier by just avoiding that junk as much as possible. This might seem like you’re sacrificing a lot, but it’s actually healthier for you. Fruits and vegetables that are fresh usually aren’t wrapped up and require washing when you use them. Organic food producers tend to shy away from plastic to stay aligned with their branding. Even higher quality meats sourced from local farmers and processed by a butcher tend to be wrapped in brown paper.
So, by avoiding all that plastic in the store, or at least a lot of it, you’ll actually inadvertently eat healthier.
3: Consolidate Trips
Finally, our last tip is to simply consolidate all the trips you’re going to take within a short period of time into one trip.
Driving to the store requires fuel; even if you drive an electric vehicle, the electricity comes from fossil fuels. If you can minimize how often you drive to the store, you can cut back on how much fossil fuel you burn every week.
This can be done pretty easily if you do a little meal prep and buy the stuff you need for the week all at once, plan your necessary or fun purchases ahead of time, and just generally get a grasp on your shopping habits instead of being impulsive.
