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| When you shop |
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- Don't buy food or household products in plastic or styrofoam containers if there's an alternative (milk and egg cartons, vegetable oils, butter tubs, etc.). They can't be recycled and they don't break down in the environment.
- Do not purchase goods which are produced at the cost of the rainforest such as coffee, tea, bananas and beef.
- Buy certified organic food. Organic farmers don't use toxic chemicals, or harmful pesticides or nitrogen-based fertilizers which can poison the earth. Ask your grocery store to stock organic products.
- Choose one food item to switch to organic, an item you use frequently, and stock up on it, like pasta, juice, coffee, or salsa.
- Avoid buying anything 'disposable'. Paper plates and towels, styrofoam cups, etc. are extravagant wastes of the world's resources.
- If you must buy disposable items, buy paper products rather than plastics and styrofoam. The manufacture of styrofoam depletes the Earth's ozone layer.
- Buy products that have no more packaging than necessary; Refuse extra plastic bags. When you buy clothes that are already wrapped, ask the sales clerk to pin the receipt rather than using another layer of wrapping.
- The Environmental Choice Ecologo was created to help consumers find products which ease the burden on the environment. When doing your shopping, look for paper with the three doves Ecologo.
- On average, a family uses 13 shopping bags a week. Carry a reusable cloth bag when you go shopping to reduce the number of plastic and paper bags that are thrown out each year.
- Buy durable products and keep them a little longer. Cheap furniture, clothes and appliances often have short life spans.
- Buy in bulk whenever you can.
- Seek out concentrated products (juices, detergents) which use far less packaging.
- Look for refillables. Some products offer a concentrated version that can be used to refill a larger container.
- Consider giving a gift coupon offering a special skill or service you can provide such as pet sitting, child care, a music lesson, house cleaning, etc. It's a great way to save money and resources and build friendships!
- How about doing your gift shopping in thrift stores and second hand shops? You can save money and resources and find unique presents!
- Wrap your gifts in scarves, bandannas, napkins, cloth bags or the comics.
- When planning birthday parties, showers or other occasions involving gift-giving, why not practice reuse and recycling? Ask guests to bring used items or a gift from home they like to recycle.
- Ask questions. Don't buy products that are hazardous to the environment or that were manufactured at the expense of important animal habitat.
- Buy locally grown food and locally made products when possible. This saves transportation fuel and reduces packaging.
- When you go to the grocery store, take along a reusable net bag. They take up very little space on your way to the store and allow you to avoid taking home either paper or plastic bags.
- Boycott manufacturers that exploit workers, employ child labor, or use toxic chemicals in the manufacture process. Inquire where clothing and fabrics come from, how they were produced, and by whom.
- Whenever possible, buy used clothing. Buying used cuts down on the demand for raw materials, energy, pesticides and toxic waste created in production and transportation of goods.
- Buy natural fiber clothing, organic when possible. Wool, silk, linen, hemp and cotton are renewable resources, longer wearing and generally more comfortable. Avoid clothing which requires dry cleaning or seek out nontoxic dry cleaners.
- When you need clothes, buy environmentally friendly fibers like organic cotton or hemp from alternative trade organizations and small cottage industries to support people and communities overseas and in the U. S.
- Shop with merchants who offer environmentally friendly products and services. Let them and your friends know why you are shopping there.
- Don't buy products that come from endangered animals.
- Don't buy "exotic pets".
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