Do you know if your shopping choices are helping, or hurting the planet? More and more consumers are making purchasing decisions based on environmental considerations, such as avoiding manufacturers for their less than eco-friendly behaviors.
Changing a few small things about how we shop can make a huge difference, but it can be hard to know where to start.
HereÕs how your everyday shopping choices are impacting the planet, and how to be sure you are helping rather than hurting!
Planning Meals
It seems like a small thing, but when you plan for meals and leftovers you are far less likely to have food waste. The organization End Food Waste Now indicates that around 40% of the food produced in the U.S. each year goes to waste and that “rich countries” waste almost as much food as some sub-Saharan countries produce.
Food waste harms the planet in many ways, including wasting water, polluting with wasted transportation, and all of the packaging that is created and then wasted. Try planning out your weekly meals, how you will use leftovers, and make detailed lists when shopping and you’ll help to cut down on waste.
Pick up some Klean Kanteen containers from the Co-op to make your meal planning easy and sustainable!
Buying in Bulk
Shopping in bulk is great for the environment, and your budget. The popularity of megastores like SamÕs Club leads many consumers to believe theyÕre buying in bulk quantities, but this is not the type of bulk shopping that will truly help the environment.
SEE ALSO: 5 Foods You Should Always Buy in Bulk
Those megastores still wrap up everything in bulk boxes, bags, and containers – this is not the true definition of bulk shopping. Instead, consider what a health food store in Wilmington, like Tidal Creek Co-op, might offer as “bulk.”
You might buy flours, herbs, spices, grains, and coffee beans in bulk by weighing out what you want and putting it in a single reusable container. In doing this, you could purchase a yearÕs work of grains and only use up one piece of disposable plastic, or none at all if you bring your own reusable container to fill up! (Compare this to buying a 24 pack of box macaroni and cheese at a megastore, which still requires the same amount of packaging as purchasing each box individually.) Bulk shopping at a health food store would save you a tremendous amount of money and eliminate all of the wasted packaging.
Buying as Locally as Possible
Prior to the late 1800s, most people in the U.S. lived on or near small farms. Because of this, their food did not come from hundreds or thousands of miles away. Instead, there was a local economy based on what each home needed or produced, and foods were sold in the most optimally fresh and healthy conditions.
SEE ALSO: 10 Reasons to Shop at a Co-op
This was great for the buyers and producers, and just as great for the planet as it meant no shipping, packaging, or unhealthy agricultural processes needed to create foods that could be harvested early and shipped far without spoiling. You can still buy local produce in Wilmington when you shop the FarmerÕs Market or community-owned grocery stores like Tidal Creek.
Thinking Sustainably
What sort of companies and producers are you buying from? Are they as committed as you are to saving the planet or at least reducing their impact on it. Even if you find yourself paying a bit more to purchase goods, services, foods, and even prepared meals from places that have a commitment to community, it is an important choice with long-term benefits for all.
Fortunately, there has been a sort of quiet and peaceful revolution in the way we shop, and a lot of people are now heading to local Farmer’s Markets or to Food Co-ops to make sure their everyday shopping decisions are good for the planet as well as their bodies.
So, what can you do today that will help the Earth tomorrow? Here are a few ways you can have an impact with your shopping choices:
- Plan your meals and reduce food waste
- Shop at locally owned establishments
- Purchase local products
- Support your local community owned Co-op, Tidal Creek, by purchasing an Ownership!
Tidal Creek Co-op is a community owned Market and Caf. It is a great source for bulk foods, locally grown foods, and organic foods and products at reasonable prices. Here are a few reasons customers can feel good about shopping at the Co-op and how their support of the Co-op helps support the health of our planet:
- Customers can choose reusable dishware when dining in the Co-op Caf
- Customers can save $.25 on a drink in the Co-op Caf if you bring your own cup
- The Co-op makes green contributions
- Organic produce and earth-friendly products that support healthy farming/soil/production practices
- Bulk foods department that offers the opportunity to reduce plastic consumption by using reusable glass containers and bags
- We donate Kitchen and Produce Department compost to local Farmers
- The Co-op recycles!
See our article 10 Reasons To Shop at a Co-op for more information about the positive impact you have when you choose to shop at Tidal Creek!