Going Green at the Grocery Store

In the US, the average person produces about 4.5 pounds of waste each day. That adds up to about 500 billion pounds of waste each year in the US. Much of that waste comes from the products that we buy at the grocery store. From the energy and resources used to produce, package, and transport the food the your local supermarket, to the disposable packaging that we discard after we consume the food, there's a lot of waste in getting food to your table.

With some simple changes to your shopping routine, you can help cut down the huge amount of waste that we produce. Many of these tips will not only help the planet, but will also save you money.

Do you Really Need to Go to the Grocery Store?

Try doing some of your shopping at a local farmer's market near your home. Most of the food in your local supermarket has traveled more than 1000 miles to get there while most of the produce at farmer's markets is locally grown. By buying locally grown produce the cost and energy used to transportation the food to market is cut significantly. And you'll also be helping support locally owned businesses.

"Paper or Plastic, Ma'am (or Sir)"

The best answer is "neither" and opt for a reusable tote or shopping bag that you bring with you to the store. In the event you didn't bring a reusable carry bag, opt for the paper bag over the plastic. Paper bags are easier to recycle and can hold more of your food purchase so you'll use less bags than if you'd had answered "plastic."

Look for items with little or no packaging

Look for products that use less packaging and in turn that will mean less packaging to throw away. Rather than buy a package of four wrapped oranges on a Styrofoam tray choose four single oranges with no packaging.

Fair Coffee is Good Coffee

When selecting coffee, look for coffees labeled as "Fair Trade." Fair Trade coffee means that the coffee is grown in an environmentally friendly way and that those who work growing the coffee are pair a fair wage.

Look for Organic Food

Organic food (food grown without the use of pesticides) means you won't be consuming any of the chemicals that may be found in non-organic food because pesticides were used in the growing process. And because there were no chemicals used in the growing process, there are no pesticide run-off to pollute the environment.

Buy Fresh Vegetables and Fruit

Avoid buy frozen vegetables and canned fruit. These items use bags, boxes, and cans that will just be thrown away when you consume the items. And often, many of the vitamins and minerals are lost by the time the frozen or canned foods make it to your dinner table. By selecting fresh vegetables you'll be getting all of the vitamins and minerals plus there won't be any unnecessary packaging to throw away