The choices that we make everyday can all add up to have a huge impact on the environment, and this is certainly the case when it comes to filling up our shopping baskets. Here we will look at several ways that you can make your purchases more sustainable for the planet and our future.
Support your local businesses
When you decide to shop locally with independent businesses, the money that you spend is more likely to stay in the local economy and benefit other local businesses too, but that isn’t the only reason to support them. Local businesses tend to source lots of their items from other local businesses, for example with local restaurants getting their fruit and veg from your area. In a nutshell this means that there is less of an environmental impact as transportation is reduced, especially when compared with supermarkets who will transport their produce across very long distances.
BYOB
No not, bring your own beer! BYOB in this case stands for Bring Your Own Bag. The UK government has acted recently to introduce 5p charges on plastic bags, which aims to incentivise people to bring their own carriers when they do their weekly or daily shop. It’s easy to understand why, as single use carrier bags can take anywhere from 15 to 1000 years to decompose and when they do finally dissolve the particles are toxic to the environment!
Choose energy efficient appliances
Whether you’re buying a new TV, washing machine, computer, oven or even a car, you should wherever possible try to choose one which is energy efficient. Many appliances now feature a rating sticker which indicate to you exactly how efficient it is. What’s in it for me, you ask? Well, energy efficient appliances not only use less resources which has less of an impact on the environment but in doing so they can also save you money on bills!
Avoid harmful foods
Whether it’s avoiding palm oil based products which are driving orangutans towards extinction, buying sustainable seafood with endorsements from the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) or the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) or taking part in Meat Free Monday’s there are lots of ways that you can adjust your diet to make a difference to the environment.
Reduce packaging
Products that end up in landfill release nasty chemicals into the atmosphere like methane which contribute towards climate change. If you want to reduce your contribution to landfills, then you can start by purchasing only products with little or no packaging whenever you can. Easy steps you can take to achieve this include buying loose fruit and vegetables, cereal which comes in a bag rather than a box and to avoid single-use plastic bottles by carrying your own refillable water bottle with you wherever you go.
Are you trying to make better consumer choices this year? Don’t forget to let us know on Facebook or Twitter if you have any of your own tips that you would like to share.
