10 Ways to help save the environment while shopping

The environment is going through a lot of crisis these days. From global warming to increasing pollution, everything is growing at an alarming rate. If such a turmoil continues, the end of the world is near than it appears.

The worst thing is that the cause of this ever-growing environmental dictator is humans – the primal species of planet earth. Therefore, you, me, and the girl that lives besides your house are responsible for environmental depletion.

Therefore, if we are responsible for this problem, we should be the ones to solve it as well. However, this change doesn’t require sugar, spice, and everything nice. Instead, you can start saving the environment by just changing your shopping habits. 

Small things lead to big changes.

—Allen Hershkowitz

But you may wonder how you solely can save the environment? Well, it is not only you but the whole world. Hence, for the sake of Mother Nature…

Here are ten rounded tips on how to save the environment while shopping

1. Live the tote life 

Plastic is the biggest enemy of nature and the environment. Although it is an element born from the earth, we humans have made it something against the earth. Therefore, the best possible way to save the environment is by eliminating plastics.

But, how can you reduce your plastic usage when most of the things are made of plastic. The foremost step you should take is to buy a tote bag. Moreover, ensure that whenever you go shopping, you take your tote bag along with you and deny any plastic bags and polyethylene.

Furthermore, one or two tote bags are more than enough. Tote bags are made of cloth materials, so they are biodegradable and reusable. Therefore, they do not harm the environment. Also, they are better in terms of strength than plastic, so it is a win-win for you.

Therefore, take your first step in saving the environment for the future and your well-being, get a tote bag, and step in the tote lifestyle. This is not only fashionable but better, safer, and friendly for the environment as well.

2. Give a chance to local retailers 

Online shopping has grown exponentially and continues to achieve milestones. Nowadays, people love to search and purchase products from the ease of their homes and enjoy receiving them without stepping out of their houses. 

However, your comfort is not so comfy for the environment. Since online products are shipped, you must know that shipping the products leaves a lot of carbon footprints. Moreover, the vehicles emit gases and carbon monoxide, which is extremely harmful to the environment.

Talking about the warehouses, they dump a lot of poisonous chemicals in the river and contaminate them. Their waste is enough to pollute the whole river and one day, the whole world. Therefore, the online shopping brings ease but leaves disaster behind.

Therefore, instead of purchasing products online, you should purchase them from an offline retailer. This way, you can not only save the environment but help the retailer, step outside of your home, and know about your surroundings.

3. Visit the marketplace with a friend 

As stated above about carbon footprints, it is the number of kilometers you cover with vehicles. And since vehicles use a limited natural resource (oil) and emit carbon monoxide, it is known as carbon footprint, and that is very cruel for the environment.

Therefore, the easiest possible way to reduce your carbon footprints and save the environment is to use vehicles in a limited manner. However, what if you need to visit the marketplace and it is far away from your home?

Well, just take a friend in your vehicle or ask him/her to take you along with him. This way, you both can reduce your carbon footprints equally and contribute towards environmental preservation. Therefore, next time go shopping with a friend and share one vehicle or a cab and your shopping can also be more exciting and fun.

This method will also save petrol, and you both can have a great conversation in the way. Hence, you will not only save the environment but will become more social and enhance your shopping experience to its fullest.

4. Compost the leftover groceries you purchase

Sometimes, you are buying a lot more groceries than you need. Hence, you end up wasting them because they don’t remain fresh after a certain amount of time. After that, all you do is throw them away from your refrigerator.

However, you are unwillingly hurting the environment by doing this thing. You must dump your waste responsibly so that it gets back to its natural state and help to save the environment instead of hurting it.

As you already know, groceries are biodegradable and can be converted into the soil after a certain amount of time. Therefore, instead of throwing them anywhere, you should compost them so that it helps the environment. Make sure the place you store the compost is raccoon free since we all know raccoons love to snack on leftovers.

To do so, all you need to do is to make a landfill in your garden and bury them in it. This will also help your flowers and plants grow because groceries, when buried, also act as natural manure and helps rebuild the environment. 

5. Don’t leave food leftover at shopping places 

Often times, you go shopping with your kids and they demand food at the food court in the shopping place. Therefore, you order something and your kids eat only half of it. The rest of the food is just gone to waste at a large dustbin that’d never dispose of it responsibly. 

Hence, it will cause pollution as well as pests. Not only this, but organic waste when not composted creates filthy odor. Therefore, it will increase both air pollution and waste accumulation on earth and deteriorate it slowly. 

Therefore, make sure you order a responsible amount of food that you can eat. Never purchase food out of your limit and finish it completely. Even if you have leftovers, just get it packed in a reusable container and eat it afterward. 

6. Try to purchase used products only 

You should try to purchase as many used products as you can. Some products just come up as new and don’t seem to be used. Therefore, if you come across such products, then instead of purchasing a new one, you should buy a used one. 

This helps gradually to save the environment by reducing the overall production and manufacturing of the product. Now, you may wonder how the reduction of production and manufacturing help in preserving the environment. 

Well, manufacturing requires chemicals and extensive emission of gases. Therefore, you can save the environment easily and gradually by opting for used products instead of going for a new product. This will ultimately also save you money.

7. Recycle containers as storage 

Sometimes, when you purchase a product, you get it in a very large container that is of no use to you after you get the product. Moreover, the same process repeats, and you collect a lot of containers that failed to use space efficiently.

Therefore, you should use those containers as storage boxes instead of throwing them or burning them. This will help the environment to a smaller extent. But, as said, something is much promising than nothing.

Not only this but using your containers as storages also help in reducing the extra packaging impact on the environment. Ultimately, you can contribute and help to save the environment in an efficient way.

8. Look for environment tags on items 

There are a lot of items available at a shopping store, and if you are a keen shopper, then everything may look pleasing to you. However, you need to wake your inner environment preserver are enhance your shopping skills.

To do this, you just need to look for items that have an eco-friendly, eco, bio and recyclable green tag on them. Those items are environment-friendly and do not harm the environment if you dispose of them properly. Therefore, you should look at each item before purchasing it for a green tag.

Therefore, you can save the environment by purchasing items with a green tag. Moreover, these items are also organic, so you will be technically shopping while keeping the environment into consideration and will not harm it in any way.

9. Shop only pre-planned things 

Marketers are getting smarter day by day and are making new strategies to sell you something useless. Therefore, you waste your money on a lot of useless things because marketers played with you psychologically. 

Hence, if you visit the shopping store and a lot of things appear appealing to you, then you should control your desires. This will not only save money but help save the environment by reducing the number of products that will end up nowhere.

Also, you can make a shopping list before going shopping and purchase only those products that are on the list and nothing else. Therefore, you can efficiently save both the environment and money while shopping.

10. Do not shop much 

Before you call this idea stupid, read this till the end and then make a judgment. As said above, going for shopping requires riding a vehicle and spending petrol. Moreover, riding a vehicle and spending petrol causes the origin of carbon footprints.

Furthermore, carbon footprints are not good for the environment and should be avoided at any cost. However, going shopping multiple times needs more riding and more consumption of petrol. Hence, ultimately this increases the carbon footprints and pollutes the environment.

Therefore, instead of purchasing one carton of milk, purchase them in a larger quantity. Apply this rule for all of your other product needs as well. Therefore, you will require to visit the store less often with this rule. 

Hence, make sure you pre-plan your purchase and buy in bulk. However, ensure that you don’t bulk up groceries; otherwise, it will end up in dump because they cannot stay fresh for too long and hence pollute the environment.

Bonus

 #Only purchase seasonal fruits 

You may love a particular fruit and want to eat it the whole year, but if you are concerned about the environment, then you should control your desires. That’s because fruits, when not in season, are shipped from other parts of the world.

Therefore, if you are purchasing strawberries in the off-season, then you are supporting the international shipping of products. Hence, you are indirectly contributing to increasing the carbon footprints by including shipping in your shopping.

Therefore, always make sure that you purchase fruits in their respective season according to your country. This way, you can cut off the shipping and carbon footprints to help the Mother nature by saving it. 

#Always use dustbin 

The dump will only be decomposed responsibly if you dispose of it properly. Therefore, make a habit of disposing of your waste in dustbins only and not leave them anywhere. As you already know, waste is the prominent cause of pollution on earth. You must always throw empty plastic water bottles or other plastic materials in the dustbin for recycling.

Moreover, irresponsible dispose of waste can cause mosquitos and other pests. Therefore, you not only invite various diseases but also end up your peace of mind with those annoying creatures. Hence, tie a knot to dump your waste responsibly.  

Bottom Line 

So, these were the ten most beneficial methods to save the earth while shopping. Therefore, remember these techniques next time you hit a store and help save the environment like a responsible human.