Shopping “green” on the cheap

When it comes to being a responsible consumer it is easy to get caught up in feeling guilty based on idealistic values. “I won’t shop at Wal-Mart yet I do shop at Target.” WalMart’s corporate track record and foreign labor practices leave a lot to be desired. ew. Yet, to be completely honest I don’t truly know if Target is much better. I heard just recently that  Gap, the international retailer, recently discovered a subcontractor was using children as young as ten to sew clothing in New Delhi.  And it seems nearly impossible to purchase an item made in the US (not that the US is free of sweatshops, I’m afraid). So, I’m all for supporting local business where I can but I believe it’s also important to encourage fair-trade alliances which often allow poverty- stricken communities to employ safer practices they may not be able to maintain without our business. What a dilemma!

Relax. Take a deep breath. Here’s what is most important- do what you can and what works for you. I’ve discovered lots of little tricks that allow me to indulge in great products on the cheap without making Wal-Mart a destination on my regular outings. Yes, it takes a bit more planning but it also allows me the luxury of avoiding the tacky-cheap-welfare-enforcing-small-business-killing-mega-giant!

Here’s what I do. I’ve got a pretty good idea of what I use on a weekly/monthly basis. Once I had this figured out I created a grocery list (the template can be easily edited to reflect your own “regular grocery purchases.”) It also lists the top 12 pesticide-ridden foods (the “Dirty Dozen”) and the 12 with the least pesticides. You can view a more extensive list ranked worst to best by checking out this EWG website. If you can, purchase the dirty dozen in strictly organic form and go with conventional on the other if organic is a bit too pricy. Here’s a list for fish. I print out a handful of my shopping lists on the back side of my daughter’s school handouts (when I’ve got ‘em), post a list on the fridge and just check off what I need when I think of it or add items as I notice I’m out or low.

Next, I’ve scouted out a few different places in town that offer up quality organic and local-safe products and compared prices. I’ve discovered Costco is valuable for inexpensive Pacific brand organic chicken broth, frozen mahi-mahi, organic ground beef, avocados, organic milk, butter and other items on the low-pesticide range. Across the street from our Costco is a  Grocery Outlet, a grocery liquidation store. Grocery Outlet is located along the west coast; if you’re not, look for a grocery liquidation near you- it’s worth it. This is often our stop before we hit our main grocer just in case we come across what we need here first. I snatch up organic or mostly organic personal items as I see them. The above shaving gel and hand soap from Nature’s Gate were more than 50% off the retail price! Liquidation places are also great for frozen vegetables and I’ve also stumbled across organic boxed soups and broths. Great staples to stock up on for next-to-nothin’.

I always finish up my shopping at the local grocer that offers the best fresh organic produce and meats. When I’m really on the ball I make sure to keep a membership with a local grocer, Fresh Abundance, that does weekly deliveries for orders of $35 or more (very reasonable). Most cities offer Community Suported Agriculture (CSA) which offer a service providing local produce boxes delivered on a weekly basis during the growing season. See if you can find one in your area. Remember, it all goes much quicker if you bring your list and stick to it. It is very easy to get distracted- especially if you’re going to shop a few locations- but don’t despair, a little wandering sometimes yields an unexpected treasure.

Big city service in our “rural” city

I was checking out some local websites and blogs today and stumbled across a guy who has created his own site that will help you plan your city transit route. I had read recently that Google is doing something like this but the closest city to us offering the service is Seattle and not going to do me much good.  The site is in testing phase at this point but it seems pretty spiffy.

Given that I ride the bus to work everyday I was curious what route I would be given so, I went to his site, entered my info and waited for the results.  I was given a route that would include an extra bus transfer and send me through the “less scenic” part of town but was impressed that the ride time was the same. I’m not sure how this program works (I’m really not “techie” at all) but the author asks for feedback so I offered up my typical route that just happens to be a very lovely drive past the river.

If you’re curious about a transit trip planner in your area check out Google transit to start.

When did 5 cents become an incentive?

I’ve just got to go on a bit on how silly it seems to get a few pennies credit for using a reusable bag at the grocery store. I mean where did this come from? I use fabric shopping bags (as long as I don’t forget them at home) because I would like to feel I’m making some positive difference by sparing a few paper or plastic bags. Having a grocery store offer my 3-5 cents per bag for doing so makes absolutely no sense to me.

I seriously doubt there are many (if any) individuals saying to themselves, “Hey, I almost forgot, the grocery store will give me a few cents to use my own bag; I better go buy one.” So, I’ve been thinking it would be great if someone came up with an alternative incentive.  I understand it probably couldn’t cost anymore than the credit that’s already being given but what if that money had purpose? People might be motivated to use shopping totes if each time they used one 3-5 cents went toward:

• fundraising for local schools
• education about sustainability
• local charities
• local foodbanks
• store discounts

That’s my thought for the day. I’m completely open to more suggestions.

Paper vs. Plastic: the big debate

First, it’s killing me that the information I am including below doesn’t include the link to where I located it (because I cut and pasted the info & emailed it to myself) It’s good info. nonetheless so I’m leaving it in; I’ll leave it up to you to verify if you like or read this one about reusable bags and this other at Treehugger.

 ”Did you know plastic grocery bags consume 40% less energy to produce and generate 80% less solid waste than paper bags? Did you know plastic bags can take 1,000 years to decompose whereas paper bags take about a month to decompose? The debate over whether plastic or paper bags are better for the environment has a long history and is often rekindled each time we check out at the grocery store when we hear that familiar question: paper or plastic? Many of us have not been able to resolve this question, but there is an alternative — read on below.

There seem to be pluses and minuses on both sides of the debate. For paper bags, the life cycle stages consist of timber harvesting, pulping, paper and bag making, product use and waste disposal. For plastic (polyethylene) bags, the steps involve petroleum or natural gas extraction, ethylene manufacture, ethylene polymerization, bag processing, product use, and waste disposal. In all of these steps, energy is required and wastes are generated.

Some more facts about these two products may help us to answer this age-old question:

• Plastic bags were first introduced in 1977 and now account for four out of every five bags handed out at grocery stores.

• Paper sacks generate 70 percent more air and 50 times more water pollutants than plastic bags.

• Paper bags are made from trees, which are a renewable resource. Most plastic bags are made from polyethylene, which is made from crude oil and natural gas non-renewable resources.

• 2000 plastic bags weigh 30 pounds, 2000 paper bags weigh 280 pounds. The latter takes up a lot more landfill space.

• It takes 91 percent less energy to recycle a pound of plastic than it takes to recycle a pound of paper. It takes more than four times as much energy to manufacture a paper bag as it does to manufacture a plastic bag. Energy to produce the bags (in British thermal units): plastic bags: 594 BTU; paper bags: 2511 BTU.

• Paper is accepted in most recycling programs, while the recycling rate for plastic bags is very low. Research from 2000 shows 20 percent of paper bags were recycled, while one percent of plastic bags were recycled.

• Current research demonstrates that paper in today’s landfills does not degrade or break down at a substantially faster rate than plastic does. In fact, nothing completely degrades in modern landfills due to the lack of water, light, oxygen, and other important elements that are necessary for the degradation process to be completed.

• Incineration can decrease the quantity of plastic and paper bags. However, incineration causes air pollution and creates ash that must be buried in a landfill.

So, what is the answer to paper or plastic? NEITHER! Look into purchasing reusable bags or reusing your paper or plastic bags at the store. Reusing a bag meant for just one use has a big impact. A sturdy, reusable bag needs to be used only 11 times to have a lower environmental impact than using 11 disposable plastic bags. Another good reason to use reusable bags is that it cuts down on the amount of plastic bags that get into our environment as litter.

In New York City alone, one less grocery bag per person per year would reduce waste by five million pounds and save $250,000 in disposal costs.

When one ton of paper bags is reused or recycled, three cubic meters of landfill space is saved and 13-17 trees are spared! In 1997, 955,000 tons of paper bags were used in the United States.

When one ton of plastic bags is reused or recycled, the energy equivalent of 11 barrels of oil are saved.”

Shopping totes can be found at just about any grocery store these days for nearly pennies (99 to be precise). If you’re looking for something more stylish you can still find some great bags for under $10- Reusable bags has a large selection of styles and function in all price ranges. Some great compact options (all under $10) are Baggu Bag, Envirosax and Acme Workhorse.

 I picked up this foldable bag with pouch for just $2 on sale at Claire’s (Christmas shopping)- the pouch measures about 3″x4″ and can be clipped in many places quite discreetly.