5 Ways to Save the Planet While You Shop

Pick just one thing from the list below to change what you normally do. Just one. Then the hope is that one will turn into two, or more. And while this is by no means the complete list of what you can be doing, it’s a start. A super easy start.

feel that wave of guilt when you take that plastic bag at the supermarket, buy that pristine white toilet paper or don’t recycle properly

When it comes to our weekly food shop, just be a little more aware about packaging, plastic and knowing where your food comes from. You don’t have to go all organic (although that would be great), just be a little choosier at the supermarket.

1. Bagging Your Fruit

The Problem
429,000 recyclable plastic supermarket bags are dumped into landfill every hour.

The Change
Your fruit and veg already has its own natural packaging, so do you really need those plastic bags to weigh them in? If you’re grossed out by fruit-on-trolley action, just put everything in one bag and separate them at the till.

2. Those Plastic Bags

The Problem
We throw away about 7,150 recyclable plastic bags a minute. Around the world, we use and throw away 1 trillion every year.

The Change
Embrace the granny trolley, bring your own bags or put your groceries straight into your bag/backpack/man bag. Let’s stop taking these bags like they’re free lollies.

3. Year Round Produce

The Problem
Eating your strawberries in winter or oranges in summer means they’ve been flown in halfway across the world, just because we want access to everything all the time. Do you really want your cravings to come with a huge carbon footprint?

The Change
Go to your local market and boom, you’ll be buying stuff that’s in season. It’ll be fresher, there’s no excess packaging, you’ll know where it has come from and you’ll be supporting your local community. Winning! Check out What’s In Season at 5aday to see what fresh local goodness is available now.

4. Is That Recycled?

The Problem
Only around five percent of the toilet paper we flush away is made from recycled paper. The rest is made from virgin fibre from plantation or native-forest trees.

The Change
Buy recycled tissue items. In other words, toilet paper, tissues, kitchen towels and napkins. Recycled doesn’t mean bad quality, you’ll get the same product all while reducing greenhouse emissions, saving water and energy and lowering landfill use.

5. Meat. Again?

The Problem
The meat industry generates more man-made greenhouse gas emissions than transportation. There are so many environmentally unfriendly factors (trees chopped, water, energy, transportation) that go into us eating meat, we really don’t need it with every meal.

The Change
Eat less meat and you’re doing one of the most easy and effective things to combat climate change. Cut it by half or if you need baby steps, start with one meat-free day a week, and when you realise you’re not withering away from fatigue, go on to two or more.

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