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Buy less and be conscious of where your money goes. Challenge yourself to only buy things that you need and that you will use. Before you make a purchase, ask yourself: "Do I need this? Will I use this?" Not all indulgences are bad but a big part of living green is being aware of how your choices impact the world around you. Try to buy products that minimize plastic wrap. As a general rule: if a piece of plastic is flimsy and does not hold its shape, then it almost certainly cannot be recycled at your local center. Buy food in bulk! Look for a local wholesale grocery store that features bulk food bins. You can purchase grains, flours, nuts, fruits, vegetables, and other staples by the pound, no plastic packaging necessary. Bring your own canvas bag when you go shopping. If you have the choice between "paper or plastic": choose paper. Use reusable baskets, bins, and cardboard boxes to carry bulk purchases. Try storing food in jars or Tupperware containers. Wash out plastic bags and reuse them. Drink tap water, not bottled water! It is cheap, and it is safe. When you do need to purchase goods, try to be a discerning consumer. Avoid spending your money on products that you know have been manufactured using unethical practices. Look for organic, free-range, humane, local products. Try to buy food that is in season, rather than food that has been frozen for months or shipped halfway around the globe to your local supermarket. Buy local, when possible. It takes a lot of money and fossil fuels to transport goods around the world. Supporting farmers and craftspeople in your area can be a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. Buy recycled products, when possible. If you must buy paper and plastic, then buy recycled paper and recycled plastic products. Read the labels on the products that you buy. Make sure that the chemicals hidden in these things will not leach into the environment during or after use, harming humans, animals, and ecosystems. Avoid industrial-strength cleaning products. Make sure to safely dispose of chemical products. anything that you can. Find creative ways to reuse paper, styrofoam, old CDs and DVDs, empty water bottles any consumer product that is not toxic or completely unusable after its intended single use. Try to break out of the self-perpetuating cycle of "use and dispose." Refill glass and plastic water bottles. Clean out food-packaging jars and use them for drinking or storage. Use rechargeable batteries. It's hard to safely dispose of traditional batteries, and they are not designed with reuse in mind. Rechargeable batteries can dramatically increase the time between battery purchases! what you can't reuse. Learn what you can and cannot recycle. In general, you can recycle all paper products, some metal products (aluminum, tin, steel,) some plastic products, and most glass. Try to make it a practice, but be aware of the limitations. Every area is different, so make sure that you understand which municipal recycling options are available to you. Recyclable items need to be clean and free of food residue, especially paper products. If you have mixed material recycling, the residue on glass and aluminum can contaminate paper products.
Reduce your consumption. Avoid disposable packaging. Favor sustainably-sourced products. Beware of chemicals. Reuse Recycle