Environmentally Conscious Shopping

Though we may not realize it, the way we choose to shop for our food does have a major effect on our environment. Do you ever consider whether or not the groceries you buy were produced in an energy efficient plant? Have you ever thought about the impact your shopping decisions might have on people from halfway across the world? In order to promote a healthier future for ourselves and for Earth itself, it's important that we keep in mind the ways our choices change the environment in which we live.

One major aspect of environmental impact involves excess. When asked to take a brief survey regarding their normal shopping habits, a significant percentage of the study population reported that they often purchase more food than their families actually end up consuming. Leftovers food gets wasted and pushed to the back of the refrigerator or cabinet and eventually gets tossed out. Market researchers believe that this may be due in part to the fact that so many of the popular products we buy are only offered in large quantities and portion sizes are excessive.

We can solves this problem by changing where we buy the food and products we need on a regular basis. The local grocery market chain, for instance, may be more convenient because it's nearby and close to other places we run errands, so why take the extra time to find a family-owned farm or farmer's market? With busy schedules and time constraints, the majority of us are more concerned with the convenience factor than we are with quality and the impacts our decisions have on the environment. In a farmer's market setting, though, we find that not only are we purchasing organic produce and providing our families with better food, but we are also helping reduce the size of our collective carbon footprint.

Switching to locally sourced, organic groceries isn't the only way that we can help to ensure a healthier, brighter future for everyone. Purchasing food that is packaged in recyclable materials helps keep the production of new materials low and aids in the slowing of global warming in general. Reusable grocery bags also help eliminate the need for plastic ones and are a rising trend in shops throughout the country.

When you consider how many people live in this world, it may seem that the small things you do can't possibly make a difference on a large scale. If we consider the actual magnitude of our decisions, though, and focus on developing a more educated public, it is possible to improve the environmental state of our planet through conscious thought and determined individual action.