Become A Shopper For Mama Earth.
Say no to plastic bags and bring your own reusable bag
This could be a canvas bag, enviro bag from the shops or a woven basket that can be used time and time again or even better, carry your items if you can! If you forget your bag, either attempt the awkward juggle or run back to the car, but always resist the urge to give in to the trap of inconvenience!
Say no to the little plastic bags for your fruit & vege - mushroom bags are your saviour!
Those flimsy little bags really are pretty silly and useless when you can just pop your fruit and vege loose in your reusable bag or for goodies like snow peas and beans just grab a mushroom bag! Then reuse the paper bag next time, compost it or recycle it.
But even earthier, grab yourself a little set of Produce Bags made of recycled plastic bottles
Earth-loving companies like Onya have an amazing alternative to single use plastic fruit & vege bags, super lightweight and crazy strong 5x and 8x packs of mesh produce bags made from recycled water bottles! It's all about the magic word re-use - opt for products that use re-purposed materials that already exist instead of choosing new materials!
Choose glass packaging over plastic packaging
Oh the magical qualities of glass! Did you know glass can be recycled infinitely without ever losing quality?! Many plastic packaging items also come in a glass alternative (tomato sauce, peanut butter, honey etc!) - so choose glass over plastic! Then you can re-use the jars at home for your DIY body scrubs and all your bulk food goodies like nuts, dried fruit, quinoa, flour, chocolate treats etc!
Show the Farmers Markets some love
You'll find some amazing gems here and market holders are your people, they are doing something wonderful by providing food from the earth and the market energy will inspire you! And an earthy tip - if you come across it, freshly baked Olive & Rosemary Sourdough is heaven in a paper bag!
The independents need you!
Instead of always shopping at the big guys, mix it up and give the independent bakeries and fruit & vege shops a go! They will love you for it!
Also, foods like quinoa, flour, oats, dried fruit, nuts, seeds, chocolate are super easy to pick up from bulk stores like Garden of Eden, Flannerys and The Source by using paper bags and then storing the food in your old jars at home – that way you avoid the plastic packaging while showing some love to the little local guys! And any paper bags I use, I reuse and take back with me the next time!
Make Bread Bags a thing!
Buying from a bakery not only means you're supporting locals but you’re also avoiding a lot of the weird, nasty preservative ingredients that supermarket bread is filled with to keep it fresh. Try to opt for the bakeries that use paper bags, or even earthier, jump online to eco sites like Biome and grab a bread bag that you can use over and over again!