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As college students transitioning into the real world of grown-up responsibilities (scary stuff), keeping sustainability in mind can get challenging. Grocery shopping is an essential that can get overlooked as an opportunity to be more eco-friendly, so fette is here to provide some easy tips to keep in mind when shopping to reduce your impact on the planet.
use reusable bags!
This one is relatively widely known at this point, but if you can get in the habit of bringing reusable bags to carry your groceries in, it will reduce your waste by a lot. A lesser-known sustainability tip is that there are reusable produce bags on the market now as well. The plastic that produce bags are made out of is polyethylene or plastic film, which is not accepted in recycling pick-up programs, so these pose an even bigger threat to the planet. Bringing reusable produce bags can help solve this problem!
choose eco-friendly packaging!
There are an increasing number of options available in most grocery stores for packaging. A lot of vegetables have been phasing out the plastic containers for compostable options and other products come in metal and aluminum cans rather than plastic bottles. Glass is also a material that is much easier to recycle and turn into new products! If possible, keep the end of life of the packaging in mind when shopping. Disposing of the containers is part of the waste created in grocery shopping, and opting for packaging with less of a negative impact is a good way to be more green.
opt for bulk items!
When buying food, snack items especially, buying in bulk rather than individually wrapped single servings can reduce the amount of plastic material involved in your groceries. Investing in some reusable Ziploc bags and/or tupperware and dividing the bulk food yourself will reduce the impact, while still getting the yummy snacks.
buy organic!
This is another great tip for making sure your groceries are having a low impact on the planet in the growing and production phase. Looking for the USDA Organic label on all vegetables, fruits, and meats can ensure that the food your buying is not a product of companies and facilities that use pesticides or factory farming methods that are not only unhealthy for the planet, but unhealthy for your body as well. A great way to make sure you're supporting the right brands is to look up food label guides to make sure you know what
buy food you won't waste!
Another important thing to keep in mind is how much of the products you're buying you're actually going to use. Food waste is a huge problem in the U.S. and we want to avoid contributing to it! Keep track of how much of your weekly groceries you go through to make sure you buy food you will use before it goes bad. There are lots of tips for storing and saving food in the freezer for later, which is another way to make sure you don't throw out good food. When dealing with fruits and veggies, find other recipes to use the waste, like saving the stems of greens for smoothies the next day!
Hopefully you guys can keep these tips in mind the next time you go grocery shopping! This is a great opportunity to reduce your footprint and do the right thing for the planet. Happy shopping & happy eating!
See you soon!