If you want to lead a green lifestyle, don’t forget to go green with your grocery shopping. Here are some tips and suggestions for making your supermarket experience as green as possible.

1. Cloth bags

Most grocery stores sell these for a low price. If not, simply use your own cloth totes or re-use those brown paper shopping bags with handles. You can even make your own shopping bag from old clothes, blankets, or other materials. Using your own totes reduces the use of plastic grocery bags, which endanger sea life when dumped in oceans and do not biodegrade in landfills.

2. Choose your grocery store wisely

Look for a grocery store that sells local produce, or, if possible, shop at a locally owned grocery. Food that is grown locally does not require a lot of gasoline or jet fuel to get from the farm across the globe to your store. Check with the policies of your grocery store regarding recycling as well. Do they have a recycling bin for customers to put their used plastic bags in? Choose stores that sell organic produce, too. Organically grown produce is far better for the environment, as it does not involve the use of dangerous agri-chemicals.

3. Only pay for what’s necessary

This is an important aspect in green shopping, and it is one of the most neglected. We often pay for unnecessary things without thinking, but everything from packaging to preservatives are not necessary for a healthy diet and can generate a lot of waste when packaging is thrown away. Here are some things to keep in mind when trying to make your dollar go as far as possible and reduce waste.

-Buy in bulk. Bulk foods sold in bins do not have packaging, so you are paying for the food only. Bulk buying can also include large containers of canned goods or cereal that can be divided up into individual serving containers at home (re-usable containers of course). Not buying individualized portions reduces your consumption of packaging materials such as plastic, metal and paper.

-Whole foods are foods in their most basic form, with no additives or unwanted ingredients to deal with. When you buy whole foods, you are not paying for the preparation and packaging.

-Read labels – don’t pay for ingredients you don’t need or that are bad for the environment.

4. Plan your meals and make a list

Meal planning can reduce your waste quite a bit. When you plan meals, make a list according to what you’ll need for those meals and nothing more. This prevents impulsive spending and over-buying, and generates less waste than simply buying whatever looks good.

5. Sales and stocking up

Although sticking to your list has many advantages, keep an eye out for sales and stock up when you can. While you are shopping for your meals you have planned for the week, you can do a bit of the reverse – plan your next week’s meals based on what was on sale! The more you can buy in one trip, the less gas you will use making multiple trips to the grocery store.

Whether you are just getting started with your green shopping commitment or are looking for ways to improve your green lifestyle, keeping the above tips in mind should help.

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If you take a shower, you use a lot less water than taking a bath, but showers can still use substantial amounts of water. If the weather is cold, a long, hot shower feels great, and if you have teenagers living in your house, long showers can be daily occurrences! There is a way to cut water usage without cutting time in the shower or at the sink, through – low-flow faucets.

Low-flow faucets use “restrictors” to lessen the flow of water, and they also aerate the water. Basically, they work by replacing water with air. Low-flow faucets distribute the water efficiently and evenly over your hands or body so that it feels like more water is being used. In other words, low-flow faucets distribute less water over a greater area.

Some sources say you can save $100 a year using low-flow faucets, and that you can cut your water usage by half at the site of installation. This is because you save:

1. Electricity or gas
Your hot water heater will not have to work so hard to heat water if you are using less. Therefore, you save energy.

2. Sewer fees
If you are part of a municipal water system, your sewer fees go up when your water usage does.

3. Water bill
Obviously, the less water you use, the less you pay per month.

You can replace your sink and shower faucets with low-flow ones for very little – such faucets start at only $15-$20. And this is a great DIY project for the average homeowner, so you won’t have to pay for professional installation. There are also online tutorials to help.

Here are some things to keep in mind if you want to replace your existing faucets with low-flow ones.

* Check the gallons per minute (gpm) on your existing faucets
The average water flow for a shower is between 2.5-5 gpm. Low-flow faucets can use a little as .5 gpm, although the average is between 1 and 1.5 gpm. Remember, low-flow faucets mix air in with the water so you will not notice a difference in water pressure. (Low-flow does not equal “trickle.”)

* Check your existing sink faucet aerators
You may not have to replace your entire sink faucet – just replacing the existing aerator with a low-flow one may do the trick. At about $3, this is a very affordable way to decrease your water usage.

Saving water is also a consideration for those who are concerned about the environment. Less water usage means less energy usage as noted above, and water is the most precious resource on our planet. Saving as much as possible makes sense, both for your budget and the earth.

Keep Going Green!
Lynne

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Low-flow faucets use “restrictors” to lessen the flow of water, and they also aerate the water. Basically, they work by replacing water with air. Low-flow faucets distribute the water efficiently and evenly over your hands or body so that it feels like more water is being used. In other words, low-flow faucets distribute less water over a greater area. 

Some sources say you can save $100 a year using low-flow faucets, and that you can cut your water usage by half at the site of installation. This is because you save:

1. Electricity or gas
Your hot water heater will not have to work so hard to heat water if you are using less. Therefore, you save energy.

2. Sewer fees
If you are part of a municipal water system, your sewer fees go up when your water usage does.

3. Water bill
Obviously, the less water you use, the less you pay per month.

You can replace your sink and shower faucets with low-flow ones for very little – such faucets start at only $15-$20. And this is a great DIY project for the average homeowner, so you won’t have to pay for professional installation. There are also online tutorials to help.

Here are some things to keep in mind if you want to replace your existing faucets with low-flow ones.

* Check the gallons per minute (gpm) on your existing faucets
The average water flow for a shower is between 2.5-5 gpm. Low-flow faucets can use a little as .5 gpm, although the average is between 1 and 1.5 gpm. Remember, low-flow faucets mix air in with the water so you will not notice a difference in water pressure. (Low-flow does not equal “trickle.”)

* Check your existing sink faucet aerators
You may not have to replace your entire sink faucet – just replacing the existing aerator with a low-flow one may do the trick. At about $3, this is a very affordable way to decrease your water usage.

Saving water is also a consideration for those who are concerned about the environment. Less water usage means less energy usage as noted above, and water is the most precious resource on our planet. Saving as much as possible makes sense, both for your budget and the earth.

Keep Going Green!
Lynne

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• Save Water and Money by Installing Low-Flow Faucets
• Conserving Rainwater

If you place a rain barrel underneath the gutters of your home, it can easily provide a barrel full of water which in turn can be used to water your flowers and garden or even wash your car. If you collect enough rain water throughout the year, you may not have to use your garden hose all summer. Collecting rain water is a great way to protect our water supply, save money, and give our water source time to replenish.

Rain water collection is becoming more and more vital as our supply of fresh water dwindles. Residential irrigation accounts for up to 40% of the water consumption in the home. By collecting rain water and storing it a rain barrel you’ll have extra water for future use, whether it’s for watering the garden or just keeping it handy for emergency situations.

The average family uses 15 gallons of water per day to water our lawn and garden and 15 gallons to wash our cars, clean our sidewalks and driveways, and to maintain our swimming pool and hot tub. Over half of the water used for the lawn and garden is wasted due to evaporation or runoff caused by overwatering. Remember water is one of our most precious resources so we all need to conserve where we can.

Keep Going Green 
Lynne

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• Save Water and Money by Installing Low-Flow Faucets