Our everyday purchases have a huge impact on the environment and, in many cases, on the health and livelihoods of the people involved in their production and processing. Shop responsibly by choosing items that make an effort to preserve native habitats as well as the animals that live there.
Choose paper products with high post-consumer recycled content: toilet paper and paper towels, computer paper, facial tissues, napkins, wrapping paper and more.
Making paper from recycled content rather than virgin fiber creates 74 percent less air pollution and 35 percent water pollution [1].
Toss your trash with recycled plastic trash bags
If every household in the United States replaced just one package of 20-count trash bags made from virgin plastic with 100-percent recycled ones, we could conserve 101,500 barrels of oil (enough to heat and cool 5,800 U.S. homes for a year), save 1.8 million cubic feet of landfill space (equal to 2,700 full garbage trucks), and avoid 37,800 tons of pollution! [2]
Wash your hands with non-antibacterial soap
Antibacterial soaps are not significantly more effective at combating germs than regular soaps. Instead, their popularity is contributing to the growing problem of drug-resistance by creating greater opportunities for the emergence of deadly "super-bugs" that are immune to germ-fighting agents. As a consequence, many antibiotics used to fight life-threatening infections, such as malaria and tuberculosis, have lost their effectiveness [3].
How to tell if soap is antibacterial: read the label! If it contains Triclosan or another ingredient described as "antimicrobial," "antibacterial" or "germ-fighting", don't buy it! Note: Alcohol-based hand-rub gels are not harmful to the environment as long as they are free of Triclosan.
Cook with local and organic foods
Certified organic foods are grown using no pesticides or fertilizers, which protects the health of the environment and farmers. Buying locally reduces greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants from food transportation.
Savor shade grown, fair trade, organic coffee and chocolate
What do these terms mean? Shade grown chocolate, coffee and other spices are grown under the natural canopy of the rainforest as opposed to clearing the land to accommodate monoculture farms. This practice protects the native habitat and biodiversity. Fair trade farmers are paid a living wage for their product. Organic farming methods use no pesticides or synthetic fertilizers to grow the crops, further protecting ecosystem health.
Brew your coffee with unbleached or reusable filters
Bleached filters contain dioxins, chemicals formed during the chlorine-bleaching process that are linked to cancer in humans and animals and can contaminate the air and groundwater [4].
Enjoy sustainably harvested seafood
There are good and bad methods of harvesting wild seafood and growing farm-raised seafood, and it's up to us to choose the former. In addition, there are species that should be avoided completely, for either human health reasons (e.g. mercury contamination) or ecological reasons (e.g. a species is severely overfished). Find out more at www.mbayaq.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp.
Eat organic meat, eggs and dairy products
Organic meat comes from animals that have only been fed 100-percent organic feed. This is not the case for non-organic meat—these animals are fed a variety of materials, including animal byproducts. These additions can transmit diseases, such as mad cow disease, to both animals and humans. See www.sustainabletable.org/issues/feed/ for more details.
Decorate with low-VOC paint and sealers
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted as gases from certain solids and liquids, including paints. When released, VOCs can contribute to the formation of smog and can cause respiratory tract problems, headaches, eye irritation, nausea, damage to the liver, kidneys and central nervous system, and possibly cancer [5].
Build with FSC-certified wood products
Did you know that every year 27 million acres of tropical rainforest—an area the size of Ohio—are destroyed [6]? Send a message to companies that continue to clear cut forests by choosing certified wood! Your purchase will support sustainable forestry, whose producers manage forests to support a balance of both timber removal and biodiversity/ecosystem protection.
Clean with biodegradable, non-toxic cleaning supplies
There are more than 70,000 chemicals being used today. Fewer than 2 percent of the 70,000 chemicals used today have been thoroughly tested for their effects on human and aquatic life [7]. Chemicals in cleaning products can cause allergies, eye problems, cancer and other problems. Look for "green cleaner" alternatives or make your own supplies using vinegar, baking soda or lemon juice."
Paper or plastic? Neither—bring your own bags instead!
Both paper and plastic bags are environmentally irresponsible choices:
Plastic
In the United States alone, approximately 12 million barrels of oil are required to produce the 84–100 billion bags consumed annually [8]; plastic bags are a destructive type of litter, escaping from landfills and ending up inside animals who mistake them for food.
Paper
In 1999, the United States used 10 billion paper grocery bags, requiring 14 million trees to be cut down [9]; paper bag manufacture is extremely energy, water and pollutant intensive.
