Good morning and Happy Thursday! I hope you guys are doing well so far today! I’m excited to be teaming up with Whole Foods Market on today’s blog post and chat about simple things we can all do to “green our routines” and be a little more environmentally-friendly.
Below you will find six simple ways to green your routine and there’s also a great giveaway at the bottom of this blog post that I think my fellow Whole Foods Market lovers will enjoy!
Six Simple Ways To Green Your Routine at Whole Foods
- Purchase Frozen Fish and Buy Sustainable Catch
As someone who loves almost any kind of seafood and prepares fish for dinner at least once a week, purchasing frozen and sustainably-caught seafood is a big one for me! While fresh seafood must often travel long distances by air, frozen seafood can make its way to retailers via a more energy-efficient mode of transportation. An added bonus is that modern flash-freezing means consumers still get high-quality seafood, often for less money than fresh seafood.
Additionally when purchasing wild-caught seafood, select options that are certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) or rated “Green” or “Yellow” by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program and the Safina Center to ensure that your choice is sustainable.
- Bring Your Own Bags
I have a feeling a lot of you already do this (at least I hope you do!), but bringing your own reusable grocery bags to the store with you is such a simple way be a little more environmentally friendly. Plus, many Whole Foods Market locations offer discounts for customers who bring their own bags into the store! Win, win.
Fun fact: It’s estimated that Whole Foods has kept more than 150 million plastic bags out of landfills since eliminating plastic grocery bags from their stores in 2008.
- Choose Greener Cleaners
I started to pay more attention to the type of cleaners we use at home when I was pregnant and am definitely more cognizant of our cleaning supplies now that we have a baby at home. Whole Foods Market’s Eco-Scale Rating System mandates full ingredient disclosure on all household cleaning products (<— something that is not require by US law) in an effort to help shoppers identify a product’s environmental impact though a color-coded rating.
The orange rating is the minimum rating, noting that products with an orange rating do not have ingredients with significant environmental or safety concerns (such as phosphates or chlorine). Yellow-rated products meet even higher standards and green-labeled products are the top tier!
- Select In-Season Produce
This is another tip that is both great for flavor and for saving energy and resources! By shopping in season, you’re more likely to save money and enjoy deliciously flavorful produce while also purchasing food that has been harvested using less energy and resources during a time when it grows naturally.
- Shop In Bulk
Oooh the bulk foods section! I don’t know what it is about this section of Whole Foods, but I’m always drawn to it first. I love trying new foods and appreciate the way the bulk bins allow me to shop for the exact amount I want to use. They’re a great way to save money (I love buying chia seeds, nuts and nutritional yeast in bulk) and also cut down on materials and waste.
- Vote With Your Dollars
I cannot remember where I first heard this tidbit of advice, but it’s something I think about regularly when I am shopping. Whatever you purchase at the grocery store is essentially a “vote” telling brands that you like what they’re doing and want more of it. I would obviously prefer to see store shelves packed with food that is nutritious and produced with sustainability in mind and feel that by gravitating toward this type of food when I shop, I play a very small part in keeping the wheel running and encouraging the production of more responsibly-produced food.
Whole Foods Market Gift Card Giveaway
And now for that giveaway I promised you at the beginning of this post! One PBF reader will win a $100 gift card to Whole Foods Market. Sweet, right!?
To enter this giveaway, please leave a comment on this blog post telling me one thing you do on a regular basis to “green your routine” or tell me one of your favorite things to buy at Whole Foods.
I will randomly select a winner tomorrow morning.
Good luck!!
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Love these tips! I also “green my routine” with reusable shopping bags! I keep a bunch in my car so I have easy access whenever I am shopping.
Fruit parfaits!
We reduce, reuse, recycle as much as we can
I always bring my own bags. I have so many in my car just to make sure I don’t forget them when I go in.
I love getting freshly ground peanut butter at WFs! Yum!
Great giveaway! I love Mrs. Meyers cleaning supplies! I also love the WF fresh product and making my own nut butter!! I’d say my all time fave WF treat is their chocolate chip scones-SO SO GOOD!
I meant fresh produce**
We recycle and reuse everything we can. I I just taught my preschool students about the three Rs!
Buying bill is one of the best waste reducers for me. I get just what I need for a recipe instead of having leftovers that rarely get used again…
My favorite thing to buy at WF is produce! I love that they always have organic options and the quality is unreal. My husband and I always agree the berries from WF are the best/juiciest! I also love WF skincare options! My favorite cleanser is Andalou brand rose cleansing foam! I’ve definitely switched over to more environmentally friendly/less toxic cleaning products. I usually use Seventh Generation.
Buying in bulk and bringing my own bags!
We recycle as much as possible and usually have very minimal trash on garbage day.
Another tip that I would give is to shop what’s in season – but also look at the location of origin. It came as a bit of a shock as a person who tries to do her best shopping in season to find out that even while in season, much of the produce in my market came from out of state (this holds true at Whole Foods as well). Especially in the Northern US, farmer’s markets can be a huge blessing and preplanning in the summer for the winter can make a big impact!
I recycle! Pretty simple but every bit counts.
Great giveaway! I always bring my reusable bags everywhere. I keep them all over the place so I can’t forget!
I buy in bulk and use recyclable bags at the grocery store!
I recycle plastic containers from spinach and jars from nut butters. I also bring my own bags to the store or I opt for paper bags so that I can use them for my recycling at home.
We take reusable bags to the store whenever possible. If we have to get plastic, ,we try to reuse those as much as possible also.
I always bring my own bags! It’s a double win because they’re so much easier to carry too!
One thing I do everything morning is make a green smoothie packed with spinach! I love shopping at Whole foods. My favorite thing from WF is the chipotle salsa and my husband’s favorite is Brazi Bites!
I use reusable bags when shopping.
My favorite way to be green is to make sure I do all my errands in one trip so I don’t drive unnecessarily. It saves time and reduces emission in the air!
One thing we do everyday is reduce the amount of trash we produce in our house by reusing, recycling, and composting.
Recycle anything and everything! Our recycle bin is usually more full than the trash
I always bring my own cloth bags to the stores – so much easier to carry groceries home with a bag on your shoulder too!
man i miss whole foods and trader joe’s. but i’m starting to get warm to the local markets here in budapest.
The easiest thing I do is always brining my reusable bags! Recently I started figuring out how to freeze different vegetables and such so that I can buy them in season in larger quantities and they will last longer!
I always bring my own bags when grocery shopping!
We recycle as much as possible and I always bring reusable bags to the store.
Ohh, what a fun giveaway! We bring reusable bags and recycle as much as possible.
It sounds simple but I am diligent about making sure that any electronics or lights that are not in use are turned off!
I always bring my own bags to the grocery store/farmer’s market. I love the Whole Foods hot bar when I’m feeling too lazy to cook,
Bulk bins are such a blessing! I think it’s a great sampler for trying new things without being too wasteful.
I never go to the grocery store without reusable bags; they can fit a ton more than paper or plastic bags, meaning less trips when unloading the car. Plus saving a few cents at WF is also a plus.
I try to walk or bike as much as possible.
I love to buy the family pack of 6 frozen salmon filets. They’re great to have on hand for a quick dinner!
We’ve ditched most household cleaners for a simple vinegar solution! I also try to be conscious about not purchasing more perishable food each week than we can eat — food waste means more stuff sitting and offgassing in landfills!
One of my favorite products at Whole Foods is their smoked salmon. Mmm….
Thanks for the giveaway, Julie!
I love getting their gluten free baking mixes to make treats for my brother in law!
I always bring my own bags!
We recycle everything!
I have swithed all baby products to organic and all our shampoos to organic. Small steps! I lovethe bulk bins ut I secretly ADORE all the yogurt selection wholefoods has! I end up getting one of each when i go in!
We use *cute* reusable bags! Also I would love to start using more “green” cleaner- I’ve heard good things and read blog comments about Mrs Meyers… I need to give it a try!
I recently got reusable produce bags to use in addition to my reusable grocery bags!
Instead of disposable plastic containers, I opt for sturdy glass storage. When I do need to use plastic or Ziploc bags, I wash them so they can be used multiple times.
I buy produce in season and bring my own reusable bags. I love to buy coconut butter at Whole Foods! What a great giveaway- I would love to win!
We walk to our local whole foods each weekend to get our groceries with our reusable bags and my fiancé and I get a little workout in carrying everything home! Love that they give you a few cents off for using your own bags.
I always bring reusable bags!
I love Whole Food bulk bin dried mangoes (no sugar added). They are the best!
I always try to have reusable bags in my car for shopping! I also try to use mostly green cleaning profucts.
I love buying from the bulk bins so I know that I won’t be wasting! I also reuse and recycle as much as possible.
Recycling and also changing up our cleaning products. I never knew how horrible some of the cleaning ingredients were until I became pregnant and started looking at the effects a little more.
In addition to bringing our own bags (don’t forget to wash them!)- we use mesh reuseable produce bags. The cashiers are always mystified by them and they seem to be a topic of conversation. Hopefully that changes. Think of all of the produce you put in those plastic bags.
We love to buy salmon from wfs!