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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i will definitely be using the greener options of cleaning supplies at Whole Foods since I am currently 14 weeks pregnant!
I bring my own bags.
I carry my own big water cup with me to refill instead of using the plastic cups my work offers! Plus we recycle!
Homemade household cleaners and soap!
I almost, always use my reusable bags!
Organic Espresso Sierra coffee is the best!!! It’s the perfect start to my day, & I can buy it from the bulk bins – just as much as I need!
We recycle and have just started using chemical free cleaners in our house. I hated coughing from the chemical fumes every time we’d clean the bathroom! I need to get better about bringing reusable bags to the store. I brought them all the time when we shopped at Aldi’s, but now that we’ve moved and Meijer is the closest store we’re back to plastic bags, and need to start bringing reusable ones again. We are going to plant some vegetables in our first garden this weekend, so hopefully our plants stay alive and we can have some home grown veggies!
I started making my own eco-friendly cleaners as my New Year’s resolution a few years ago. I have never looked back! It takes minutes to make them and costs me a fraction of what it costs to purchase pre-made cleaners. Plus, they work just as well!
One “green” thing I do is make my own cleaning products with Castile soap, vinegar, water and baking soda!
We bring our own bags and buy sustainably caught fish, it tastes better too!
We recycle and shop in season.
I bring re-usable bags with me for each trip. I also try to choose the items that are sustainably sourced. Feel like I am making a small difference in this big world!
I spend a lot of time at WF bulk bins and make your own trail mix bar.
I bus and bike to work whenever whether permits- reduces my greenhouse emissions, saves money, and helps me work extra cardio into my day (even the bus ride requires a bit of a walk)!
We’ve been trying to buy less meat! Raising animals for meat, particularly beef, is so taxing on the environment, so though we haven’t given it up completely, we do try to be mindful and eat less of it! Also, recycling whatever we can and buying items with recyclable packaging is something we try to do!
Great tips! I recycle as much as I can and I have for as long as I can remember. I always use my own bags and recycle or reuse any plastic bags that I do get. The salad bar and hot foods bar is one of my most favorite things at WF!!!
Love Whole Foods and love this post! We never use the plastic bags for the produce (we just throw them away as soon as we get home!), if there are a lot of items like apples or oranges, my husband and I will put them in one of the reusable bags we bring with just to ensure they are contained, but things like veggies, we just place in the cart. No extra plastic for us!
I use reusable shopping bags whenever possible! Thank you for the giveaway 🙂
I typically use my own bags when grocery shopping. If I DO happen to use the store bags, I always reuse! My favorite thing to buy at Whole Foods are their juices! OMG, I am in LOVE with “Greens with Envy”! Their hot food bar isn’t bad either 🙂
I use reusable bags whenever I don’t need paper bags for recycling!
RECYCLE, RECYCLE, RECYCLE! And I bring my own reusable bags
Reusable shopping bags and carpooling to work! Love to buy the whole wheat pizza dough from Whole Foods.
I love bringing my own bags. It’s a win for the environment, AND I make less trips from the car into the house 🙂
I always keep reusable bags in the trunk of my car and the Whole Foods salad bar is the BEST for a quick, healthy lunch during the work day.
Their smoothies are incredible- the blue moon is my favorite!
I absolutely love Whole foods. We always buy the salmon and turkey meatballs…they are the best!
Recycle, recycle, recycle, & compost! My recycling bin is 4X larger than my trashcan both as a visual reminder to recycle & as a necessity, because I always try to buy things in recyclable containers.
My favorite thing at Whole Foods – can it be (almost) everything? Funky cheeses & produce top the list. Thanks for the tips & giveaway!
We just got a Whole Foods in my area last week and I’m soooooooo excited. One of my favorite things to buy from there is the guacamole, it’s SO good. It’s the the only already made guac that I’ve ever liked!
I love whole foods and I love to buy in season produce! And their bulk section is the bomb.com
Recycling everything we can and taking plastic bags to grocery store recycling bins, when paper or reusable bags aren’t an option. Favorite things to buy from WF include the GF options, prepared foods for lunch and discounted wine!
I always try to walk when I can! And I use Mrs. Meyers and buy bulk! Especially nutritional yeast for avocado toast 🙂
I do most of my shopping at Whole Foods — and I only buy my meats and seafood from them! I like to support more “humane” and sustainable farming practices. And I try to remember my reusable bags 😉
We always try to bring our own bags to the grocery store. The county we live in taxes 5 cents for each plastic bag purchased from the store and I hate them anyways so we bring our own. Favorite Whole Foods buy? Don’t laugh but their carrot cake is outstanding. Its the go-to for the company I work for anytime there is a cake-eating occasion. SO GOOD!
We compost as much as possible!!
I received this as a gift last year and have gotten pretty obsessed with it!
http://www.amazon.com/Yimby-Tumbler-Composter-Color-Black/dp/B009378AG2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1461876079&sr=8-1&keywords=compost+spinner
The Whole Foods in Bedford, NH just opened near us – it is beautiful! My favorite item to buy there so far are the Blue Print juices – SO good! I’ve also started to pay more attention to the packaging that companies use and try to buy recyclable packaged goods.
My favorite things to buy there were grass fed beef, organic chicken, whole milk, natural yogurt, vitamins, teas, face cleanser, eye serum, cheese, veggies, fruit and chips.
We always being our own bags…I keep a supply in my mean green prius. We are lucky enough to have curbside recycling and recycle everything we possibly can! I love love love the365 brand shampoo conditioner and body wash. The bull section rocks and lately my family has spinach with every dinner. It’s so versitile!
Fun giveaway! My “green routine” is hand washing a lot of my dishes. By sudsing (is that a word?) them all at once without too much water running, and then rinsing them all at once after, I at least hope to be conserving a lot of water by not running the dishwasher as often.
I bring my own bags and try to buy what’s in season! A new location is opening up this fall and I can not wait!
Now that I am a mom I have really made an effort to go green with cleaning products! It’s amazing how much our little guys are exposed to so between cleaning products and personal grooming products I’m trying to keep it clean!
I love the seafood quality at whole foods!
I have too many favorite products to select! I think the best way I try to stay green is to buy local as much as I can!
I have started to use all natural cleaning products in our kitchen. It makes me feel better knowing I am not cooking on surfaces cleaned with harsh chemicals.
Reusable bags all the time! Plus I love to push my two kiddos in the double stroller and run quick errands that way. Bonus is when I go to the park to treat them after the errands!
I love Whole Food’s fresh juices and, of course, their salad and hot bars! So easy to eat healthy when you don’t have to lift a finger in the kitchen! 😉
The make your own peanut butter! I love it because you know exactly what you are putting in your peanut butter and you can make to your desired consistency. It’s also just awesome that you can make your own peanut butter…
We keep our reusable bags in the trunk so they are always easy to grab. Shopping in season is a big one too and it is more economical! Great giveaway! I’d probably spend $100 just on the WF’s hot bar!!
Reusable bags are huge! I live in a city where they charge you for plastic / paper bags so having reusable ones are a MUST!
I buy most of the meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy for our family from local farmers who I know farm responsibly. I love that this is best not only for the earth, but we get the most nutritious foods that way as well!
So many things, but a few notables: buy all nuts, seeds, grains and flours in bulk (storing extras in refrigerator or freezer); home-make nut/seed butters, nut/seed milks, breads, bakery; frequent local seafood and farmers markets. Great tips!