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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Since I live alone, I love to shop the bulk bins. I buy what I want and don’t waste food. Plus I get to try some new grains/nuts etc that I wouldn’t normally buy! And I carry them home in my reusable bags!
I use a great big canvas bag from Trader Joe’s for groceries. In addition to being greener, it means one trip instead of several which is key when I’ve got a baby in a car seat to juggle too!!
Love, love, love Whole Foods! It’s my go-to for produce and I love walking to their salad bar for lunch! Always trying to find more ways to be green – thanks for the blog post!
we always use reusable bags, to be green but also due to the shopping bag tax here in Washington, DC (5 cents per bag– adds up!). I also want to start using cloth napkins rather than paper napkins.
I make sure to always recycle when I can (right down to my plastic ziplock bags) and keep a stash of reusable shopping bags in my car in case of a last-minute grocery store run. 🙂
I love the salad/food bar at Whole Foods! And this post made me think of all the green juices I’ve been drinking lately 🙂 It took me a while to get into the routine of bringing my own bags to the store, but I’m pretty good at remembering them now!
Love Whole Foods responsibly farmed salmon – we always keep some stocked in the freezer!
We buy from the bulk bins and a Whole Foods just recently opened in my town!
I love the WF Bulk Bins! Great way to try new things without committing to an entire container.
I love the salad bar at whole foods. One thing I always do is buy frozen fish wild caught and from the USA
We recycle and compost as much as we can here!
We recycle just about everything. Very little goes into the garbage. Love WF!!!
I love the fact that not only Whole Foods, but other stores as well, have encouraged the use of reusable shopping bags. I try to use mine most of the time and keep and extra one in my car at all times in case I need to stop at the store for something!
Salad bar is by far my favorite choice at WF! I also cannot resist their fruit parfaits from time to time!
I do my best to keep away from meat during the week nights and have a stellar collection of reusable bags 🙂
I am a huge fan of bringing my own shopping bags and I always try to do all my errands In one fell swoop- Mother Earth- love her or lose her!
All of my produce scraps get put in my garden. And I reduce, reuse and recycle everyday. Love, love, love Whole Foods salad bar – always fresh & a healthy alternative to fast food.
I always bring my own bags. Equally obsessed with the bulk bins and love buying my meat/poultry/fish there because I can trust that it’s sustainably-sourced.
I’ve been keeping a small bucket in my shower to collect the runoff to use to water my plants. In the California drought every bit helps!
I love buying from the bulk section to minimize waste from packaging! Thanks for the opportunity.
I bring reusable bags, bring jars and containers for the bulk bins, and try to buy cheese and bread from a local bakery that doesn’t have packaging.
I love buying all the different PB and Kombucha!
I’ve been making a more conscious effort lately to bring reusable bags to the store and we’ve cut back on our plastic usage by refilling our nalgenes, bonus that we save a little bit of money on our grocery bill each week!
I keep it green by printing double sided!
I recycle and also I ALWAYS take my own shopping bags in with me when I grocery shop! 🙂
I buy my fav lactose free yogurt (Green Valley Organics) at Whole Foods, its sooo good.
We use EnviroSax at the grocery store, plus reusable produce bags. We also recycle.
I use essential oils for all my cleaning products!
I reuse plastic bags and shop at seasonal markets!
I try to make fewer trips to the store to save on gas, and I always bring my own bags.
I always bring reusable bags!
I love buying their fresh fruit and arctic zero!
I always bring reusable bags. Or I’m that crazy person trying to stuff the few things I’ve bought into my purse.
I bring my own bags, but I also try and buy local products whenever possible. At Hannaford’s, I am able to buy local honey, milk, bread, and eggs, and I love the idea of supporting local farms.
Milk chocolate sea salt caramels… mmmmmm
I love the bulk section! I spend way too much time there :). I also always have my reusable bags!
I love the bulk bins! I spend way too much time there :). I also always have my reusable bags!
Whole foods sushi is DELISH! It’s one of my favorite places to get sushi. Thanks for the giveaway!
Definitely the reusable bags, especially now that D.C. charges a nickel a bag.! These bags also help stay with what is actually needed and on the list ?
I’m also guilty of making a beeline to the bulk section.The dried mango gets me every time!
I love the 365 creamy almond butter!
I use green cleaners or just plain vinegar.
I love browsing every section at WF! I’m especially drawn to the cheese and sweets sections 🙂
Thanks for the tips! I always bring in my reusable shopping bags (I keep extras in the trunk of the car so I am never without). But my guilty pleasure at Whole Foods is the sandwich station. Yummy and filling.
My favorite thing to buy at Whole Foods is GT Synergy Kombucha! It is such a yummy healthy “treat” for me!
Whole Foods has these amazing cold brew coffee popsicles, oh my! I love them!
I have reusable bags in my car all the time and have even stashed a few in my husband’s car, in case we stop off at the store when we’re out in his car. Love wandering the aisles at Whole Foods… It’s like Disneyland for me!
I always keep my reusable bags near the door so I don’t forget to bring them! I am a big fan of the bulk section – that’s how I buy my protein powder now!
What a fun giveaway! I love the bulk section at Whole Foods and I always make sure to shop with reusable bags!
I love this post! I very recently found the TerraCycle website that allows you to send in your empty shampoo/other beauty care bottles/packaging for free and they will recycle them! I started a box next to our recycle bin specifically for these types of containers and will be sending it in once we fill it up! Here is a link if anyone wants more info! (Not affiliated, just think it is a great idea to keep normally non-recyclables out of landfills!) https://www.terracycle.com/en-US