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!!
![\"Quantcast\"/](\"//pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-1e3-7hOJ_U8Bg.gif\")
I always use reusable bags and water bottles!
I always buy things in the bulk section at whole foods. It’s a great way to stay green as well as sample a new product without having to buy a large amount.
resuable water bottles, lunch bag, and reduce reuse recyle!! 🙂
Thanks for the great tips! We just moved out east from a small town in Michigan where there was no Whole Foods – there is one just on the other side of town from us and while we haven’t gone yet, I have heard so many people rave about it! Can’t wait to go check it out for ourselves!
I always try to keep the “green in my routine” by bringing my own bags every time! I also am obsessed with the bulk bins at Whole Foods. I wish I could narrow it down but I am a sucker for any nuts, nutritional yeast, various grains (aka barley), and so much more. Too much goodness to choose from!
We recycle as much as we can and reuse ziploc bags, and anything else we can. We bring our own cloth bags to shop as well as make our own detergent for laundry and clean with vinager and water or other earth friendly products such as Mrs.Meyers or Seventh Generation!
I love to buy Almond butter from Whole Foods!
Reusable shopping bags and bulk bins are favorites of mine!
We always use reusable bags and in 2 weeks moving to Colorado where I’ll have access to Whole Foods! Yay!
I always try to eat in-season produce! What a great giveaway
We use reuable bags, recycle as much as possible, we are conscious of the cleaners we use at home (we even make or own laundry detergent and dishwasher detergent), as well as we shop in bulk bins as much as possible.
I try to shop local and signed up with a local CSA to obtain produce this summer!
I love perfect foods bars (fruit and nut for me, carob for my fella) – I usually walk there, so I need those reusable bags or a backpack!
Bringing my own reusable bags is a small way to stay green for me! 🙂
I always bring my own reusable tote bags, and reusable produce bags as well. Thanks for the chance to win!
I bring reusable bags when I shop at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods, and my husband and I walk instead of drive whenever possible – to the gym, to dinner, wherever! 🙂
We recycle, take our own bags to the grocery store and we use have switched to “green” cleaners and laundry detergent.
We bring our reusable bags. We also love the fresh seafood selection at Whole Foods.
I always have reusable bags in my car to use!
My husband and I walk everywhere we can, including the 3 mile round trip to our local Whole Foods here in Atlanta.
I love their kombucha and gelato sections (for a treat)!
Bulk food bins at WF – I will eat literally ANYTHING covered in chocolate.
In my house we recycle a ton and also compost which has seriously cut down on our garbage. I plan to start our own vegetable garden in the next two weeks as well!
I don’t think I have just one favorite thing from Whole Foods- I like everything!! I love the chocolate covered almonds in the bulk section 🙂
I “green my routine” by recycling and also using a mixture of apple cider vinegar and water in a spray bottle to clean practically EVERYTHING in our house.
I love Whole Foods. We always buy fresh and in season produce.
I love Whole Foods and we are getting one here this spring!! I do love the salad bar and Meyers products. I also like to buy responsibly sourced meats and fish.
In addition to bringing my own bags, I bring my own jars for the bulk section! I would love a gift card to pick up goodies at the hot bar with my groceries!
My favorite thing to get at whole foods is their smoked mozzarella pasta, so yummy!
Love buying in season produce!
When it’s time to throw out my dishwashing gloves, (btw they can’t be recycled) I cut little rubber bands out of the fingers. I use them like regular rubber bands and I never have to buy new ones 🙂 This is just ONE of the man things I do.
^-^ I hope I win.
limiting trips to stores, bring our own bags, and reusable water bottles
We use the WF paper bags for our recycling. My favorite thing to buy is TesseMae’s dressing! Yum!
Fat thumbs! Name is ALISON 🙂
I’m definitely a sucker for their salad bar.
I use reusable ziplock bags!
I love buying my grass fed meat at whole foods and their brand has great prices on condiments.
I love using my reusable bags. And we use a water pitcher so we don’t have to buy bottled water.
Bring my own bags!
My favorite thing is shopping at local farmers markets and eating what’s in season and freezing berries and veggies that are in season as they are cheaper and taste better. I also love to use reusable bags when shopping. My very favorite thing from Whole Foods is their blueberry macaroons. They are phenomenal. They legit taste like a blueberry pop tart. So so good. Also their kombucha election is amazing and their cream cheese biscuits and marshmallows. So many good things 🙂
I keep a large handful of reusable bags in my trunk so I never have to worry about forgetting them when I head into the grocery store!
To stay ‘green’, I don’t even bring junk mail into my house. I literally stand over the recycling bags in my garage to open my mail and immediately toss any catalogs or junk mailers in the bin before letting it reach the trash can. 🙂
I always use reusable bags! Who wants all those plastic bags anyway?
I love to buy the japanese purple sweet potatoes!! they are a beautiful color that makes it even more fun to eat!
My daughter loves the peanut butter puff cereal and the 365 pasta and sauce.
I love all the options of dried fruit!
My friend and I buy the whole wheat tortillas with only 5 ingredients to use for our monthly freezer cooking days. We usually buy all that they have at once. Last time they gave me a discount for buying so many packages 🙂
I always walk to Whole Foods instead of driving. I bring my reusable bags too!
Reusable bags! The kindergarten teacher in me loves that I can coordinate them with the season, ha!
We use cloth diapers! And just bought a compost bin and rain barrels!
I love to buy produce in season and sustainably caught seafood!
I always carry a water bottle with me to avoid having to buy a water out. I also bring a reusable cup with when I get coffee out 🙂
Reusable bags!!
These are great tips and ones that I am always trying to be conscious of when I shop! I am really not sure I can pick just one thing that I like from there! Whole Foods is my absolute favorite! Due to allergies and gastro-intestinal problems, Whole Foods is the only place I can shop. Love that place!