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 actually buy almost all my beauty products at Whole Foods, in an effort to keep nasty chemicals off my skin!
Bringing my own bag and walking to as many places that we can, especially now that it is getting nice out!
I walk to the grocery store and bring my reusable bags!
oh love this idea! I use my reusable grocery bags and i love their brown rice tortillas. Gluten free but holds better than other gluten free tortillas.
Awesome giveaway! My favorite things to buy at Whole Foods are kale chips, cookies, and nut butter! We reuse as many food containers as we can that we buy from the store, love reusable bags, and try to only buy soaps that have an ingredient list we recognize.
We recycle as much as possible.
I have never been to whole foods but am dying to go but heard it’s super expensive! Winning the giftcard would be awesome!
I suppose that I’m helping in some sense that I’m vegetarian. I don’t eat too much dairy either so I’m protecting the ozone layer or something… anyways. I need to start taking my own bags places. I always forget to take them back out to the car!
I use reusable bags!
I use recyclable bags and the bulk bins!! Trying to use less plastic everyday cause it is everywhere
We use our own bags, even special produce bags. And if we only need a few things at Whole Foods, we live close enough that we can walk.
I’ve been wanting to use reusable produce bags. Do you have recommendations?
I’m honestly not picky about them at all! You can find them for $1 many places but we use a lot of the green bags we’ve received from random events (like the half marathon bag you see above) or brand promos, too!
I hope you had a great birthday, Julie!! I love Whole Foods and what they stand for! Like you, we became much more aware of what cleaning products we use once I became pregnant and had a little one, and Whole Foods is a great place to buy non toxic cleaning supplies. One thing we do to stay “green” is to use reusable bags for groceries, and we try to buy locally sourced produce from our farmer’s market!
I just bought and built my own compost bin for our house to help reuse and recycle food, grass clippings etc. in our garden!
I always try to buy in season produce and use my reusable bags!
I use reusable bags every time I go grocery shopping. I had unknowingly built up a nice collection and have since been using reusable bags for about a year.
I always buy in season fruits and veggies! It gives us lots of variety but is also a green way to be!
I bike to work and love it! All the house made sausages at whole foods are some of my favorite things to shop for .
We started composting a few years ago, and love that we are able to put food waste to good use in our environment. Now when I see my daughters throwing away something as simple as the stems from kale or strawberries, it makes me cringe! 🙂 It does take a little effort, but so worth it!!
I also use vinegar and baking soda for nearly all my cleaning needs. Not only good for the environment, but saves so much money!
Nice give away, Whole Foods is the best!!!
I always bring my own reusable bags when I go shopping.
I try to buy my family more in season produce and more snack items (like nuts and seeds) in bulk.
I love to buy fresh produce from Whole Foods and of course, lunch or dinner from their hot bar!
A favorite thing at Whole Food is Champagne grapes and Miracle Tarts 🙂
We bring our own bags! And definitely buy what’s in season more often than not.
I always bring my own grocery bags, recycle containers and packing that is recyclable, and buy in bulk! It’s my favorite section too!
I started using a mason jar for just about everything- water, smoothies, salads! No more plastic and way less waste than traditional “to go” containers1
We always bring our reusable water bottles with us everywhere…like the Whitewater Center! Also, our big blue recycle bin is constantly overflowing (why does it only get picked up once every 2 weeks…ugh!).
I always bring my own bags and purchase the fresh local produce!
I love buying in bulk, especially granola
Guac from Whole food is a family favorite! We always take it home in our reusable bags.
I try to buy produce when it’s in season.
I always being my personal shopping bags with me. Environmentally friendly and keeps out the clutter of saving bags with the intention of using them later. I also love the bulk bins at whole foods, especially their unique trail mixes!!
Reusable bags – every single shopping trip!
We purchase green products in our home including seventh generation diapers for the little ones
I always bring my reusable grocery bags!
I use a lunch box and tupperware for my lunch to reduce the amount of trash. I also bring my own bags to the store. I need to start being my eco friendly with my cleaning and beauty products…maybe this would help me start!
We love getting our meat, seafood and produce at Whole Foods! We also usually can’t get through a shopping trip without buying and drinking one of their smoothies (they make a really yummy green one with dates and almond milk!)
We bring our own grocery bags while we shop at Whole Foods. I love all their fruits and veggies!!! Such a great selection!
We just recently got a Whole Foods in the Ohio area, and we love it! I love that I can get honey from Whole Foods that is from farms right here in my area.
I love all the different cheese they have at whole foods!
I reuse the plastic containers (with lids!) that yogurt comes in and use them to take to my breakfast to work!
I walk to Whole Foods and use reusable bags, which makes carrying groceries home so much easier!
I always try to buy more environmentally cleaning products!!
On the rare occasion that we get plastic bags from the grocery store we make a point to reuse them and not just toss them. My favorite two things at Whole Foods is the fresh juice bar and the fresh almond butter station. So so good!
To “green” my routine, I always try and go into grocery shopping with a plan so that way I end up using everything, and no food goes to waste. I don’t like when I have to throw something out!
Fun giveaway!!
We always buy sustainably sourced seafood and use reusable bags. I love to buy Halo Top ice cream at Whole Foods 🙂
We love getting iced coffees at whole foods! They have a Vietnamese coffee that is so good. I also always try to bring my reusable bags!!
We bring our own grocery bags.
And we LOVE the hot bar at WF for a special lunch treat! Hmmm… Might have to go there today!
I shop in bulk and use my own bags. My favorite thing at whole foods is their chocolate section! They’ve got some amazing bars of chocolate! 🙂
Using the reusable bags is definitely the way to go! I hate when I forget them so I try to keep them in my car in case I just find myself at the store!
I always bring my own bags and have started switching to green cleaning products!