I just made my first online purchase with the sole intent of being ‘green.’ I just bought some mesh reusable produce bags and a Sigg water bottle. I will admit that the water bottle was fairly selfish but it is a good thing as well. Mark and I have several Nalgine bottles but they are all the huge size and not really portable for work and such. So I bought a smaller Sigg bottle for everyday out and about and then I will leave my big bottle on my desk at work and another one at home. I’m actually really excited about this I’m trying to buy less in general so I don’t clutter up my life any more than I need to but I do have to make allowances for certain things and these are just such things. Just and FYI I bought my produce bags here and the Sigg bottle here.Archive > October 2007
Sigg Water Bottle and Produce Bags!
I just made my first online purchase with the sole intent of being ‘green.’ I just bought some mesh reusable produce bags and a Sigg water bottle. I will admit that the water bottle was fairly selfish but it is a good thing as well. Mark and I have several Nalgine bottles but they are all the huge size and not really portable for work and such. So I bought a smaller Sigg bottle for everyday out and about and then I will leave my big bottle on my desk at work and another one at home. I’m actually really excited about this I’m trying to buy less in general so I don’t clutter up my life any more than I need to but I do have to make allowances for certain things and these are just such things. Just and FYI I bought my produce bags here and the Sigg bottle here.BYOC
Bring
Your
Own
Cup (mug or water bottle)
I don’t just mean at the office with your Sigg bottle I also mean when you go to the gas station, at a fast food restaurant everywhere. All of those bottles just build up in the landfills and are never recycled by the fast food companies. Many gas stations and coffee shops will gladly allow you to bring in your own travel mug. They will also let you fill up your water bottle with the water from the pop machine instead of buying a bottle of water. Think about where you can can use non-disposable cups.
Take-Out/Fast Food
I love Mc Donalds, its sad but true. However there are two major problems with this. One is pretty basic, fast food in general is bad for us, high calories, high fat, and high in sugar. Second and a new revelation to me, its terrible for the environment. Plastic silverware, straws, lids paper bags, cups, wrappers, napkins, cardboard boxes. In one ‘meal’ you will have 1 bag, 3 napkins, a wrap or box for the main dish, box for the fries or plastic for the salad, cup lid and straw for the drink. Yikes.
So what am I going to do? I can’t promise no fast food but this perspective has defiantly caused me to re-evaluate each time and if its mearly because I’m lazy and don’t want to cook, that is no longer a good excuse.
I’m going to try to cut down my fast food to 1 time or less a month.
Green vs. Cheap
So these are my favorite jeans ever, SilverTab!!! They fit me perfectly and the cost a small fortune, well at least to me. Then I discovered a young ‘hip’ thrift store that specializes in good condition used name brand clothes. I can get a pair of my favorite jeans for $15.00-$20.00. After reading a bunch of blogs and such I also realized that this method of shopping is green as well. Buying someone Else’s cast-offs that would otherwise go in the trash is a two fold green. 1) We are not causing a big manufacturing plant to make more new jeans and 2) these jeans would otherwise be taking up space in the landfill.
Another example is Mark and my upcoming vacation. We rarely have a need for two large suitcases but this time we will need two. There is no use buying a $100.00 suitcase for MAYBE once per year so I decided to buy one from a thrift store. When I was talking about this with a friend she said I could just barrow hers. Yeah Free= Very Cheap and Very Green!
Think about things in your life that you could buy at a thrift store. My main advise to you would simply be to wash before you where/use.
An easy way to start.
I’ve already made some changes and the easiest one by far is using ‘cloth’ bags instead of the stores’ plastic ones.
Its really fairly simple I already had some tote bags at home so I started using those for random stores plus my grocery store has cloth bags on sale for $1.00 each. Talk about an easy transition that doesn’t break the bank.
I just keep the bags in the back of my car so its as simple as grabbing a bag or two before I go in the store. In warmer weather I try to ride my bike as much as possible if I’m just getting a few things I grab my backpack and am on my way. Here is just one of many places you can get some shopping bags. Chances are if you look around your home you will find some just lying around.
