Sustainable Development

Greening in the Home - Purchasing

Buying locally is a significant factor in sustainable shopping. Being aware of what you buy is one of the most important factors in working toward a sustainable lifestyle.

Buying locally is a significant factor in sustainable shopping. By buying locally you assist the local economy, helping to secure local industries and jobs. There are a growing number of farm shops and Farmer's Markets opening up, which allow the shopper to support the local producers of food, to find out how the product was produced and to get to know the producer. People often find that products purchased locally taste better than those from supermarkets.

Buying locally also reduces the Food Miies of products. Food Miles are a measure of the distance a product has travelled from the point of production to that of consumption. By reducing the Food Miles you reduce the amount of pollution created especially air pollution and reduce the consumption of non-renewable resources such as oil.

If shopping in a supermarket look at the country of origin and see if you can purchase something more local. E.g. Scottish and English potatoes V Cyprus and Egyptian potatoes.

Learn to eat with the seasons; with the advent of supermarkets and air travel we now have the ability to have whatever food we want at whatever time of year. However it should be remembered that to have this luxury it has been necessary to use energy for heating to assist growth, transportation and refrigeration.

This in turn creates pollution particularly to the land and air; increases greenhouse gas emissions so increasing the likelihood of climate change.

Sustainable Shopping

Consider the amount of packaging. Is there a product with less packaging?
Consider the use of chemicals in food production. Is there an organic equivalent?
Consider the use of GM technology. Does the produce I have chosen use GM technology?
The use of cleaning agaents, is there an environmentally safe alternative e.g. Ecover products or make your own (see alternative cleaning)
Consider the purchase of biodegradable plastic bags
Consider the purchase and use of recharcheable batteries
Consider the use of reusable shopping bags rather than those supplied by shops
Remember to look for environmental labels such as Fairtrade, The Soil Association, Organic Standard British Farm Standard. The Freedom Food Label, Recycled Symbol, White and Wild Wildlife Friendly Milk and the European Eco-Label.

Remember to Use Your Purchasing Power to Effect Change