Modern day consumerism is extremely resource intensive. Many people don’t realize how much stuff (i.e. packaging, food scraps, one-time-use cleaning supplies, etc.) is thrown away each day.
Everything that is thrown into the trash ends up somewhere, and so much effort goes towards organizing trash, more than you probably know or can imagine, and it’s not that easy. No enough people care about where and what happens to their trash. Nonetheless, it’s a thoughtful consideration for the environment.
Unfortunately, our market economy favors convenience. Because of convenience, every single item at the grocery store in packaged; boxed, wrapped, sealed, bagged, you name it. For someone who is interested in reducing the amount of trash they produce, what are the best ways to do so?
There are a few simple and easy ways to reduce your environmental footprint when going grocery shopping that eliminates a notable amount of trash:
- Bring reusable bags to the grocery store (already a well-known tip).
- Always chose glass or carton containers, always stay away from plastic!
- Avoid individually wrapped snacks; wrap them up at home instead.
- Buy in bulk!!! And bring your own bags / containers.
- Go vegetarian or vegan. Animal products are extremely resource intensive.
For students in the Syracuse area: the Syracuse Co-Op, located on Kensington Street, has a large selection of bulk items: olive oil you can refill bottles with, dish and laundry soap, honey, nuts, pasta, flours, all the spices and herbs you could ever want, teas, dried fruits, and so much more. The Co-op supports local products and farms, as well as wholesome, healthy foods.
Going vegetarian or vegan doesn’t need to be as scary as it sounds. Meatless Mondays is a national campaign to help reduce the consumption of meat and encourage healthier eating habits. It’s better for your health and for the environment’s health too! It isn’t necessary to be a strict vegetarian/vegan, but choosing to be more than just once a week makes a big impact. Processing animal products is extremely resource intensive, and here’s why: it involves land needed for the actual animals, land to grow food needed to feed the animals, water for the animals and water for the processing stages (like packaging), transportation costs of feed and final product, chemicals for the animal (hormones), for feed (pesticides), as well as the products (preservatives), and electrical energy needed to run machinery. The list goes on and on. Plant based diets do not require as much manufacturing or processing, and transportation is much less because of this. So it is true that one less burger makes a difference, even though we may not witness any immediate benefit.
There are tons of things you can do at home to reduce the amount of waste you produce. Reduce, reuse, and recycle is the motto, and those words are ordered by importance! The best thing to do is reduce, then reuse, and then recycle. A good place to learn more about ways to reduce waste, the Zero Waste Home website has tons of tips for the kitchen, bathroom, laundry, and more: www.ZeroWasteHome.com
Thanks for reading!
- Camilla