No, I’m not talking about buying and eating more green vegetables because of all their amazing health benefits. Rather, I’m here to discuss the matter of conscious grocery shopping. That’s right, you got it, we’re talking about climate change, environmental degradation and greenhouse gases, and how our shopping habits contribute to it. With these simple interventions, we can together help our delicate ecosystems that we can collectively call it home for generations to come! Understanding the role that our shopping plays in climate change is complex, but through a few simple interventions, we can take one small step towards more environmentally conscious shopping.

1. Let’s talk packaging

Companies really can get fancy with their packaging designs to draw attention to their products amongst hundreds of others on store shelves. But, let’s get real, the larger container with your favourite orange juice is using up way less packaging than say several small juice boxes. At the end of the day it’s the same product, so why go for the mini-packed items?

2. Don’t forget your fruits and veggies

Consider for a moment, the honey-like sweetness of a mandarin, and now consider the environmental consequences of the plastic wrapping and packages these items are purchased in. Try your best to buy seasonal products as much as possible because the undeniable truth is that local, fresh-picked produce not only tastes better but also takes less of a toll on the Earth. This makes sense when you consider that the majority of produce we buy is nearly a week old by the time we check-it-out and on top of that –comes from nearly 1500 miles away!

3. Explore a variety of food groups

There are obviously a lot of benefits that can be derived from a plant-based diet for both your own health and the environmental effects it alleviates through production. There are many cultural traditions that cannot be forgone as well as sustainable options available that may help one preserve these traditions too. It’s not always easy accessing sustainably farmed products everywhere, especially in more rural communities, but there are ways in which we mitigate these products by gradually introducing more plant-based options. Instead of committing to a drastic and at times unrealistic dietary change, try instead to incorporate a greater variety of foods into your daily diet, including plant-based options for example. Try to commit to buying your meat, eggs and dairy from local farms and grocers (more sustainable practices.) Look for things like wild-caught for seafood and pasture-raised for land animals. Not only do factory farms generate a lot of harmful pollutants, the antibiotics and hormones used in their products just don’t make for the best quality animal products on the market, period.

Change can be tough! We are creatures of habit. So that’s why it’s super important to be forgiving and practice self-compassion as you gradually make changes to your shopping routine. Even just starting with one change still makes an impact. Whether it’s heading out to your local farmer’s market and buying local or considering the importance of packaging, even just one of these things will make your next checkout more green!