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 always bring my own bags and I also love to shop as local as possible!
We love reusable bags at our house!
Thanks for the giveaway! I always try to use reuseable bags and shop in the bulk section. Homemade nut butters, trail mixes, etc! So yummy.
I always like to go immediately to the prepared foods section and either get a turkey burger or salmon!
I always make sure to bring my reusable bags! I love the produce at whole foods!
I love shopping for produce at Whole Foods and always bring my reusable shopping bags.
The vegan almond cheese at whole foods is local and amazing!! I buy local produce (in season) and I’m working on my reusable bags!
One thing I do is I walk to the store and bring my own bags! It is a little harder walking home, but I don’t buy too much at one time, which gives me an excuse to go back to Whole Foods again and again!
I love the WF Paleo califlower hummus and plantain chips!
I keep our reusable bags in the car so we never forget to use them!
I love to buy the fresh flowers at WF! It makes my day and brightens up my house.
I like to treat myself with a new cheese and some water crackers. I try to stay green with using good toothpaste and not running the water so much if I can avoid it.
I do try and use reusable bags whenI remember to bring them but if I don’t I reuse my plastic bags. I also liketo you reusable napkins
We try to recycle everything we can!
I skip the plastic bags and bring my own green bags for groceries and also skip the plastic bags for fresh produce. Cuts down on bags tremendously.
?One of the things I like to do to “green my routine” is to make my own cleaner using essential oils like eucalyptus…oh and I love purchasing Whole Foods fresh salsa.?
I use a refillable waterbottle and a lunchbox to reduce waste!
I always bring my own bags and love Whole Foods Frozen Flax Seed Waffles
I love getting fresh produce from Whole Foods. They always have a wide selection and very fresh to choose from!
We recycle everything we can, & I refill my water bottle over & over & over… 🙂
Reusable water bottle (love my camelbak) and grocery bags.
Also I am currently OBSESSED with halo top ice cream from whole foods! MINT CHIP baby!
I always use reusable bags! I live in an apartment so it makes brining in groceries from the parking deck to the apartment SO much easier, too!
I “green-up” my grocery routine by both buying in bulk and using reusable shopping bags! 🙂
We use all green detergents, cleaning agents, hand soaps, and so on! And our recycling every week is more than our trash (3 x more). And so much more! (Btw, I love your cute reusable pink floral half-marathon bag! So adorable!)
We used to cloth diaper the girls but once they hit a year old we started to slack off. But we still try to recycle everything, use green cleaners, and we never use paper napkins or paper towels in our house. We always use cloths to clean and wipe up messes.
I always use reusable shopping bags and LOVE the salad bar!
I also use re-usable grocery bags. They’re cute and gets my groceries in the door in one trip! WINS.
I use reusable bags anytime I can… Always have a pair in the trunk of the car ? And I also love the bulk section and can never leave WF without a bag!
I also love eating fish weekly and always buy frozen! I am working on using my own bags now when I shop 🙂
I recycle as much as I can. I love the salad bar at Whole Foods! Oh and anything from the bakery!
We love buying fresh foods in season, and we always try to use reusable bags every time we shop! Thanks for all the tips and reminders on how to shop greener!
We recycle everything and always bring bags to the store!
My favorite thing to buy at Whole Foods is these delicious cookies from the bulk bin. I think they are called Snappy Gingers and they are amazing.
I use reusable containers for lunch instead of using plastic bags. I know a lot of people do this but it is a great way to cut down on both cost and waste!
I always use tons of reusable bags at all of the grocery stores and buy tons of frozen fish weekly! I bought nutritional yeast in bulk a few weeks ago at Whole Foods and just refill my Braggs container!
Bringing my own bags to stores, composting, doing laundry with cold water, and using a lunchbox and washable containers are ways I green my routine.
I always make sure I have reusable bags in my car. I’ve started moving a couple to the front seat where I can see them so I make sure to never forget! Also I love Whole Foods freshly squeezed juice, the Green Machine flavor is the best!
I save my egg cartons and produce containers and give them to local venders when I go to the farmer’s market so they can be re-used.
I try to reduce food waste as much as I can! I buy only what I know I can use up. I also try to use as much of the food as possible. For example, instead of tossing the tops of celery, I’ll top salads with this. If there are any greens that are starting to get a bit wilty and I know I won’t be able to eat in a salad, I’ll throw them in an omelette or frittata.
Thanks for the tips, as always! I love Whole Foods and “greening my routine.” My faaaaavorite thing to buy at Whole Foods is Halo Top Ice Cream! It’s so delicious! And like you, I am always drawn to the bulk bins…and the freshly ground PB – yum!
I green my routine by walking to and from the grocery store. I live a mile away from Whole Foods and about 2 miles from another local store. When the weather’s beautiful, there’s nothing nicer than a walk to the store for a quick trip!
My favorite thing at Whole Foods is there produce department. Fresh dill for fish, fresh golden beets for salads and so many kinds of radishes. I can spend an hour in that department!!!!!!!
I amobsessed with their halo top ice cream as well as nutritional yeast. I always bring my own bags
I like to buy in bulk! From chia seeds, to nuts, to oats even! Great tips!
I keep reusable bags in my car and use them for all shopping!
I always bring reusable bags to the grocery store/farmer’s market and I also wash my Ziploc plastic bags to resuse them.
We actually love the baked goods at whole foods! Yummm!! 🙂
i am also a lover of whole foods bulk bins!!! chia seeds and nuts are my staples too!!
I always use resuable bags when I go grocery shopping!
I bring reusable bags for everything including bulk bins
I love buying green cleaning supplies, or I will try and make my own cleaning solutions with vinegar! I also try and keep reusable bags in my car for when I go grocery shopping, or I tend to leave them at home LOL! I am also a preschool teacher so I am always saving and recycling items around the house! 🙂