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 bring my own reusable bags and I’m also a big fan of the bulk bins.
I use my reusable bags for almost every shopping trip!
I am a firm believer in no plastics water bottles and using eco-friendly cleaning products!!
I always bring my bags along with me and try to purchase veggies that are in season. This also inspires me to try new recipes- a win win in my book!
I like to use reusable bags and get my produce from the local farmer’s market during the summer.
I love love love their pretzel rolls, and also love to buy almond butter there because it tends to be the lowest price around.
I bring my reusable bags everytime I go shopping!
I always, always, always use reusable bags!
Thanks, Julie! We try to recycle everything we can at home. I also love the WF bulk bins and finding new-to-me healthy products.
Love using a reusable water bottle and bringing reusable bags with me wherever I go! My favourite thing to get at Whole Foods is a smoothie :-).
I have recently starting using (and actually became a sales consultant) for Norwex. I use their micro silver infused microfiber for EVERYTHING which has drastically cut down on the amount of paper towels and cleaning chemicals that are used in my house. I freakin love it. And I try to recycle whatever I can.
I love Whole Foods! I have been a major fan of “green” cleaning products for our home and have been for several years. I also love the wild-caught frozen fish available at WF and other similar stores; it makes me feel good to feed my family something that is both good for us and good for the ecosystems of our world.
My husband and I recycle as much as possible! As for my favorite thing to get at Whole Foods, I spend waayyy too much time (and money) looking at their nut butter selections!
Love this!! It makes me so happy to see so many people bringing their bags to the store. In Denver, it’s been kind of assumed that you bring your bags to the store, but I had no idea that Whole Foods had completely eliminated them! Guess I’m not event paying attention, ha!
Great idea to purchase seasonally. One of the gifts we received from my Chicago Bridal Shower was a list of seasonal products across the year. It was so interesting to see when to purchase each product!
Thanks for sharing your tips. 🙂
Love this! I am known as the bag lady! I have reusable bags everywhere! My trunk, my desk and at home! So I never forget! Also, friends have started using reusable bags for my gift bags at my birthday because they know how much I love them! 🙂
I love their diy peanut butter!
Im lucky enough to be able to walk to my local grocery store, saving myself from using gas and wasting time looking for a parking spot! I also always bring my own grocery bags, in DC its $.05 per bag, craziness!
reusable bags and buy protein powder in bulk!
One of my favorite things to buy at Whole Foods is fancy nut butter!
I use reusable bags!
We always use reusable bags when shopping (after all, we have to here in Austin, TX where it’s required–more cities should do that!) and I like to try and purchase as much sustainable seafood as I can.
I always buy in bulk and bring reusable bags. I also walk to my whole foods whenever possible!
I can spend all day at Whole Foods…I LOVE their vegan general tso’s chicken!
I make my own counter cleaner with vinegar!
My favorite “splurge” at WF is their guacamole – so good! I use cloth bags all the time – my back seat in my car is covered in them. I also bike commute to work a lot!
My family shops with reusable bags, we rarely throw food away, and recycle or compost most of our waste.
I always try to bring my own bags and also try to buy sustainable produce and meats.
I also became more aware of the chemicals in cleaning products when I became pregnant with my baby boy. I started using the brands with more safe materials.
I stopped buying paper towels! It saves so much money too.
I take my own bags for every trip to the grocery. Since I live in Austin, it’s actually a mandate, otherwise your groceries are left unbagged! I love it
I have been paying more attention to what cleaning products we use as well. I have been using products from the Honest Company since they’re non-toxic but after this post, I will be checking out the selection that Whole Foods offers.
One of my favorite things to buy at Whole Foods is the frozen acai packs- great for acai bowls or just a frozen snack! Thanks for hosting this, Julie and Happy Belated Birthday!
-Cara from ravishingrevamp.com
I always leave my reusable grocery bags in the back of my car so I don’t forget them when I go shopping. My husband and I also use the bulk section to buy just enough of what we need for our week of meals.
Our favorite thing at Whole Foods is their salsa and guac that they make at the store and we buy a bag of those delicious fresh tortilla chips for a weekend treat!
Re-useaable bags are the way to go! I also try to buy in season produce, and frozen when out season. Their organic “365” products and also great; making organic items cheaper is the move!
I use cloth towels around the house for cleaning etc instead of paper towels
I keep reusable grocery bags in my car and in my house, so I’m always prepared!
I also love WF’s berry angel food cake– SO GOOD!
My favorite thing to buy at whole foods is halo top ice cream for sure!
I use reusable bags when shopping and we recycle a lot at home (glass, plastic, paper, etc).
My favorite items to buy from whole foods are almond butter, trail mix, and frozen yogurt!
I’m vegan. Eating less animal products is the most effective thing you can do to be more green.
I reuse plastic bags to pick up after my dog and reuse ziplock bags by washing them and drying them thoroughly. I also use reusable bags at grocery stores.
Recycling! I love the two kinds of mac and cheese at the WF hot bar!!
To stay green, I compost at home, always bring reusable bags, and keep a metal water bottle with me at all times! My favorite Whole Foods buy is in the cheese dept– the little end pieces of cheese that are discounted, but make a mean mac n cheese!
I try really hard to buy in season produce and I always bring my own bags!
I green my routine by walking or taking public transportation to work!
I always like to bring my own bags when doing my grocery shopping and I am glad the apartment complex I currently live at does have a recycling center which makes it convenient and also encourages others to recycle as well!
One of my favorite things about Whole Foods is the nut butter stations. I enjoy making my own nut butter and coming up with different flavor combos. ^_^
Organic chicken and nut butters from Whole Foods are my favorites !
I don’t usually used the plastic bag for my produce 🙂
We did cloth diapers! I buy all our meat at WFs!
I regularly bring my own bags, and reuse any plastic ones I do get.
I love the WF bulk section! I also always use my own bags!
I recycle anything I can, have many reusable shopping bags and rarely throw food away