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Let’s Go “Green Shopping”
As the saying goes, “Money talks”. Currently nothing speaks louder than how our money is spent with shopping. Think about the effect of your purchases on the environment when you shop. Items with excess packaging and products that need to be discarded after only a few uses cost more money, use up valuable resources and create more waste. Here are a few tips to help you go Green Shopping. Plan Ahead- Plan your shopping to save fuel and time. Do all your errands in one trip. Buy Smart- Take some time to decide if you really need to buy an item. You might be able to borrow the item or repair an item to do the job. Buy Durable- Instead of buying disposable products, buy things that you can use repeatedly, such as rechargeable batteries and reusable plastic mugs or bottles for drinks. You can save $200 a year by using rechargeable batteries instead of disposables in one CD player used two hours a day. Bring bags to the market, either cloth ones or your old paper and plastic ones. Avoid Excess- Look for items that have less packaging or buy in bulk- less to throw away. Talk with store managers about your shopping preferences. Buy Used- Buying used items means that your purchase uses less energy or resources to make and ship a new item. Share- Swap items with friends and family. Find people to share tools with or to swap video games, books, and magazines. If you have items still in good repair that you no longer need, check out www.freecycle.com. Buy Energy Efficient- Look for the ENERGY STAR®. The ENERGY STAR® program is designed to help identify and promote energy-efficient products. Replacing incandescent bulbs makes sense for the environment and the consumer as well. A 60 watt incandescent (regular light bulb) will last for 750 hours, a compact fluorescent with 1/3 the wattage will generate the same light and burn for 7500 hours. Compacts also keep a half ton of C02 out of the atmosphere over the life of the bulb. Check out this website for more information www.energystar.gov. Buy Recycled- Buying items that have recycled content means fewer natural resources, such as trees and oil, were used to make the product. Buy Local- See if the item you need is available by a local manufacturer or producer. Purchasing local items cuts down on fuel transport costs of an item and shows your support of local businesses. Visit the Farmers Market. Green Shopping is easy to do and requires only a bit more planning and thought. It is the little things in life that often make the biggest difference. For more information on how to shop green, the book the better world SHOPPING GUIDE by Ellis Jones and published by New Society Publishers, is well worth buying. |
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Contact Information:Keep Brownwood Beautiful PO Box 1105/114 Center Avenue Suite 201 Brownwood, TX 76804 325.641.0533 Executive Director: Cary Perrin
Last modified: 2-1-08 Designed by Nuovo Adventures copyright 2008 caryleigh@verizon.net
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