For the past couple of years, I have been working really hard to reduce our eco-footprint by implementing sustainable practices in my life. One of the hardest but most effective changes have been how I do my grocery shopping. So I want to share with you 3 ways to make your grocery shopping more sustainable.

Bring Reusable Grocery Bags

It’s so easy, anyone can do it! All you have to do is make it a habit. Make sure you always have reusable grocery bags in your car or in your bag. That way it doesn’t matter if you make an impromptu trip to the store, you won’t have to use any plastic bags.

Bring Your Own Jars

Bulk Barn officially started accepting jars as a method of stocking up on their products! Hopefully you’ve already heard of this, but if not, it’s a good reminder. You know what’s even better? You can use your own jars or containers at any store – not just Bulk Barn!

Think about it – you grab a plastic bag for every single produce item you purchase. Why not bring your own cloth, wrap, or containers instead? I’ve started bringing jars to the Superstore and to my favourite local grocery store, Tomavo. At these stores, I can purchase items like mushrooms, snap peas, green beans, and much more, without using any single-use packaging.

This is another habit you need to work on. It’s not always easy, but it is well worth the effort. You can make a big difference with these small changes.

Make Sustainable Choices

Instead of buying that packaged product, why not try to find it in bulk? Or at the very least, in paper or recyclable packing. Making sustainable choices is a big step toward reducing your ecological footprint so I strongly encourage you to give it a try. Here are a few example of sustainable choices you can make:

• Buy unwrapped lettuce instead of the one that comes in plastic packaging
• Go to the bakery for bread, where you can either ask for a paper bag, or bring your own cloth bag
• Browse through a local store to see what products are available in bulk and commit to purchase one or two items in bulk instead of in packaging

And of course, don’t forget to bring your own mug when you go out for coffee before going for groceries!