Are you trying to become a greener consumer day by day? What alternative products or services, that respect the planet and workers, have already become part of your shopping habits? Green consumerism is here to stay!
Some of Ludo’s green shopping and everyday habits
Ludo has started buying fairtrade food such as bananas, coffee, chocolate, organic free-range eggs and fish from sustainable resources.
She only eats meat or has dairy products when they offered on special occasions as she is switching to a flexitarian diet where protein comes mainly from pulses, seeds and vegetables.
To wash the dishes or clothes her flatmates and her typically use natural cleaners that don’t harm our health and the sea. They sometimes buy recycled toilet paper too.
Organic soap bought by Ludo when on holiday near Marseille last summer.
When using the washing machine she puts her clothes in a bag that collects microplastics which can be discharged from synthetic clothes.
She swapped her plastic toothbrush to a bamboo one and she makes her own homemade toothpaste. Although, there are eco brands that sell it in a pill form or as a paste in glass jars.
From time to time, she goes to charity shops to see if she can find something of interest such as second-hand books. However, she makes sure she doesn’t buy any unnecessary items or clothes.
This is one of the best swaps you can make, buy a reusable coffee cup instead of ordering coffee in a single-use take away one
For her bike, she bought a rechargeable USB light to avoid using batteries. For sunny days, she has a power bank which recharges itself by using solar energy. Jon recommended a camping solar panel as it is portable. He uses it on his balcony to top up his power banks and for camping.
Green Consumerism? Where can you buy green products?
Fortunately, over the last few years the demand for green products and services has steadily increased, so too, green companies providing them.
Co-op and Sainsbury’s have long been the main supporters of Fairtrade products but now discount supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl stock a growing fairtrade range. You can also buy products in bulk in zero waste shops which are starting to become widespread in London. Check out this website: https://www.zerowastenear.me/ to see if you have a store locally. There are a number of online shops where you can buy green products. You should look carefully though, to see if they carbon-offset deliveries and if they use sustainable packaging.
Reusable food containers made from recycled plastic and BPA free
