A New Green Way of Purchasing

So you’ve made a bunch of changes in your attempt to live a greener lifestyle. You walk or bike more than you drive, you’re saving all the energy you can in your home, and you’re dutifully recycling as much as possible. You even make your own compost for your garden, and try not to use chemicals there. What else is left?

Rather a lot, actually. You’ve undoubtedly heard the phrase “money is power,” but when it comes to going green, your buying power can really make a difference. You can initiate a considerable change in your lifestyle, and benefit the planet in the meantime, by reconsidering how you buy things, and what you buy in the first place.

Start with your own clothes. Natural fibers, especially those that have been produced with organic methods, are not just healthier for you, they have been produced in ways that aren’t hard on the ecosystem or the planet. Synthetic fibers are made from oil. Products you buy that are made of these materials contribute a huge carbon footprint to the already overburdened atmosphere, first by the process of being pumped as crude oil from the ground, and then through the process of refining that oil to make your clothes. These are non-green clothes by definition, but oil products almost always have the additional issue of “outgassing” of chemicals into the air, so you’d be breathing in these chemicals as you wear the clothes.

Natural is always best, when you can get it, and if you can get natural clothing from closer to home, that’s even better. Things that are brought across the ocean in container ships automatically contribute to carbon emissions, even if the items themselves are of completely natural fibers. If you can support more local industries when you buy clothes, you will be dressing in a healthier way, and you can keep those industries healthy as well. Even throw rugs with synthetic rubber backing will suffer the same “outgassing” problems as the clothes. Can you buy cotton throw rugs instead?

And what about other products? Do you buy green cleaning products? Many companies are trying to exploit a “green” designation, but when you examine the labels on the bottles, they’ve got just as many harmful chemicals as any other cleaning liquid. You need to research which cleaning products really are green and environmentally friendly. Can you do away with plastic containers, which are all produced from oil, as much as possible? Switch to glass jars for storing food and other items wherever you can.

Even furniture can be more green in some cases than others. The material that covers mattresses, or the upholstery on couches and chairs, is usually synthetic and will be doing the same “outgassing” as all the other products derived from oil. Many companies are now providing mattresses and other furniture coverings made of natural materials instead. You can even buy furniture made of wood that has been certified as sustainable wood, harvested in a responsible way. Or you can buy furniture made from reclaimed wood.

You may think you’ve already done all you can to make a switch to green living. But take a few moments and stand in the center of the rooms in your house or apartment, and just look around for a while. It’s likely you’ll begin to see a great many other ways of changing to a greener lifestyle, just by using your purchasing power.