7 Tips for Ethical Shopping at the Supermarket ...

Buying local is one of the number one ways to practice ethical shopping at the supermarket. Cucumbers that came all the way from Mexico cost much more than those that came from a county in your state or a nearby farm. Do what you can do buy from local vendors or at least those within your home state. Not only does it help the economy and the planet by reducing waste and gas emissions, but also ensures your food is more nutritious and fresher as well.

Meat is the number one worst thing for the environment in terms of our food supply. Water, land supply, feed, production for feed, toxic air chemicals, and chemicals used in farming all deplete our planet’s land and water supply, emit greenhouse gases into the air,and kill millions of animals every single minute. Opt for Meatless Mondays or choose to only have meat once a day if you're not ready to give it up more than that.

Eating more plants doesn’t mean you’re just eating less meat, but it also means you’re contributing to a more ethical cause. You’re promoting good stewardship of the earth, feeding your body the nutrients it needs, providing farmers a healthy income, and you’re reducing waste in just about every way possible.

Eco-friendly seals are on everything from plastic water containers to containers of dish detergent. Whenever you see something that’s eco-friendly, make room in your wallet to purchase these products over name brand items. (Many are actually lower in cost than brand names anyway.) A eco-friendly seal or label ensures the product isn’t harmful to the environment and it’s lower in production costs overall.

This is one simple way everyone can make a more ethical choice for our landfills. Opt for paper, not plastic bags at the store and do your best to reuse them or recycle them once you get home.

If you’re a vegan or just care about animals, looking for the cruelty-free label or seal on beauty, home, and bath products is a great way to ensure products weren’t tested on animals. Animals are often born just for testing purposes of these items, only to be killed directly after. Save a life and buy cruelty-free. Even major cosmetic brands like MAC are cruelty-free, along with Whole Foods 364 brand, Alba, and Yes-To brand, just to name a few.

Fair-trade certified ensures that workers who produced the food weren’t subjected to slavery, were provided fair wages, and were provided a healthy land to live in where they produce the food. Any time you purchase fair-trade you can be assured you’re not only buying something smart for the environment but also something that’s good for others out there too.

Take small steps here and there wherever you can to make more ethical choices. If everyone did just three of these every week, we could possibly change the world we live in for good. Do you participate in any of these tips for ethical shopping?

Source: peta.org, wholefoodsmarkets.com, ethicalconsumer.org