My Magical JourneyCreating a fabulously fantastic life!

Part of living metaphysically is recognizing that everything is connected energetically.  In order to thrive we must show love, care, and appreciation for all things, including the earth.  One easy way to care for the earth is to update our shopping habits.   Here are some quick ways we can make our shopping excursions a little greener:

• Using fabric shopping bags.  Not just for the grocery store anymore, these are great for trips to the mall, too.  Plus, they come in cute, eye-friendly designs now!  If you’re crafty, you can make your own pretty easily (I’ve heard).  Fabric bags hold a lot more than plastic bags.  If you keep these in your car, they will always be on-hand when you want to shop.

• If you forget your fabric bags and use plastic ones, remember that most grocery stores have bins to recycle your plastic bags in at the entrance to the store.  Paper bags can be used to put recycling in, as additions to a compost bin, for craft projects, as a weed barrier in the garden, and they are easily recycled.  There are many debates about paper vs. plastic, but whichever you choose, please remember to recycle.

• Buying food at local farmers markets and bakeries.  Apart from supporting your local community, think of all the energy saved from not having to ship produce around the world just to get to your supermarket!  If you have a green thumb, growing your own fruits and vegetables is another great option.  Maybe you can put your children to work tending the garden!  I don’t have children yet to experiment with, so let me know how this goes.  :D

• Choosing organic.  Apart from being better for us, every time we buy organic, we support people who are taking extra steps to care for our health and the health of the planet.  Organic foods may seem more expensive in the short-term, but when you consider the lower costs in healthcare because you’ll be a spring chicken when you’re 90, it’s totally worth it!

• This may not be as obvious, but we can walk to our shopping destinations!  It’s kinda fun dodging traffic!

My honey wrote a great article on his website (JoyPeeps.com) about shopping with the environment in mind, called Paper or Plastic?  Neither, I’ve Brought My Own.

There are so many ways to be eco-friendly shoppers.  Even changing one habit to be more “green” makes a big difference.  Join me earth lovers!