Tuesday, October 16, 2012

October Blog Carnival: Ethical Purchasing


Welcome to the October 2012 Natural Living Blog Carnival: Ethical Shopping Choices This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Natural Living Blog Carnival hosted by Happy Mothering and The Pistachio Project through the Green Moms Network. This month our members have written posts about how they make purchasing choices.
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Mama Making Changes is pleased to be able to participate in the Natural Living Blog Carnival for October 2012. This month's theme is Ethical Shopping Purchases. We all shop regularly, whether for groceries, gifts, clothing, or other items. What influences your purchases?

The majority of my shopping is for food. I buy whatever I can at one of the local organic farmer's markets. We are blessed to have two of these in town and I usually visit at least one of them every week. I firmly believe in supporting the local economy whenever possible, and I love that I am also supporting organic sustainable farms and businesses. At the markets I am able to get whole grains, fresh seasonal vegetables, butter, milk, eggs, chicken, beef, pork, an assortment of cheeses, breads and tortillas, honey, and more. In addition to food, there are local businesses at the markets selling non-food products like essential oils, locally made soaps and shampoos and other toiletries, aprons and other handmade sewing and knitting. I could go on, but the point is that it makes me feel good about my purchases when I can hand the money to the farmer who grew the food we are taking home, the artisan who created the purse from her old sweater, the lady who baked the bread that I am taking home to my family.

When I am at the grocery store for other items, I look for products that are healthy, while still reasonably priced. I don't mind paying a little more because I know that I am supporting the farmer whose crop was smaller due to a lack of pesticides and fertilizers. However, I am a single parent on a tight budget and prices must be within reason, not exorbitant. I also look for organic produce whenever possible and I also look at the country of origin on produce and meat. I look for products with less packaging waste and buy organic fair trade certified coffee whenever my budget permits. I also use the Better World Shopping Guide, which I have written about recently, to help me decide which companies to avoid. 

I've only recently started paying more attention to my clothing purchases. Bamboo is my new favorite fabric! How wonderful that an eco-friendly sustainable plant can be turned into a soft and beautiful piece of clothing! Organic cotton is getting easier to find, too, and only costs slightly if you shop around. 

We also make a point to buy used whenever possible. I buy used clothing, furniture, kitchen ware, and more. Ebay is a great source, but to avoid shipping (which uses fossil fuels and contributes to global warming), I try Craigslist and other local sites first.

What affects your buying decisions? What eco-friendly choices do you make when shopping? Or does price come first in your household?



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Visit Happy Mothering and The Pistachio Project to learn more about participating in next month’s Natural Living Blog Carnival! Please take some time to enjoy the posts our other carnival participants have contributed:

7 comments:

  1. I love the Better World Shopping Guide! Such a great resource!

    That is so awesome that you have 2 full fledged farmer's markets near you. We pretty much share the same philosophy when it comes to shopping decisions for our family. Our health and well being comes first, so we don't mind shelling out a little more on the few things that really must be healthy and organic. But it's definitely a balancing act to make everything work with our budget. Honestly, once we cut out all processed foods, our grocery bills went WAY down!

    Today I shared my top 5 tips for making ethical shopping choices, if you want to check it out. :)

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  2. I am with you - when we can afford it and there are more natural choices available, I go for it. I also try to buy used and food from farmers markets as well!

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  3. We try to buy second hand also! In the summer I go to yard sales and craigslist is definitely a favorite in this house!

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  4. I love watching you and your blog grow! ♥ However, watching you grow environmentally is an even bigger thrill for me. Wish we lived closer so we could shop together!

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  5. We love frequenting our local farmers markets as well and have been more apt to be used at thrift shops and consignment shops as of late. Great post with great tips!

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  6. That's great that the farmers markets near you are organic. That makes it all the much easier to buy healthy produce and items directly from farmers. Enjoyed reading your post!

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  7. I am a bargain shopper! I like a good deal! But at the same time, quality does cost more! I do think about money, but I also make sure that what I am spending money on is worth it! I would rather buy quality food, than food with junk in it!

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