words: Green Geek, Tegan C Kop
Being green isn't all about solar panels and hybrid cars.
Although with the media all up in your grill about grey water tanks and efficient insulation it'd be hard to believe that if you don't have a house or a wad of cash that you actually could be green.
Never fear, green geek is here.
Being green is no longer the domain of people with regular paychecks and mortgages. Live-at-home-rs and renters, it is your time to shine.
This is your green guide to shopping - and while it is no means exhaustive - it's definitely a place to start (if you haven't already).
Green shopping is as much about preparation as the products you buy.
Smart phone users get smart - buy the Shop Ethical app- for only $3.99, it's the best money you could spend when deciding how to use your hard earnt buckeroons.
Warning: It can be a bit tricky to navigate the information it gives you on the social and environmental records of the companies behind the brands stocked at your supermarket. Although once you have modified your regular shop - it's great for those once or twice a month purchases.
Overall - a great companion for trawling the aisles of your local supermarket.
http://outware.com.au/shopethical/ShopEthical.html
Bags, Bags, Bags - they're very useful things.
The 'green' bag phase of consumer life has almost hit platinum status with every Tess, Dot and Hatty offering you a free reusable bag as part of their deal/freebie/giveaway.
The thing is - this combined with the oh-so-hard to resist $1 bag option at the supermarket makes for a whole lot of bags being forgotten and left at home.
Green Geek reccommends the Envirosax. It buttons up into a cute iPod sized package that fits into any bag (or pocket for the gentleman readers) making it hard to forget (like the time you walked in on your friend's mum) and it's always there (like that aforementioned memory).
Envirosax aren't big and bulky like their predecessors and use environmentally friendly ink and are carcinogenic free.
They can carry up to 22kgs too which makes them pretty rad.
Not to mention the company behind them have core philosophies that are based on social and environmental impact and awareness.
http://www.envirosax.com.au/
Finally it's that age old adage - buy local, in season and organic where possible to reduce your carbon footprint.
Luckily Australians have the upper hand compared to other parts of world as most of our food is already grown here making it very easy to stick to your green guns.
If you really want some extra green geek 'street cred' points - save water and go vego.
To give you an idea - a kilo of lamb takes 7000 litres of water to produce, while beans only need 500.
So get your green geek glasses on - your dollar is your vote.
If you want more information on how to be green head to Environment Victoria.
http://www.environmentvictoria.org.au/
Although with the media all up in your grill about grey water tanks and efficient insulation it'd be hard to believe that if you don't have a house or a wad of cash that you actually could be green.
Never fear, green geek is here.
Being green is no longer the domain of people with regular paychecks and mortgages. Live-at-home-rs and renters, it is your time to shine.
This is your green guide to shopping - and while it is no means exhaustive - it's definitely a place to start (if you haven't already).
Green shopping is as much about preparation as the products you buy.
Smart phone users get smart - buy the Shop Ethical app- for only $3.99, it's the best money you could spend when deciding how to use your hard earnt buckeroons.
Warning: It can be a bit tricky to navigate the information it gives you on the social and environmental records of the companies behind the brands stocked at your supermarket. Although once you have modified your regular shop - it's great for those once or twice a month purchases.
Overall - a great companion for trawling the aisles of your local supermarket.
http://outware.com.au/shopethical/ShopEthical.html
Bags, Bags, Bags - they're very useful things.
The 'green' bag phase of consumer life has almost hit platinum status with every Tess, Dot and Hatty offering you a free reusable bag as part of their deal/freebie/giveaway.
The thing is - this combined with the oh-so-hard to resist $1 bag option at the supermarket makes for a whole lot of bags being forgotten and left at home.
Green Geek reccommends the Envirosax. It buttons up into a cute iPod sized package that fits into any bag (or pocket for the gentleman readers) making it hard to forget (like the time you walked in on your friend's mum) and it's always there (like that aforementioned memory).
Envirosax aren't big and bulky like their predecessors and use environmentally friendly ink and are carcinogenic free.
They can carry up to 22kgs too which makes them pretty rad.
Not to mention the company behind them have core philosophies that are based on social and environmental impact and awareness.
http://www.envirosax.com.au/
Finally it's that age old adage - buy local, in season and organic where possible to reduce your carbon footprint.
Luckily Australians have the upper hand compared to other parts of world as most of our food is already grown here making it very easy to stick to your green guns.
If you really want some extra green geek 'street cred' points - save water and go vego.
To give you an idea - a kilo of lamb takes 7000 litres of water to produce, while beans only need 500.
So get your green geek glasses on - your dollar is your vote.
If you want more information on how to be green head to Environment Victoria.
http://www.environmentvictoria.org.au/
