Home » ABOUT US » PARTNERS

AT THE STORE

 

AT HOME | AT SCHOOL | AT WORK | AT THE STORE | WITH FRIENDS

 

AT THE STOREAT THE STORE



The first thing we'll say is that if you don't have to buy it, don't.  We're not saying go and live on a commune.  We're just saying that there's more to life than the mall, and there's a heck of a lot of carbon coming from all that stuff nobody needs.

 

SUPPORT LOCAL SHOPS


Oh, okay.  One more thing.  Those big-box stores in the middle of nowhere?  You have to drive to get there, and chances are they used to be green spaces.   We can't keep sprawling forever, so try to shop on main streets, or in pedestrian-based malls if you can.  You may even get a bit of exercise.

That being said, we know you shop.  So here are some tips on how to shop more greenly.

 

THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT

You already know the golden rule of shopping: The customer's always right.  The trick is to make it a green rule of shopping, too.  They need your cash, so make them work for it.  Don't be afraid to speak up!  You're not alone.  And the more people who tell businesses that we expect them to clean up their act, the faster they'll do it.

We know it's hard.  You're polite.  But if you see something that ticks you off in a store, let the manager know.  Or pop an email to the company feedback line.  They need to know that you care.  And if the manager doesn't know the answer, ask him or her to get head office to pop you a note.  The more companies think about these things, the more they'll get the message that they need to change.



DON'T GET WRAPPED UP IN PACKAGING

If light bulbs can be sold in thin cardboard sleeves, can't the same be said for video games and memory cards? And tonnes of it is plastic, which of course comes from oil—it's pollution at every step.  Extract the oil, make the plastic, ship the plastic, then ship the plastic to the dump.

  • Don't buy overpackaged products.

 

  • Tell the manager why. 

 

  • Pop an email to the company.


If you don't see changes, then hit them where it counts: in their pockets. Everyone loves a good old-fashioned boycott!

 

 

NEED A BAG? BRING YOUR OWN

 

Bring your own bag when shopping. A backpack, tote or canvas sack is so much more comfortable to carry than a plastic bag. Worldwide about 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic shopping bags are produced a year which comes out to over one million per minute.1 Oh, and when you pull out your bag at the cash, mention this startling fact: According to the Waste Reduction Week in Canada website, Canadians use 55 million plastic shopping bags a week.2 Gross.

BUY LOCAL


Think about where things are made.  Take food, for example.  It doesn't have to travel from around the world, packed in styrofoam and plastic wrap.  You'll be helping your local economy and the planet by buying local produce where you can.

Buying locally not only ensures your food is fresh, i.e. it wasn't shipped in from Florida a week ago, but it also makes less of a footprint on the environment. The energy and emissions generated from packaging and importing food are astonishing.  According to Green Tips: How To Save Money And The Planet, food flown in from California or overseas has changed ownership three times, traveled over 4,000 km and is more than a week old. Not to mention the pesticides they use to ensure your food remains 'fresh' a week later.

 

BUY RECYCLED


If you're in school and buying lots of paper, make sure it's recycled.  Same's true for around the house for bathroom or kitchen tissue.  The thing to check out is the post-consumer recycled content—that means it's made from things someone else has already recycled.  If it's not recycled, don't buy that paper!  Simple.  It's up to you to create markets for recycled products.

 

 



MAKE SURE IT'S GREEN

And don't just take a company's word that something is green.  Look for independent validation—like the Environment Canada logo; Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) seal of approval; or independent energy efficiency seals on things like appliances.

 

THE FIVE SIMPLE RULES


In short, five simple rules.

1. If you don't need it, don't buy it.

2. Shop local, buy local if you can.

3. Not happy with the store's green selection or eco-options? Speak up. Often. 

4. Create markets for good products like recycled paper; shrink markets for bad things like plastic bags.

5. Check out independent verification for which products are green.

But most of all, remember the golden rule.  You're the customer.  You're right.  And you work hard for your money—so make businesses work hard for it, too.

 

 

1 Source: www.reusablebags.com/facts
2 Source: www.wrwcanada.com

 

Published Thu, 2007-04-19 00:22 login or register to post comments
While you're at it, buy quality over trend
Submitted by smcleod on Sun, 2007-10-14 00:38.
Not only are high quality items more attractive (in my opinion), but you are less likely to throw them out within the year. Think of the "old days" when furniture and clothing were purchased with the expectation that they would last for years. These days it's more often than not that we as a society are opting for the "cheaper" trendier items in order to save a few bucks (think cheap mall cloths and certain scandinavian furniture). In the long run saving up and buying the higher quality item is better on the wallet anyway since we likely wont need to throw it due to damage from wear and tear or because the trend has faded.
login or register to post comments
Shop second hand
Submitted by smcleod on Sun, 2007-10-14 00:29.
I feel if you're willing to take it one step further, don't just shop local shop second hand. Second hand stores often have high quality items that are not only easy on your wallet, but easy on the environment. By shopping second hand you indirectly curb production and therefore ease the stress on the environment. Imagine all the furniture that is put to waste and thrown out every year. If second hand shopping were more common the size of landfills would decrease and the production of new materials would be decreased as well.
login or register to post comments
plastic bags are cheap advertising for companies
Submitted by inn3rp3ac3 on Wed, 2007-08-29 17:11.
Alot of stores have suggestion boxes and customer satisfaction surveys (don't waste the paper or cardboard put it to use!) for customers on staff and the store it's not that hard to say I received great service but feel uncomfortable that I have only the choice of a plastic bag to take my purchase home in with your company name on and I am more likely to reuse a cloth bag with your name on it than a plastic one which means more advertising for you ! Put it to them where their pocket is! There are many things you can change just by thinking as a company does make it more profitable to them to do the right thing and less profitable to do the wrong thing . But you have to try and think like they would . Noticable slumps or increases in sales over a fiscal year , ability to promote a product or themselves more for a nominal increase or a decrease of their advertising budget etc. I agree with the statement about plastic bags and reusing them they have other uses often they are companies ways of fairly cheap advertising as you walk around with them the problem goes further than grocery stores and even with most grocery stores boxes are not often available and paper is a rarity. So somehow unless companies can find another method to have you walk around advertising for them the bags will remain unfortunately. How many people buy a small item that has no expiry date such as dish soap , hand soap etc when they know they will are single or have very few in their household knowing full well the ratio of plastic and packaging used is less to make the larger bulk bottle per ml. Let's be honest if you need a smaller bottle buy a smaller bottle than only refill it with big bottles . Often these stores are interested in profits selling the bags they make are profit based. If you bring in another bag such as a sports bag in a cart or another item no matter how you are dressed dress pants and blouse or jeans and a tshirt you do get the odd store that will put up a fight about it. To the point of pointing out there bags and this is at the cash register while putting the items on the conveyor belt! In the end doing the right thing must be profitable for them.You as the consumer have to make that choice buy turning down plastic bags everywhere and noting the why on the how was your service today cards .You as the consumer can phase out wasteful use of plastic and make them find alternative packaging in mass production it is cheaper for them they just haven't done it in mass production because they do not have to .You can make them buy locally by only buying locally grown foods at the grocery store and if they don't have what you want there grown locally saying you had to go elsewhere because there was nothing grown locally there(think of all the trucks that won't be travelling around the world as often all the ships that won't make as many trips).We all know some things must be shipped and trucked in but why ship or truck in things that are available locally no matter what the savings at purchase by the time you add on the cost to shipping paperwork etc the price is still the same (excuses do not cut it gas prices have skyrocketed as have oil the cost of even the paperwork let's look at the europian union and the north american politics for a minute and think... so it isn't really as profitable as some would have everyone think to not buy locally )especially now and the cost on the planet and everyones health is one no one can afford . You can cut those emissions for them forcefully by their profit margin! The bottom line is where they look cut into it.
login or register to post comments
honestly, I think stores
Submitted by russell.weeks23 on Wed, 2007-07-25 19:58.
honestly, I think stores like food basics and price chopper really are helping out- by charging for bags people just use the cardboard that the food came in. I much prefer to shop at those stores, you save money and use less waste + recycle
login or register to post comments
Avoid using plastic bags!
Submitted by The FLICK OFF Team on Mon, 2007-06-25 10:46.

Avoid using plastic bags altogether! According to the Canadian Plastics Industry Association, in Canada, 44 per cent of the population has access to plastic bag recycling through curbside programs, drop-off depots, or at-store bag take-back programs.  This is not very good.  Check what your municipality can recycle and urge them to build capacity to recycle more. Some municipalities, like Nanaimo in British Columbia, have a goal of creating zero waste.  That is amazing!

-The FLICK Off Team

login or register to post comments
bags
Submitted by fahidy on Mon, 2007-06-25 00:05.
In Ontario you can put your plastic shopping bags in your recycling bin and also many grocery stores have a depot to put your old bags in when you return to the store. But you are right plastic bags are evil, I purchased some cloth bags from President's Choice made from recycled pop bottles for 99 cents each. If I forget them and need to use the store plastic I tell the packer to put as much as possible in each bag and refuse a bag for milk, it is pointless to but a bag into a bag and for most large boxed items like cereal. I hardly bring home any plastic anymore.
login or register to post comments
BYOB
Submitted by Carly on Sun, 2007-06-24 22:50.
Having worked in a grocery store for two years, I've seen first hand how many plastic grocery bags a store goes though in a year, a month a day even an hour, and I have to say, it's ridiculous. My fovourite customers were the ones who had their own bags, it even made the job a little easier. Knowing that most people simply throw the plastic shopping bags out when they are finished with them anyways, it doesn't make alot of sense for stores to be using things that are so harmful to the environment. Not only does Bringing Your Own Bags (haha BYOB - get it?) help out the environment, it's easier on the customer. cloth bags are stronger than plastic and you can use them for more than just your groceries. However, if your totally insistent on using the regular (and very bad!!) plastic ones then there are some ways you can make it less of a bad thing: Bag things wisely! Don't throw one item in a bag to ensure its safety (i.e. bread) pack things so that you can fit multiple items in a bad and also keep your bread from squishing. Don't simply throw out the bags when you get them home. Resuse them as garbage bags, to carry your lunch or other things etc. Ask the cashier if they can pack your items in paper bags, that way they can be recycled. Another great idea is boxes and baskets, and once again, like the cloth bags, they can be used for other things too. There's no getting away from the need to grocery shop, but there is a way to get away from some of the pollution it can cause, so be wise when you shop!! Also, a hint for cashiers, ask customer is they would rather have their items packed in boxes or paper bags,to help with the environment.
login or register to post comments