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Today I am participating in the Natural Living Blog Carnival and this month's topic is Living Sustainably, a topic dear to my heart!
Here are 5 easy steps that we have taken to live more sustainably.
ONE - shop at local farm markets.
ONE - shop at local farm markets.
We are fortunate to live within a few kilometers from several farm markets that are open year round. In the summer several more open up so we have lots of choices wherever we go.
TWO - u-pick at organic farms.
To reduce some of the cost of buying organic fruit we get to know our farmers that offer u-picking and fill our freezer with their fruit at a reduced price. This way we avoid buying imported organic berries during the winter at top price.
THREE - buy local eggs.
THREE - buy local eggs.
This is a very important one for me. We are vegetarians so I insist that we eat eggs from organically feed, well treated birds that run around outside and therefore produce healthy eggs. They cost a bit more than the commercial eggs at the grocer but I feel better supporting local farmers who treat their chickens well.
FOUR - grow our own food.
FIVE - buy in bulk.
An excellent health food store opened last year that has the largest organic bulk section in town. About once a month we bring our own bags and containers and buy bulk beans, rice, dried fruits, flour, shampoo, etc. for a considerable savings and eliminate the packaging of these items had we bought them at the grocer.
And of course we don't go shopping without our reusable bags so that we don't have a pile of waste to recycle when we get home...but that's a given right?! ;o)
It was easy to implement these ways of shopping into our weekly routine and I hope that by supporting our local farmers and reducing our food packaging that we are reducing the harmful impact that the food industry can have on the earth.
When did something as natural as eating become such a destructive act anyway?
When did something as natural as eating become such a destructive act anyway?
Please leave a comment about how you are living more sustainably and visit some of the other contributors below. We know we're not alone on this journey!
xoxo
~ joey ~
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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:
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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:
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Such great ideas! Thank you for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteYour lifestyle is inspiration to us all! Well done!
Delete"When did something as natural as eating become such a destructive act anyway?"
ReplyDeleteIsn't that the sad, sad truth?!
We're hopefully now on a path that will make this just another lesson in the history books! :o)
DeleteMmm.. your garden crop looks yummy. It's nice to be so focused on good food.
ReplyDeleteThese are definitely easy ways to be sustainable once you get into it! Keeping life simple and local has many benefits beyond just a food source. It's inspiring to see others making these efforts, too.
ReplyDeleteI love connecting with other people that think along the same lines as we do!
DeleteGreat tips! I never think about buying in bulk as being sustainable but it definitely is!
ReplyDeleteYes, buying in bulk uses a whole lot less packaging plus you don't have to drive to the store as often! We get those large glass olive/pickle jars (free) from the grocer's deli to store the bulk dry goods in. Buying bulk produce from the farmer's market (with no packaging at all!) for a percentage off and freezing it allows us to eat 'farm fresh' during the months when the foods are out of season. I don't support Costco selling unhealthy foods but we do buy the large packages of the few organic products that they carry as well.
DeleteI love your ideas. I really want to start a garden with my daughter. Currently, we use non-toxic cleaning products, reusable grocery bags, recycle and buy organic. We've definitely come a long way the past couple of years.
ReplyDeleteWe have had some kind of a vegetable 'garden' for our children to participate in since they were born. The result is that they have a much better understanding how food is grown and the difference between commercial and whole foods. Valuable information in this day and age!
DeleteGreat tips! I will be checking out your tips on "garden-less garden"! My backyard is so small and I don't think the soil is very good either, but I really want to start growing something! My family buys our food from a local farmer who is passionate about Non-GMO, organic, cage free and grass feed animals!
ReplyDeletePassionate farmers is what every community needs!
DeleteOur 2'x 10' strip of soil (that is our only garden) is now feeding us (and the freezer) with green beans and tomatoes! Your backyard soil can be easily be brought back to life with your vegetable scraps in a compost bin. I really hope that you get the 'gardening bug' as the taste of something that you grew yourself is such a reward, to you and the environment! Good luck!
Great tips! We can't get bulk locally, but I recently joined Azure Standard so that I can get more in bulk. I would love to be able to find a local farmer, but until then it's the Farmer's Market for the 6 months of the year it's open. Fortunately our local grocery store has a decent selection of organic foods.
ReplyDeleteIt's great that you are using the facilities that you do have available. We live outside the city so it does mean a trip into town to buy the bulk items but I always try and combine it with other errands.
DeleteHopefully as demand increases for these ways of shopping they will be available to everyone everywhere.
Awesome tips, we do much the same in our home too. Good idea about hitting up the u-pick farms, I shall have to see if there are any in my neck of the woods!
ReplyDelete