Green shopping

Why not see if you can reduce your environmental impact by following the tips below?

Shop locally

Try to buy foods sourced locally; this means less carbon dioxide is released transporting goods.
Use local retailers to minimise car use, and so reduce pollution and congestion.

Buy more loose items and fewer packaged goods; often the packaging is plastic which cannot be recycled.
Use reusable bags. Carrier bags can take an estimated 1,000 years to decay.
Buy more durable items and fewer one off disposable items such as cameras and batteries.
Don't waste food. The average family with children throws away £60 worth of edible food every month. Across the UK, the greenhouse gases generated from growing, transporting and disposing of this wasted food are equivalent to 20% of all the cars on our roads. A campaign called Love Food Hate Waste has been launched by WRAP to reduce food waste. A wealth of information is available on their website; from recipes using leftover food to information on portion control.

Buy organic food where possible; which is produced using sustainable and ethical farming practices, without the use of pesticides.
Buy Fairtrade products. Fairtrade ensures farmers get a fair deal for the crops they produce and they are paid a premium which contributes towards community facilities. Producers work to protect the natural environment and use organic farming practices where possible. Gosport Fairtrade Action has helped make Gosport a Fairtrade Town. For more information about the group, you can email them or click on their website link above.