Every time that you go to the store, you tell the manufacturers, suppliers and growers what you like and what you do not like. You tell them what you find acceptable in a product and what you could do without. And, you tell them what they need to change and what could possibly stay the same.

Every time that you buy an ecologically responsible product, every time that you buy green, you send the message that the planet is important to you and that to keep your business, it had better be important to them as well. Buying green can be as simple as buying a larger sized product and making it last longer all the way to demanding less and less packaging on your items. Whatever you can do to make your own shopping trip a bit more green is valuable.

Many products come in the economy size- you buy this item, put the product into a smaller container and reuse that smaller container every time. Once the large container is empty, you recycle it and one less item makes it to the landfill.

Let’s look at a common household item, bottles of fabric softener. If you buy the smaller bottle, you will have to buy one every week, or four bottles a month. In the course of a year, you have bought 48 bottles of fabric softener. If you buy the same product in the economy size and refill one of your smaller bottles that number will be quite different. If the economy size fabric softener bottle lasts for a full month, you will end up with 12 containers at the end of the year, rather than the 48 smaller ones. No difference in the softener itself, only in the container it came in. (Of course, you can use dryer balls and skip fabric softener altogether.)

Every year, millions of people buy products of countless shapes and sizes and uses. Many of these come in a plastic wrap that is then stuffed inside of a box which is then covered in another layer of plastic. What are they protecting this item from?

By the time you manage to wrestle your new doo-dad or whos-it out of its packaging you may find you don’t need or want it any longer. Demand that some of the extraneous packaging be eliminated from your favorite products. Now, of course you want your toothbrush and other personal care items to be packaged up, but who cares about your alarm clock or towel rack?

Buy as many green products as you can find and demand others to be offered. Make your voice known. You vote with your dollars every time you shop, so raise your voice and demand that items go green or go away, simple as that.