Sustainable Shopping Tools

Palm oil isn't the problem. The real problem is the lack of awareness about the slash and burn agriculture used to grow it. For an oil, palm oil is about as good as it gets. It has a high yield, requires less land to grow than others, and is critical in the less developed regions where it grows. But it is not impossible to grow and harvest palm oil sustainably, and the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has created an app to help us make an educated decision in a matter of seconds! The Sustainable Palm Oil app allows you to quickly see which organizations and brands were kind to the environment and are certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil. Scan items at the store or do a product search to quickly decide which brand to buy. It could not be easier!

So many things we do damage our global forests. Driving our cars, buying a notebook, even being a coffee drinker can hurt the forests. Coffee grows best in tropical climates where rainforests thrive and wildlife is abundant, or at least where the forest is protected. Otherwise, coffee growers can move in and set fire to the forests to clear land for their coffee crops. When we lose forests, we lose biodiversity and migration stops. But it doesn't have to be this way. Coffee trees can be planted in the understory of the forests, so the coffee can grow alongside the abundance of wildlife and within the balanced ecosystem. The Migratory Bird Center along with Smithsonian have identified growers and roasters all around the world who are helping to preserve biodiversity and have provided the many locations you can get your very own bird-friendly coffee.

The ethical analysis of food and other products goes much deeper than just environmental practices. While we buy products made from all over the world, many are produced in less-developed regions and in some cases, entire communities rely on the profit from one product. Unfortunately, many products are produced without offering fair wages, providing safe work environments, or considering the environment. But it is not as hard as it once was to make sure our shopping choices are ethically sound. Products with the Fair Trade Certified logo have proven to provide suitable income to their employees and support community welfare and environmental stewardship. Fair Trade products empower entire regions and diverse groups. Look for the logo on your food and clothing, or check out the list of Fair Trade Certified products on their website.

Shopping for sustainable seafood always seemed like an impossible task. The packaging lacked details and led to uneducated shopping choices. Luckily, the Monterey Bay Aquarium realized there was no easy way to tell which was the best choice, and well meaning consumers were unknowingly harming the ecosystem. They developed a program called Seafood Watch, which analyzes fishing and aquaculture methods along with many other criteria to establish a rating system. Using the Seafood Watch app, you can make educated decisions about restaurant choices, types of fish to avoid and from what location, and how you can make a difference.

At some point or another, we have all seen a perfectly good dresser or bicycle on someone's curb as we drive by. Maybe a picker will take it, but most likely, this perfectly good piece of furniture will end up in a landfill. OfferUp provides a way for you to connect with people in your community who are getting rid of items you may be looking for. I'm talking about chairs, flower pots, Legos, cars, gameboys... the list goes on. Through utilizing OfferUp, you are reducing waste and reducing your consumption and the overall demand for new products. Plus, you'll save a buck or two! You'll be surprised what hidden gems you find right around the corner.

One of the largest contributions to the textile waste filling our landfills is from discarded clothing. Whether your shirt got a hole or you just fell out of love with those pants, clothing ends up in the garbage far too often, especially when you consider the age old saying "one man's trash is another man's treasure." ThredUP is a second-hand clothing platform that is like your favorite thrift shop times one thousand. You can search through various styles and sizes and know you are helping the environment while you do it. You can even sell those old pants and walk away with an eco-friendly profit. This is the kind of guilt-free shopping we have all been waiting for.