Mum's the Word

While it’s obviously common sense that we need to start taking care of our environment, more often than not, a lot of us get discouraged by how difficult or tedious living a greener lifestyle seems. Even the very act of segregating and recycling our trash can sometimes look like too much of an effort, especially since we’re already pretty busy as is with our daily lives.

But not all earth-saving practices are rooted in doing extra work. In fact, there is 1 eco-friendly practice in particular that can help you save effort and the environment at the same time: buying local. Here are some compelling ways on how buying locally sourced items can help improve your health and wellness and the state of the environment.

1. You’re in proximity to where the product is harvested or made. When you buy local, obviously the source of the product is closer to you in terms of location. You don’t have to travel a long way just to get the item, and the item doesn’t have to be transported from far off places just to get to you. This means that the amount of resources necessary to get the item into your hands is lessened. This doesn’t just save on fuel and cut on the amount of greenhouse gases produced, it also saves you and the manufacturer from having to spend a lot of time on the road. This, in turn, shrinks your carbon footprint and eases the burden on Mother Nature in general. If the distance is reasonable enough, you can also choose to walk or jog to the seller’s place, which can serve as a form of exercise.
2. There is much less packaging involved. Buying locally means that the product that you’re looking for did not have to travel much to get to your local market. There’s less changing of hands involved, so your item does not need a lot of packaging or preservatives to keep it in tip-top condition. It’s a well-known fact that discarded packaging materials cause a serious environmental issue. By purchasing your desired item in a location near you, you help reduce the volume of plastics and packaging materials that end up in the landfill or in the water. You can even choose to bring your own cloth bag to the market in order to further cut down your carbon footprint.
3. You’re helping your local economy flourish. Buying local not only makes sense on an environmental level, it also presents a lot of benefits when it comes to the economy. When you buy local, you help the stores and shops in your neighborhood flourish. This allows local shop owners to keep doing business near or within the vicinity of their homes, which in turn eschews the need to travel or commute very far to sell their wares or services. This, then, reduces fuel consumption and the emission of greenhouse gases. As a nice bonus, you’re also forming a close and lasting relationship with your fellow locals, which could score you neat extras and discounts on your next purchase!
4. You’re able to buy in bulk. Buying locally also means that you’re able to buy as much produce as you want without having to worry about being able to bring it all back home, since you are living nearby. You can buy in bulk to replenish your supplies, which not only saves you money but also cuts down on your packaging use and fuel consumption. It’s convenient for you and beneficial for the environment, plus it takes less effort.

Helping the environment isn’t always a bothersome chore, nor should it be viewed as one. For those of us who are just way too busy to really get into the whole green lifestyle, all we need to do is to make small and doable changes to our daily habits. Small as they may be, these habits can contribute to the global effort. Even the smallest change, such as buying locally, can make a huge difference.