Green Living

Making the best choices in the supermarket

Grocery shopping has become an agony for me — I can spend 15 minutes on yogurt alone. I go for the largest size, so as to cut down on packaging. But that one comes from Greece, so not very energy-wise with all the travel. Then I decide to use organic as my criterion, until I see that they’re in small, single-serve sizes, and still traveled far to get here.

Then I remember that a local award-winning dairy produces an organic yogurt, sold in large, recyclable glass bottles. Perfect! But it’s not carried here — so I’d have to make another, longer fossil-fuel-consuming trip.

By now I’m paralyzed in the dairy section.

Good news: With every trip to the supermarket, we have an opportunity to vote “sustainable” with our dollars. Bad news: So many factors weigh into “sustainable,” it’s hard to know the best choice.

I like the hierarchy that friends Neal and Morgan follow. First comes humane and ethical operating practices (fair-trade chocolate, for example). Local is the next priority (conventionally grown lettuce from nearby generates less petroleum consumption than the organic from four states away. Next, they seek out the product with the least packaging (buying in bulk, whenever possible) and — finally — organic.

They also use a few Web sites for more information. I’m going to get their list — and share it soon.

consumerism, local, organic

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