YOU’VE HEARD Opt for paper over plastic
WE SAY BYOB
Think about a typical day spent doing errands: You stop at the pharmacy, bookstore, shoe shop, and supermarket. Back home you unpack 10 plastic bags and toss them in the trash (or use them to hold garbage), albeit with a tinge of guilt. Not only do those bags pile up in landfi lls, but if you live in a city like New York or Seattle—which have proposed charging consumers for plastic— they also could wind up costing you a chunk of change. That’s why reusable totes are the only way to shop. Green-kits.com sells loads of natural and organic cotton bags, including produce-specific versions and stylish personalized totes that make cute, pro-earth gifts.

YOU’VE HEARD When it comes to food, be an organic purist
WE SAY Go organic for some products
With signs screaming “organic” in every aisle, grocery shopping has become downright stressful (especially because organic food can cost 20 to 30 percent more). But filling your shopping cart with organic fare doesn’t make you the greenest gal on the block. “When you factor in the use of heavy machinery, extensive processing, and shipping food thousands of miles, organic doesn’t necessarily mean better for the environment,” says Cindy Burke, author of To Buy or Not to Buy Organic. “Plus, USDA organic standards don’t differentiate between farmers who go above and beyond organic growing techniques and those who follow the bare minimum, so the consumer doesn’t really know the quality of what they’re getting.” (Experts do recommend buying organic for certain high-pesticide crops, such as strawberries, peaches, apples, celery, and lettuce; for a full list of produce that contains higher levels of pesticides, go to foodnews.org).

Instead of opting for organic, Burke and other experts advocate buying from local producers whenever possible. “You can get superior food at a lower price,” she says. Besides the reduced processing and shipping involved with smaller, local farms, buying items grown close to home also enables you to develop a relationship with producers, so you can ask how they’re growing their products (though many smaller farms can’t afford to get organically certifi d, they may not be using pesticides). If you don’t have access to a farmers’ market, consider joining a community-supported agriculture group (CSA), where members pay a seasonal or monthly fee to a farm in return for food. To fi nd a CSA in your city or region, go to localharvest.org/csa.