Environmentally friendly shopping doesn’t mean an end to that diversion known as “retail therapy”. Rather, it’s about making informed choices and re-thinking what – and where – you buy.
Whether you’re looking for fresh fruit and vegetables, a fridge, a house, cutting-edge fashion or a new car, there are plenty of ways to “buy green”. Here’s our guide to some of the most sustainable deals in Brisbane.
Green shopping topics:
- Buying "green" tips
- Green cuisine
- Personal care/household products
- Green fashion
- Green vehicles
- Recycled products
- Sustainable homes
Buying “green” tips
- Re-use/recycle and buy second-hand wherever possible
- Look for recycled content in products
- For new purchases, look at recyclability and ease of repair
- Opt for long-lasting alternatives instead of disposable, one-use items
- Choose non-toxic products (particularly for cleaning and gardening)
- Check out the Good Environmental Choice eco-labelling site
Green Cuisine
With an increasingly globalised food supply, the average item of food is travelling further before it reaches your plate. If you want to make dinner a local affair, buy local from neighbourhood greengrocers and Brisbane’s ever-popular fresh food markets.
Buy certified organic food, choosing fewer processed products, and bulk purchase where possible from wholefood stores. Brisbane is blessed with an abundance of organic outlets, including Wray Organic Market and Cafe, Mrs Flannery’s Natural Grocers, Hi Vita Organics, Sun and Earth Wholefoods, Fundamentals Food Store and Organic Essentials. A number of organic home delivery services, such as Farm Fresh Organics and Organic Sunrise Food Delivery offer great-value produce straight to your door. Most supermarkets also stock a growing range of organic foods.
The pleasures of organic eating need not stop at home. When looking for a café or restaurant that serves fresh, healthy and environmentally friendly food, check out Brisbane’s organic dining options.
Personal care/household products
Many of the potions and lotions lining our shelves are chemical powerhouses of dyes, preservatives, detergents and antimicrobials aimed at delivering cleaner, brighter and disease-free living. In fact, many of these products – along with the millions of kilograms of general-purpose cleaners consumed in Australia each year – are harmful to the environment.
The good news is that there are safe,100% biodegradable (and deliciously scented) alternatives. Health food stores and specialist retailers such as Perfect Potion, Handmade Naturals and Biome Living.
Green fashion
It’s official: green is the new black. Mix sustainability with style by adopting the latest fashion trend: organic clothing. Garments using organically certified cotton and other natural organic fibres, as well as natural dyes, are gaining currency in the fashion world.
Check out homegrown eco-labels like the Gorman Organic range, or the hemp, bamboo and organic clothes for the whole family at Paddington's Bliss Ecowear. With a keen eye, you can also buy recycled or vintage clothes which are a very eco-friendly alternative for those with a passion for fashion.
Green vehicles
When it comes to energy-efficient transport, you can’t beat cycling. It not only reduces carbon emissions, but your parking fees too. Use the ourbrisbane.com directory to find a bicycle shop near you. Low-cost, recycled bikes can be found at The Bicycle Revolution in West End.
The next best thing, green-buy wise, to pedal power is a scooter. Not only are they less polluting and cheaper to run than their four-wheeled cousins, they’re indisputably cool. If you live in West End, the city or New Farm, you might like to try Brisbane's car-share scheme, G Whiz.
If a car is a necessity, when looking at second-hand vehicles the Fuel Consumption Guide Database is a useful source of efficiency data on vehicles sold in Australia between 1986 and 2003. In the case of new showroom purchases, consult the government's Green Vehicle Guide, which rates all new models based on fuel consumption, and greenhouse and air pollution emissions.
NRMA Insurance offers drivers who own a car with fuel economy of 5.5 litres per 100km or better can receive a saving of up to 10% on their Comprehensive Car insurance.
Recycled products
The old adage, “waste not, want not” is driving the boom in recycled products.
Reverse Garbage, a not-for-profit workers' co-operative, is the place to go for an amazing variety of industrial discards, including timber, wire, fabrics, vinyl and out-moded stock. Check out the co-op’s Echoes Giftshop, which exhibits works of artists who use recycled materials in their work.
For a green kitchen renovation, look through the modular kitchens for sale at Second-chance kitchens. They have new stock all the time.
If you are a low income earner, you can buy a decent computer from Green PC. They overhaul and rebuild donated machines in their Brisbane workshop.
And at the supermarket level, fill your shopping trolley with unbleached, recycled-content tissue products (toilet paper, paper towels, facial tissues and other disposable paper products) rather than virgin fibre brands.
Sustainable homes
Looking to buy a home high on sustainable living factors or want to renovate to make your home greener? There is the Brisbane City Council Eco Development Advisory Service to assist you. Or be inspired by the Enviro-Cottage project at Spring Hill.
Ecospecifier is another useful site for the green home-buyer or renovator, providing a shortcut for the eco and healthy materials sourcing process. Or for paints without nasty VOCs, go to the Green Paint Shop at West End.
What tips do you have for buying green?
