2 Things to be more sustainable while running errands!

1. Reusable bags

Plastic grocery bags are a huge part of plastic waste. “Americans use 100 billion plastic bags a year, which require 12 million barrels of oil to manufacture”. Just think about a quick run to the grocery store where you only need a gallon of milk and maybe some eggs, you will probably end up with 3-4 plastic bags just for two items! They usually double bag milk and maybe even the eggs. All of this adds up over time. An average family in the US uses about 1,500 plastic bags a year and only about 1% are returned for recycling. These bags not only create massive amounts of plastic waste, but they also use a great number of resources.

What you can do to help is ALWAYS bring your reusable bags with you to the grocery store and any other store where you might need a bag. Many people are getting used to bringing their bags to the grocery store but not many take them to other stores. You should try to bring a bag with you if you go to the mall or thrifting too. It can be hard to keep up with reusable shopping bags at first but once it becomes a habit, it will be as easy as grabbing your keys.

You can find reusable bags wherever you are shopping most of the time. There are many types of reusable bags but really the most effective one will be the one you like the best. If you get excited to use your bag, you will end up using it more often. Lastly, if you forget your bag just try to minimize the number of bags you get and if you can carry your items carry them! There is no shame in walking out carrying bananas and receipt in your hand (Yes, this happened numerous times for me).

10 Facts About Single-use Plastic Bags

2. Plan out your route

Cars are a huge contributor to our carbon footprint so anytime you can shorten or take away a drive is a plus! Cars emit harmful greenhouse gasses into the air. “A typical passenger vehicle emits about 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year”.

Whenever you run errands you spend a lot of time driving. To make your trip more sustainable, think about the location of all the places you need to visit and plan out the most efficient route. Think about whether you need to go to different stores or if somethings can be combined. Many times, we pass by locations we need to visit for errands on our routine drives so it might be more convenient to add a stop to the routine drive. It’s also worth checking if what you need to do can be done online like depositing checks.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions from a Typical Passenger Vehicle