What’s in Your Bag? A Guide to Green Shopping

1. What’s in Your Bag?A Guide to Green Shopping By Michael Patton Executive Director The Metropolitan Environmental Trust Tulsa, Oklahoma Texas Recycling & Sustainability Conference August 2007

2. Buy LocalBuy Recycled PackagingBuy Recyclable PackagingBuy Reduced Packaging

3. Every dollar I spend is a vote for the environment. People want to be better shoppers.

4. Package MaterialStorageShippingReuseDisposal

5. Weekly Grocery Spending(Food Only) Men living alone - $60 Women living alone - $50 Elderly - $45 With children - $31 With young children – $28 Source: USDA

6. Weekly Spending by Ethnicity White - $41.67 Black - $32.50 Hispanic - $32.50 Source: USDA

9. Produce Aisle

10. Packaging by Mother Nature Compostable Fair trade and country of origin & buy local when available

11. What is Organic? Organic food must be produced without the use of sewer-sludge fertilizers, synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, hormones, antibiotics and irradiation. A variety of agricultural products can be produced organically, including produce, grains, meat, dairy, eggs and processed food products.

12. Average Annual ExpenditureFruits and Vegetables 9.7% of food budget is spent on fruits and vegetables Fresh fruits 3.23% Fresh vegetables 3.17% Processed fruits 1.9% Processed vegetables 1.42% Food Institute analysis based on Bureau of Labor statistics

13. Baskets, Bags and Trays Bananas and Banana Bread

14. Meat & Dairy Aisle

15. Resealable BagFresh, Frozen or Canned

16. Average Annual ExpenditureMeat, Poultry, Fish & Eggs Food Institute analysis based on Bureau of Labor statistics 15 percent of American’s total food budget is spent on meat, poultry, fish & eggs.

17. Use a meal planner to reduce waste.

18. Paper or cardboard vs Polystyrene egg cartons

19. Buying in the deli allows for portion controlPaperboard milk cartons vs Plastic milk jugs Natural vs. Dyed containers

20. Average Annual Expenditureon Dairy Products Food Institute analysis based on Bureau of Labor statistics Americans spend 6.42% of their food budget on milk, cream and other dairy products.

21. Bottle Grade Plastics94 percent of plastic bottles are #1 or #2vs Plastic tubs

22. Cereal Aisle

23. Cereal Boxes as Art

24. Box is Pure MarketingThe One Box we Read

25. Bag inside a Box vs Bag only100% RecycledRising Post-Consumer Content

27. Beverage Aisle

28. Total U.S. Beverage Consumption (2005)Carbonated Soft Drinks  28.3% Bottled Water  10.7% Milk 10.9% Coffee 9.0% Beer 11.7% Fruit Beverages 4.7% Sports Drinks 2.3% Tea 3.8% Wine 1.2% Distilled Spirits 0.7% All Others 15.3% Source – American Beverage Association

29. Real Choices Glass Plastic Aluminum

30. 53 million plastic bottles Are thrown in the trash every day. In Tulsa, the average household buys 225 bottles of water per year. Of those, 16 are recycled.

31. Shipping and Distribution State Deposit Laws

32. California Connecticut Delaware Hawaii Iowa Maine Massachusetts Michigan New York Oregon Vermont States with Bottle Bills

33. Arkansas Illinois Maryland North Carolina South Carolina Tennessee West Virginia Pennsylvania States Considering Legislation

34. Pennsylvania Legislation Senate Bill 1035 establishes a five-cent levy on containers holding liquids, including carbonated soft drinks, beer, sports drinks, tea, and all forms of water. Revenues would be deposited into a state-administered Returnable Beverage Container Fund and used to compensate deposit claims submitted by beverage distributors and redemption centers. If approved, distributors would be responsible for paying the state a monthly fee for all containers manufactured in or imported into the Commonwealth. Conversely, the state would be responsible for paying redemption centers a two-cent handling fee for each unredeemed beverage container.

35. Plastic Bottle Recycling • The first plastic bottle was recycled in 1977 • Recycling a ton of PET bottles saves 7.4 cubic yards of landfill space. • The weight of a two liter bottle is 48 grams, down 29 percent from 1978. • Number of PET bottles per pound: • 16 oz – 18 bottles per pound • 2 liter – 9 bottles per pound Source:NAPCOR

36. Snack Aisle

37. Chips vs Crackers Give Piece a Chance

38. Paper Product Aisle

39. Virgin vs Post Consumer

40. Grades of Paper Recycle-phobiaQuality of Products

41. Around 45% of the paper Americans use each year (over 47 million tons) is recovered for recycling. This is made into a wide variety of goods such as new newsprint, boxes and office paper, paper towels, tissue products, insulation, cereal boxes, molded packaging, hydro-mulch, gypsum wallboard - even compost and kitty litter! 80% of U.S. papermakers use some recovered fiber in manufacturing, and nearly 200 mills use ONLY recovered paper for their fiber.

42. Cleaning/Household Products

43. Beware of words like ‘toxic,’ ‘hazardous’ and ‘caution’ on label Find safer alternatives Buy Concentrated?

44. Natural Drain Cleaner Recipe: 1/2 cup baking soda 1/2 cup white vinegar Boiling water Pour baking soda down the drain. Add white vinegar and cover the drain, if possible. Let set for 5 minutes. Then pour a kettle of boiling water down the drain.

45. At the Checkout Paper vs. Plastic

46. Michael Patton The Metropolitan Environmental Trust MetRecycle.com Recyclemichael@yahoo.com