3. Less Packaging
Think about how much packaging you’ll have to throw away before you select what you’re going to buy. It takes energy to make that packaging, and it takes more energy to cart it away as extra garbage. Also, most of that plastic packaging is made from one of the most important energy sources–oil.
By buying food and other products with less packaging or recyclable packaging, you can reduce needless carbon dioxide production by up to 230 pounds per year. Watch out for companies that purposefully add packaging to catch your eye. When faced with two equal products, always choose the one with less packaging.
Buy in bulk. Buy large quantities of things - especially nonperishable goods such as shampoo, toilet paper, or peanut butter - whenever possible. Bulk items use less packaging, which means less energy is needed to manufacture them. Buying in bulk is also much cheaper. For example, individually wrapped servings of oatmeal cost more than three times as much as the same amount of oatmeal from a large container. To make things less cumbersome, save the smaller shampoo bottle (or other container) you have now, buy a bulk size to store in the cupboard, and keep refilling your smaller bottle.