Buying green means purchasing products or services that will reduce environmental impacts, or are produced with minimal environmental impacts. It means focusing on reduced packaging, waste disposal, resource use, transportation, durability and many other issues. The most important part of "green purchasing" is taking steps to avoid pollution and waste.

Sometimes buying green means buying less. Sometimes it means choosing a less toxic cleaning product or non-toxic paint. Look for products made with energy efficient equipment and processes, recycled materials and non-toxic materials. Look for products that have a long useful life, and can be easily recycled or reused. From design to disposal, product choices affect the environment.

But there are no perfect production processes. Habitat is always destroyed when clearing land for a farm, even an organic farm. Resources are always used in the manufacturing process. The key is to minimize environmental affects while maximizing benefits. Staying current on environmental purchasing factors will allow you to make a personal impact. Check out the Chinook Book, with over 250 coupons for environmentally responsible purchasing. Chinook Book - Smart shopping for the environment, community and you. http://www.chinookbook.net/

'64 PLEASE MR. POSTMAN Rating: **** Reduce your junk mail Unwanted junk mail is a major source of paper waste. Junk mail creates four million tons of preventable waste each year. You can do more than just recycle your "junk" mail. Take steps to reduce the waste at the source. Stop registering your name unless absolutely necessary. Junk mail companies get your information anytime you sign up for a sweepstakes or fill out product warranty cards. Register for the Direct Marketing Association's Mail Preference Service (MPS). MPS is available to companies for the sole purpose of removing your name and residential address from their mailing lists.
Direct Marketing Association - Getting Off Mailing Lists
Consumer Research Institute - Stop the Junk Mail Kit

'65 DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK. Rating: **** Ask merchants to carry environmentally preferable products Many government agencies and responsible business now implement programs for environmentally preferable purchasing. But just because you're an individual consumer doesn't mean you can't expect the same types of environmentally friendly products to be available from your local merchant. The EPA calls this type of purchasing program "EPP", signifying Environment+Price+Performance considerations when making a purchase. EPP products or services have a lesser or reduced effect on human health and the environment when compared with competing products or services that serve the same purpose.
U.S. EPA - Environmentally Preferable Purchasing

'66 2 GOOD 2 TOSS Rating: **** Sell, giveaway or donate reusable items You can reduce waste by donating reusable items to charity, giving them to friends or relatives or selling them online or through the newspaper. Exchanges in Washington that serve primarily businesses include IMEX (Industrial Materials Exchange) and RBME (Reusable Building Materials Exchange). They have been joined recently by an exchange catering to the residential audience, 2good2toss, which provides a convenient way to exchange small or large quantities of used or surplus building materials and large household items.
Washington State Department of Ecology - 2good2toss
Washington State Department of Ecology - Reusable Building Materials Exchange

'67 ONE PERSON'S TRASH IS ANOTHER PERSON'S TREASURE Rating: **** Buy used when appropriate You can buy virtually anything used: automobiles, jewelry, clothing--even someone's old hobby collection. Thrift stores, like Goodwill and St. Vincent de Paul, are a good place to start when searching for used treasures. Garage sales are also a lucrative and fun way to find used goods. King County provides free listings for garage sales on their Online Exchange, as well as a list of household materials for sale.
Use It Again Seattle
King County Solid Waste Division - Garage/Yard Sales

'68 RECYCLE. IT COMPUTES Rating: **** Recycle unwanted computers and electronic equipment Electronic equipment contains a number of toxic materials, including lead that can be released into the environment if not handled properly. Seattle, King County and Snohomish County work together to coordinate the Take it Back Network. The network provides consumers with safe, convenient reuse and recycling options. For a fee, Take it Back Network members accept computers, monitors, printers, TVs, cell phones, PDAs, fax machines and other household electronics. Call ahead to check which materials are accepted.
Take it Back Network
The Northwest Product Stewardship Council

'69 THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX Rating: **** Buy products that use less packaging Packaging makes up about 30 percent of municipal solid waste. That's a big waste of natural resources, not to mention the burden in places on landfill facilities. You can reduce the amount of packaging you "buy" to prevent waste and conserve resources by selecting products with less packaging. Look for "loose" products stored in bins that have no packaging whatsoever. Consider buying food supplies from bulk bins. When appropriate, buy frequently used products in large containers.
King County Solid Waste Division - Waste Prevention Tips
U.S. EPA - Tip 1 - Reduce the Amount of Packaging

'70 GET RID OF THE DEAD WOOD Rating: **** Use naturally rot resistant wood or plastic lumber instead of treated wood Treated wood contains a number of chemicals harmful to the environment. Seattle Public Utilities requires that a Waste Clearance Form must accompany large loads of treated wood. It can't normally be recycled as clean wood waste, but must be disposed of for a fee. A better alternative is naturally rot resistant wood or plastic lumber. Rot resistant wood includes cedar, redwood or cypress. Plastic lumber is becoming increasingly popular, and is available at most lumberyards and large hardware stores. New product lines mix plastic resin with wood fiber for a more natural look in a variety of tints. Structural codes are different for plastic lumber, so check with your permit agency.
Seattle Public Utilities - Wood Recycling and Disposal
American Plastics Council - Plastic Lumber

'71 WELL SPENT RENT Rating: **** Rent tools you're likely to use once or infrequently Why buy when you can rent? Infrequently used tools, appliances and party supplies ultimately cost more to buy, and they take up valuable storage space and require periodic maintenance. Renting is a way to share the costs and the environmental burden of this equipment. Rental shops specialize in a number of items. Some rent heavy equipment, tools and party supplies. The Phinney Neighborhood Association in Seattle offers a Tool Lending Library with hundred of tools that PNA members may borrow for a modest weekly tool maintenance fee. Suggest that your community group consider a similar program.
Phinney Neighborhood Association - Tool Lending Library

'72 ELIMINATE EXCESS BAGGAGE Rating: **** Take your shopping bags to the store Shopping bags are a big source of waste. Each year, an estimated 500 billion to one trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide. That comes out to over one million per minute! Most are used once, and then recycled. Do your part by returning bags to your favorite grocery store for reuse every time you shop. Don't forget other retailers like department stores. Also, reuse bags for other purposes. For instance, plastic shopping bags are ideal for another important eco-action: scooping poop when you're walking your pet.
PCC Natural Markets - What Kind of Bag Do You Use?
reusablebags.com

'73 GET ALL CHARGED UP Rating: **** Buy rechargeable batteries Batteries that are thrown away contain dangerous substances like lead, arsenic, zinc, cadmium, copper, and mercury. Purchasing rechargeable batteries is a good investment in your urban ecosystem. Rechargeable batteries are recyclable through the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC). RBRC recycles batteries that are commonly found in cordless power tools, cellular and cordless phones, laptop computers, camcorders, digital cameras, and remote control toys. There a plenty of convenient locations for recycling, provided on the website below.
Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation

'74 CLOSE THE RECYCLING LOOP Rating: **** Buy products with recycled content Recycling is an effective environmental strategy only when markets are created to reuse and remanufacture recycled materials. "Closing the recycling loop" means buying recycled content products. Most recycled products perform just as well as those created with virgin materials. Check labels to determine if products are recycled content, not just recyclable. Look on the product's packaging for information about recycled content. Paper should be "post-consumer," otherwise, it may simply contain paper mill waste that is recycled right there at the mill, such as roll ends.
Sustainable USA Network - Tips for Buying Recycled Content Products

'75 WASTE FREE IS THE WAY TO BE Rating: **** Give experiences instead of stuff The Waste Free Holidays program, supported by King County, the City of Seattle and City of Tacoma, rewards the public for reducing waste, while supporting local businesses. As part of this popular program, participating businesses and organizations normally offer discounts of 15 to 50 percent between Thanksgiving and December 31 on a variety of local experiences.
Seattle Public Utilities - News Release
King County Solid Waste Division - Waste Free Holidays

'76 BETTER THE SECOND TIME AROUND Rating: **** Use salvaged materials when possible Construction demolition comprises a large percentage of Seattle's solid waste. Salvaging used materials for reuse is a good way to reduce waste. A number of businesses offer salvaged building materials in Seattle. They offer a variety of items that may include cabinets, doors, fencing, floor coverings, hardware and fixtures, paint, plumbing and pipe, roofing, siding and windows.
King County Reuse and Recycling Database - Reusable Building Materials
RE Store

'77 WOULD YOU, COULD YOU BUY CERTIFIED WOOD Rating: *** Buy Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood Whenever possible, purchase wood that has been certified by the FSC. Buying and selling FSC certified forest products supports environmentally responsible, socially beneficial and economically viable management of the world's forests. The FSC label enables consumers to choose forest products with the confidence that they are not contributing to the destruction of the world's forests.
Forest Stewardship Council

'78 RETURNING NEMO Rating: *** Return unwanted aquarium plants and fish to pet stores-please don't release them! When it gets to be too much trouble to keep up your fish tank, consider giving away the fish and tossing the rest. But don't toss it anywhere near local lakes or streams. Aquarium plants can choke out native plants and create stagnant conditions that are bad for fish and good for mosquitoes. Aquarium fish or animals dumped into natural waters can bring disease and parasites into the ecosystem. These non-native aquarium animals can prey on or compete with native species. Trade unwanted aquarium fish or plants with friends or dispose of them in the trash.
Washington State Department Ecology - News Release
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife - Aquatic Nuisance Species

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