Affordable and Realistic Sustainable Shopping

When you're transition to a sustainable lifestyle, you realize a lot of products and things you buy no longer work out for you. Unfortunately, the eco-friendly and sustainable products are rarely made accessible, and often can't be purchased on a normal day of errands. So what do you do when you want to find a manual clothes washer and the WalMart put everyone else in town out of business doesn't sell it? Okay, first off, I hope anyone trying to be sustainable has boycotted WalMart long ago. Still, that hand washer that would make doing laundry by hand much easier probably couldn't even be found at the local home store. That's where the internet comes into play. It uses electricity, takes time away from being outdoors, even has cause for certain health concerns, but the internet is still a terrific green resource. It links people to green information, products, and communities better than any other resource could.

Let me begin by emphasizing the significance of the scenario above. The only reason we turned to the internet in the first place was because we needed something that couldn't be found locally. You should never buy online something that could be bought in town. That being said, a lot of sustainable tools can ONLY be found online. When you're trying to find a gadget that makes living a sustainable life easier, the internet is a treasure trove! Here, I shall provide a process I find most useful in researching, finding, and buying sustainable items.

First, ask yourself: do I really need this item? Rethink the purchase if you're buying the hottest eco-friendly item on the market just to replace the same perfectly good-but not "green"- item you already own. Carl Elefante once said, "the greenest building is the one already built." This can be applied to everything.

Next, does the wringer I want for drying out my hand-washed clothes need to be brand new? No. Eco-friendly products are hard to find in general, so searching for them used will be harder still, but it's well worth the search. The following websites will help you in your search for pre-owned goods:
Freecycle.org
Craigslist.com
eBay.com

If you can't find it used, you'll have to next begin the search to find it new. Do your research and comparison shop using a website like Pristine Planet.

Here is a list of a few merchants that might lead you in the right direction!
A Greener Kitchen
A.R.E. Naturals
Abe's Market
Bambeco
Bona Fide Green Goods
Bright Green Ideas
Buy Green
Celery Street
Compostable Goods
E3 Living
Earth Lover
EcoFriendly Green Things
Ethical Ocean (a great site!)
GetN' Green
Go Green Items
Goods for the Garden
Green Ostrich
Greenfeet
Green Rainbow Shop
Lehman's(a favorite!)
Maku Eco Shop
Moss Envy
Practical Organic
The Pristine Home
The Ultimate Green Store
Yes It's Organic

When shopping, don't forget about savings! Websites like Ecobunga, GreenDeals (through Green America), GenGreenLife, SustainLane are good places to find great deals!