Keeping the environment in mind when shopping is something we can all do to make our world healthier and safer and it’s often the simplest actions that have the greatest impact.

You need to shop and you’re likely to be spending the rest of your life here on this planet. The choices you make in the first case can have direct effects on the quality of the latter. Here are 10 Tips for greener shopping:

1. Buy in Bulk — Size matters. When you buy the largest quantity of a product you can use, you help reduce the waste in packaging. About one third of America’s trash is just the packages all our stuff came in and about 10 cents of every dollar we spend goes to pay for the packaging we throw away.

2. Buy recycled products — If there were no market for recycled products, there would be no incentive¹ to recycle. Buying products made from recycled materials closes the loop. Shop made from recycled products.

3. Avoid single-use products — Disposable razors and cameras, plastic cups and plates — all good examples of the ways we enjoy convenience at the expense of the environment. All this stuff goes directly from the manufacturer to the landfill with only a brief stop at your home. Buy products that last (and don’t be afraid to do the dishes). Use cloth towels and napkins instead of the paper variety whenever possible and when you must use paper, make sure it’s made from 100% recycled material. Shop made from sustainable materials.

4. Use rechargeable batteries — Conventional batteries contain cadmium and mercury and must be treated as hazardous² waste. Rechargeable batteries last longer, cost less to use and help keep toxins³ out of the waste stream. Shop rechargeable batteries.

5. Buy used or re-furbished products — Used books save trees and re-furbished electronics save you money. When you shop online auctions⁴ or buy used products at sites like Windows Live Expo, you’re doing your part to help minimize waste by maximizing use. Shop re-furbished products.

6. Buy low-flow showerheads — Using aerators in your faucets⁵ and installing low-flow showerheads can cut your family’s water bills by 50% while helping⁶ to conserve⁷ our water supply.

7. Buy energy-efficient appliances — When it’s time to replace a washer, dryer⁸, refrigerator or any other household appliance, always look for the Energy Star label. It ensures that the product has met energy efficiency standards set by the EPA and Dept. of Energy. You’ll not only help reduce carbon emissions⁹, but you’ll enjoy immediate¹⁰ savings¹¹ on your power bill. Shop energy saving solutions.

8. Buy compact fluorescent¹² bulbs — This is one of the easiest things you can do to save energy and money. Compact fluorescent bulbs last ten times longer than the incandescent¹³ variety. Replacing three incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents saves $60 and 300 pounds of CO2 a year.

9. Try organic and non-toxic alternatives to household chemicals and pesticides¹⁴ — According to the EPA, the average American home is 2-5 times more contaminated than the area just outside of it, mostly due to the presence and residues¹⁵ of household cleaners and pesticides. Americans currently use 80-million pounds of pesticides a year, most of which drains into streams or seeps¹⁶ into the water table. Shop for non-toxic cleaning products and organic pest-control solutions.

10. Buy tires with a long lifespan or buy retreads — There are over 3-billion discarded tires in the U.S. with over 200-million more added each year. They pollute landfills, present a fire hazard and waste oil. When you shop for tires, look for the longest-wearing types you can find and keep them properly inflated¹⁷ to reduce wear and save gas. Retreading saves about 400-million gallons of oil each year.

There are hundreds of other ways you can help reduce pollution, conserve resources and fight global climate change, but if even half of us did half the things on this list, the benefits would be enormous — now and for generations to come.

在购物的时候能够考虑到环保，这能使我们的世界变得更加健康和安全，这不过是举手之劳对保护环境却有巨大的推动作用。

购物是日常生活的一部分，对于你来说你需要他，你可能要在这个星球上度过你的余生，你现在所做的抉择将直接影响你将来的生活质量。这里有10条建议，它能让你的购物更加的环保。

1.购买（大量）散装的物品——量的多少问题。当你购买大量的你能用到的商品，可以减少在包装上面的浪费。美国大约三分之一的垃圾来自这些包装，在我们每消费1美元中就有10美分是花在这些我们要仍掉的包装上的。

2.购买可循环使用的产品——如果没有购买可循环产品的市场，那就没有可循环利用的动机。购买那些由可循环的材料做成的商品就达到了这个目的。买那些可循环材料做成的物品吧！

3.少购买一次性产品——可任意使用的剃须刀、照相机、塑料杯和塑料碟子-都是我们贪图方便而破坏环境的例子。这些东西出厂后，在你手上稍作停留，然后就直接变成垃圾。买那些可以长久使用的物品（不要害怕洗餐具）。用布做的毛巾和餐巾代替各种各样的纸巾。无论什么时候可能或者不得不用纸巾，也必须确定这些纸是由百分百可循环的材料制造的。

4.用可充电的电池——常规的电池含有镉和汞，必须以危险的垃圾标准来处理掉它。可充电电池寿命更加长久，花费更少且不会给河流带来毒物的污染。购买可充电的电池吧！

5.买二手的或者翻新的物品——用二手的书可以解救树木，翻新的电器节省你的金钱。当你购买在线拍卖品或者在windows在线展览中购买二手商品，你就通过使物品最大化的利用为减少污染出了一份力。购买翻新的物品。

6.购买水流小的淋浴喷头——在龙头中安装通风发散装置和安装低流量的淋浴喷头可以减少50%家庭水费的支出，同时也促进了水资源的保存。

7.用能量利用率高的用品——当你在换洗衣机、干衣机、冰箱或者其他的家具的时候，始终要寻找那些贴有“能源之星”标签的。因为这种商品达到了美国环保署和能源部门的能源效率标准。你这样做不仅减少了二氧化碳的释放，而且你将享受节约在能源上的花费而得到快乐。

8.购买简洁的日光灯——这使你所能做的节约能源和节省钱的最简单的事之一。简洁的日光灯寿命是白炽灯的10倍以上。用简洁的日光灯每替换三个白炽灯，一年内可以节省60美元和300磅的二氧化碳排放。

9.用天然的、无公害的物品代替化学制品家具和杀虫剂——按照美国环保署的说法，美国家庭中拥有的污染物是其他国家和地区家庭的2至5倍，究其原因是家庭清洁剂和杀虫剂用的比较多，且留有很多残余物。当前美国一年要用8千万磅的杀虫剂，大部分都会被排入河流以及渗入到地下水中。购买那些无毒害的清洁产品和利用那些天然的害处可控的方法来消灭害虫。

10.买轮胎要选寿命长的或者翻新的——在美国每年要丢弃30亿个轮胎且以每年两亿个的数量递增。它们污染了垃圾掩埋地，带来了火灾和浪费了石油。当你买轮胎的时候，要尽你所能买那些最耐磨的，并且保证胎的气要足这样可以减少磨损和节省汽油。通过胎面翻新每年为美国节省4亿加仑的石油。

还有上百种方法可以帮你减少污染、节约能源和抵抗全球气候变化，但是即便只有一半的人来按照列表上的做，它的好处是无穷的——无论是对当代还是将来的子孙后代。