How to Maximize Your Minimal-Waste Grocery Shopping at Berkeley Bowl
While the responsibility to “fix” climate change should not be placed solely at the consumer level, we cannot discredit the importance of practicing individual sustainability. By changing some of our daily habits, we can reduce waste and lower our carbon footprints. Going zero-waste might not be the move for you right now, but incremental change is still impactful, especially when we take collective action.
Let’s start with grocery shopping: here are some tips to reduce your carbon footprint while grocery shopping at Berkeley Bowl! These tips can also apply to non-Berkeley Bowl stores.
1. Buy from the bulk section, and bring your own container.
Some of the more unique bulk items at Berkeley Bowl — pasta and salts! (Source: Kumi Yanagihara)
Berkeley Bowl is well-known for their bulk section. They carry a variety of products, such as nuts, pastas, teas, spices, flour, cornstarch, and snacks like dried fruit and crackers. In the Asian aisle of the store, there’s even bulk tofu! At 69 cents a block, it’s a smart move, both environmentally and economically. Just bring your own reusable containers — these can be anything from old yogurt tubs to your favorite mason jar — and have at it. You’ll be reducing waste by skipping the single-use packaging, while also being able to grab however much of each item you want.
If you’re not familiar with the bulk section yet, here’s how it works! First, you’ll want to bring your container of choice to the weighing station near the bulk section, where an attendant will weigh it for you. They’ll place a sticker of the weight onto your container, which you can fill up with whatever item you choose — don’t forget to write the item number on the sticker with the pens provided! Then, you’ll bring it back to the weighing station, where you’ll weigh the container again and receive a new sticker with the price you’ll be paying at the register. Don’t forget to bring multiple containers if you’re planning on getting multiple items!
2. Bring your own container to the deli, bread, meat, and seafood departments.
Avoid the plastic-wrapped meat and seafood products and bring your own container to the butcher counter. Take the extra step and choose the locally-sourced products — the employees are happy to provide this information if you ask!
The same applies for the deli and bread sections. Berkeley Bowl carries Semifreddi’s bread, free of plastic wrap, baked daily.
3. Use reusable produce bags.
Produce bags are sold in various spots throughout the store. (Source: Kumi Yanagihara)
Instead of using the plastic bags provided in the produce section, bring your own produce bags. If you don’t have any, Berkeley Bowl sells mesh bags in packs of three at $2.49 (before tax). I have seen organic cotton produce bags being sold online, but if you’re already avoiding online shopping to reduce your carbon footprint, you can even try making your own from old clothing! Just wash and dry between uses.
4. Buy dairy products with a reusable glass deposit system.
Dairy products often come in plastic or plastic-lined paper materials, but Berkeley Bowl does a good job of carrying the same items in glass jars. But if you look closely, you can one-up yourself and choose milk and cream products with a glass deposit system from Straus Family Creamery. Essentially, you pay a two dollar deposit for the glass container, which gets refunded to you when you rinse and bring the container back to the register. The bottles go back to the farm, where they’re washed, refilled, and sold again in stores. Practice sustainability and support a local farm, all at once!
5. Opt for recyclable packaging instead of plastics.
Sometimes, non-reusable packaging is unavoidable — that’s okay! For example, the glass deposit program only carries dairy products, and you might be vegan. In that case, look for products that are packaged using materials that are recyclable, such as paper or glass. This goes without saying, but don’t forget to properly recycle them after use. If plastic is the only option, see if you can find a recyclable plastic — in Berkeley, you can recycle any plastics, #1-7, if it’s rigid and clean! This means “yes” to the to-go clam shell boxes, but “no” to resealable sandwich bags. For more information on recycling, visit the City of Berkeley website.
Berkeley Bowl has a lot of yogurt options, all in glass jars. (Source: Kumi Yanagihara)
6. Bonus: bulk or bar shampoo!
Since you’re already trying to reduce your carbon footprint, check out the health and beauty aisle while you’re grocery shopping. Berkeley Bowl has bulk personal hygiene products! Similarly to the bulk section, you can fill up a container with your choice amount of shampoo, conditioner, lotion, or body wash, and pay according to the weight. They also have a selection of bar shampoo, packaged in paper or cardboard. I am personally a fan of J.R. Liggett’s herbal formula bar, which is around $6 and lasts as long as a 24-ounce bottle of shampoo would. You can be more sustainable while also saving money!
As we make an effort to live sustainably, it can be easy to judge others for their consumption habits. Some practices might be easier to adopt than others, while some might be impossible to adopt while respecting financial, religious, and any other personal circumstances. There’s no one “right” way to live a more sustainable lifestyle — that’s to say, be kind to the environment, but don’t forget to be kind to others, and to yourself.
Happy grocery shopping!
Kumi Yanagihara is a writer for the Lifestyle team.
