My BEST Tips for Zero Waste Grocery Shopping

I’m super excited to share a sneak peek into my very first Skillshare Class! Last year Skillshare came over to my house to film their first original video around sustainability. My class is called 'Sustainable Living Basics | Simple Steps to Make an Impact'.

I cover a large range of topics from simple swaps when just getting started, grocery shopping, composting, how to vet sustainable businesses and so much more.

This class is perfect for beginners or if you’re a bit more intermediate as I have a whole lesson on getting active and involved in your community.

But, my favorite part of this whole experience was when Skillshare came out to my house for a few days, and I challenged them to make the shoot completely zero waste. ⁠

That might not sound challenging, but 7 people creating zero waste on a film set is a lot harder than it sounds. At the end of the shoot, collectively, we created less than 4oz of garbage and only a handful of recycling! ⁠

I was so, so incredibly proud to be part of this shoot and absolutely LOVE the way it turned out! I would be so jazzed for you to check it out in the preview video below.

You can watch my class with a free 2-month trial on Skillshare if you use my link.⁠ With the trial, you'll also have access to skillshare's entire library. I do make a commission if you choose to watch my class.

I wanted to share this lesson with you because it’s one of my favorites. I’m dishing on all my best tips for how to get your groceries without creating any trash!

If video isn’t your speed check out these blog posts below:

• The Ultimate Guide to Zero Waste Grocery Shopping

• 7 Tips for Eco-Friendly Grocery Shopping (not one has to do with shopping from bulk bins!)

• How to Have a Zero Waste Grocery Shop Without Bulk Bins

In The Ultimate Guide to Zero Waste Grocery Shopping, I go over all of the basics from where to find basic package free items like tofu, grains, deli items, dry goods, and how to get it all without creating any waste. I go over how to bring your own containers, get the tare weights, and have listed the tare weights for common glass jars.

In 7 Tips for Eco-Friendly Grocery Shopping, I go over all of the different ways that you can make your plate more sustainable and not a single one has to do with shopping from bulk bins. I feel that zero waste living often focuses too much on packaging when there’s so much more that can be taken into consideration!

Of course, packaging still does play a role when you want to reduce how much plastic you use. Even if you don’t have access to bulk bins there’s a bunch of ways you can reduce your overall packaging footprint and you can get all of my tips in this blog post: How to Have a Zero Waste Grocery Shop Without Bulk Bins.

8 Hot Drinks to Keep You Warm All Season Long

If you’ve been following me on Instagram for any period of time then you know the ONE item I so desperately wish I could find in the bulk bins….

The marshmallow.

This post was sponsored by Further Food all thoughts and opinions are my own for more information please see my disclosure policy.

Any other marshmallow fans in the house?

I am a HUGE fan of s’mores. I mean - is there really anything better than a freshly toasted, ooey-gooey marshmallow paired with creamy melted chocolate and a crisp graham cracker? I don’t think so.

For years, people have been telling me, “Marshmallows are so EASY to make at home!” I didn’t believe those people. I thought they were lying to me. But after finally finding the courage to make a batch at home, with confidence, I can report - they were right.

Making homemade marshmallows was pretty gosh-darn easy. Once I found out that Further Food started offering gelatin, it became a no brainer.

I am a huge fan of Further Food! I first heard about them when I started taking collagen about a year ago.

Further Food is a woman-owned and operated company right here in San Francisco, and a portion of each sale goes to chronic illness and healthy eating programs. You know how much I love companies that give back!

RELATED: Everything You Need to Know About Collagen

When Further Food started making gelatin - I leaped at the chance to finally give homemade marshmallows a try. I was not disappointed!

My hot chocolate game is going to be ON POINT this winter. All I need to do is master the homemade graham cracker and I’m one step closer to s’mores.

I like Further Food because they use 100% recycled plastic #2 for their bottles which reduces the overall carbon footprint by 78%. Using the recycled content uses 90% less energy, and it’s pure plastic (not a mix!) so it can be recycled again and again.

Plastic #2 has a great domestic market in the states so you can feel good about the material you’re choosing.

You can get 15% off your Further Food purchase with the code GOINGZEROWASTE.

This hot chocolate is so rich and creamy thanks to the collagen! I snuggled up with a big cup under a blanket while watching a movie last weekend and it was sheer heaven.

1. hot chocolate:

Makes 1 Cup

• 1 cup homemade cashew milk (coconut works really well here too!)
• 1 tablespoon Further Food Chocolate Collagen
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Dash of maple syrup to taste
• 1 marshmallow

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Warm the milk in a saucepan
2. Add Chocolate Collagen and cocoa powder
3. Whisk to remove any clumps
4. Add the maple syrup and vanilla extract
5. Let it simmer for a minute
6. Pour into a mug
7. Top with a marshmallow
8. ENJOY!

I thought making marshmallows was going to be a really long and laborious process, but it was actually VERY easy! Surprisingly easy. I am going to be making all sorts of marshmallow treats this winter!

marshmallows:

Makes 24 Large Marshmallows

• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons Further Foods Premium Gelatin Powder
• 1 cup maple syrup or honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Line a 9×13 cookie sheet with a reusable silicone mat and set it aside.
2. Lightly whisk the gelatin powder and 1/2 cup water in a large mixing bowl or the base of your stand mixer
3. Place 1/2 cup water the maple syrup or honey and salt in a saucepan.
4. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil for about 5 minutes and remove from the heat
5. Whisk the gelatin and water mixture on low while slowly adding in the syrup
6. Once all of the syrup is combined slowly increase the speed to high and whip for 5-10 minutes
7. The mixture will more than double in size and look like a medium whipped cream
8. Spread the marshmallow cream out onto the cookie sheet with a spatula
9. Leave the marshmallows out to set for 6-8 hours or overnight. (Do NOT place the marshmallows in the fridge! Moisture will dissolve them)
10. Cut your marshmallows
11. OPTIONAL! Dust them on all sides to prevent sticking. I used powdered sugar

Store the homemade marshmallows in a sealed container in your pantry. They’re good for up to a week.

I love, love matcha! Adding in a bit of white chocolate makes it an extra special treat. If you’re feeling especially festive, consider adding in a drop of peppermint extract.

2. white chocolate matcha:

Makes 1 Mug

• 1 cup of cashew milk
• 1/4 cup of water
• 2 squares of white chocolate chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1 teaspoon of Further Food matcha powder

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat the milk and water in a small saucepan it should be hot but not boiling!
2. Add the chopped white chocolate.
3. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted
4. Add the vanilla (and optional peppermint extract)
5. Stir to combine
6. Add the matcha powder
7. Whisk or use an immersion blender to remove all of the matcha clumps
8. Pour into your mug and enjoy!

This drink is extra easy and one of my favorite drinks on cold mornings. Golden milk is made with turmeric so it’s a great immune system booster and helps to reduce inflammation.

3. golden milk:

Makes 1 Mug

• 1 cup coconut milk or non-dairy milk of choice
• 1 teaspoon Turmeric Tonic

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat milk over medium heat
2. Add in the Turmeric Tonic
3. Whisk together
4. Enjoy!

5 other hot drinks worth trying!

• hot cocoa with vegan marshmallow fluff
• pumpkin spice latte with homemade oat milk
• hot mulled apple cider made with fresh apples
• chai latte with coconut whipped cream
• classic and simple vegan eggnog

What’s your favorite warm drink for the cold season? If you’re interested in trying any of the Further Food products don’t forget you can get 15% off your purchase with the code GOINGZEROWASTE.

Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Tea Brands

Are you an avid tea drinker? I love a good cup of tea. It might surprise you to learn most tea bags are made from plastic. A new study found that the bags can release BILLIONS of plastic particles into your cup. Yum…

One of the best ways to avoid your tea being steeped with a side of polypropylene is to pick up a blend from your local bulk food store or tea house, but for those who don’t have a bulk food store, I’ve rounded up a few sustainable tea brands to sip on.

Beyond the bag, have you thought about where your tea is sourced? Is it sustainable, organic, biodynamic? What’s the impact your tea has?

That’s why it’s time to start thinking about more eco-friendly tea options! Thankfully, there are several tea brands out there doing awesome things for the planet.

This post was sponsored, some of the links below are affiliate links, for more information please see my disclosure policy.

arbor teas:

Love loose leaf tea but want it delivered in sustainable packaging? Arbor Teas is way ahead of you.

This tea brand is not only organic and fair trade, but there’s also no tea bag to worry about. Their loose-leaf tea is enclosed in backyard compostable packaging that’s made from a cellulose material. 

Even their labels on the front and back of the package are compostable and made from hemp-based or sugar cane-based paper. The sugar cane fibers are actually collected from sugarcane waste, which further helps divert waste from landfills.

When you’re done drinking your tea, you can easily compost the tea leaves and packaging with no waste. 

As if that weren’t awesome enough, Arbor Teas has a solar-powered packaging facility they pack everything in. Yay for renewables!

When your tea gets shipped out to you, Arbor Teas makes sure to avoid shipping by plane to lower carbon emissions. Instead, their teas are transported by sea freight when shipped overseas. 

Domestic shipments are transported via truck, not plane, as air transit generates much more carbon emissions than ground transport. 

Also, Arbor Teas makes sure to offset any carbon emissions they create during transport with Carbon Fund. By purchasing carbon offsets, Arbor Teas help fund green energy, reforestation and energy efficiency projects. Super cool, right?

I personally want to try their green tea blends. I can feel good about a lot of things while sipping their tea, that’s for sure!

pukka:

I've tried Pukka tea, and I was not disappointed. They have so many options to choose from and they’re relatively easy to find in stores.

I really love how their tea bags are plastic-free and tied together with organic cotton, making them 100 percent compostable. Not to mention they only use organic, ethically sourced ingredients to make their teas.

It’s important to use organic ingredients because organic farming greatly reduces greenhouse gas emissions, combats climate change and provides a habitat for wildlife.

I really love how they have teas for whatever is ailing you, or blends created with a specific purpose in mind. There are specific teas to help with digestion, women’s issues, cleansing, relaxing and so much more.

The best part is this tea company does so much to help the environment: Pukka is 100 percent carbon-neutral, sends zero waste to landfills, and is a certified B corporation. This means Pukka makes an ongoing commitment to meet high standards of transparency, accountability, and performance.

Pukka also donates 1 percent of all their turnover directly to environmental projects through 1% for the Planet.  In 2016 alone they donated $520,000 to environmental charities!

yogi:

Yogi teas are so easy to find in your local supermarket or health food store!

The teas come in a cardboard box which is printed using vegetable-based inks. Each tea bag is wrapped in a compostable paper wrapper, which is amazing. Plus, the actual tea bag itself is fully compostable! 

After you’re done drinking your tea, you can plop the bag right into your compost pail. Isn’t that what dreams are made of?

Not to mention the ingredients are great too – they only use organic ingredients and a vast majority of their teas are USDA certified organic. 

Yogi tea is also Non-GMO project certified, and they never use any artificial ingredients in their teas. Everything is of the highest quality.

They also use organic rooibos leaf from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms in 7 of their tea blends. Products with the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal help conserve wildlife and natural resources, along with safeguarding the rights and well-being of workers.

There are so many tea blends to choose from at Yogi. I really recommend their pure green tea though – it wakes me right up every morning and tastes delicious!

I also adore how each tea box comes with a yoga pose to try. Plus, there’s always an inspirational message on their paper tags – too cute!

bigelow:

I really love this brand of tea. My folks buy it all the time and it’s really easy to grab at the supermarket.

Bigelow’s tea bags, string and paper tag are all 100 percent compostable. The box it comes in is cardboard and compostable too. 

However, the tea bags do come in a foil wrapper, which is trickier to recycle. Here’s an overview of their packaging and how to properly recycle or compost each part.

Bigelow’s tea ingredients are all-natural, but not always organic. They do have some certified organic teas, but those are harder to find on grocery store shelves.

Still, almost all their teas are part of the Ethical Tea Partnership, an organization that works with tea growers to establish responsible conservation of the world’s tea fields and the people working in them.

Bigelow is also a certified B corporation, meaning they’re all about accountability and transparency, protecting the environment and supporting communities.

Bigelow has even achieved zero waste to landfill at all three of its facilities by reducing, recycling and composting. That’s a huge accomplishment!

Not to mention they’ve installed 870 solar panels at their Connecticut headquarters. Each year, the solar panels produce about 200,000 kWh, which is equivalent to the energy needed to power a home for 16 years!

Personally, I really love their classic green tea and chamomile blends. Those are always my go-to’s!

numi:

It’s not too hard to find Numi in the tea aisle. Good thing too because this brand is amazing!

Numi makes a point to use organic ingredients in all their teas, and real ingredients without any artificial flavorings. 

Conventional teas tend to be blended or sprayed with artificial flavorings that leave a perfumey after taste – yuck. Thankfully, Numi never does this.

Numi’s packaging is also something to applaud: They use recycled cardboard outer packaging that’s made of 85 percent post-consumer waste and printed with soy-based inks. 

They don’t use plastic shrink wrap either. Instead, they use natural, biodegradable filter-paper tea bags rather than nylon tea sachets. 

Similar to Arbor Teas, they also participate in carbon offsetting. Numi monitors and reports the carbon impact of everything they do to Carbon Fund. Since 2011, they have offset over 6 million pounds of carbon through the purchase of carbon offsets that support renewable energy projects.

Another thing I love about Numi? They're a B-certified corporation, making them a purpose-driven company that benefits shareholders, employees, the community and the environment.

If that’s not enough, they’re also fair trade certified. This guarantees farm workers are paid living wages and treated right.

Numi has a lot of different products to choose from, but I recommend sticking with their tea bags or loose leaf tea for the least amount of waste.

choice organic teas:

I see Choice Organic Teas at my health food store a lot. Perhaps that’s because they have some pretty impressive wellness teas to choose from.

It’s great how all their teas are made using organic ingredients, so you can trust what you’re drinking is of the highest quality. Plus, as stated earlier, organic farming is very important for biodiversity!

To seal the deal, they use unbleached, paper fiber tea bags. These tea bags are folded then sewn instead of being glued or stapled. Then, they’re placed into envelopes and put into boxes made from 100 percent recycled paperboard printed with plant-based inks. This makes their packaging biodegradable!

I also really love the fact this brand is certified organic, fair trade certified, Non-GMO project verified and packed in the U.S.A. 

Not to mention they match 100 percent of their facility’s electricity use with Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) purchased from 3Degrees. This means they’re helping build a market for renewables worldwide!

Which sustainable tea brand is your favorite? 

Guest Post: Ariana Palmieri is the founder of Greenify-Me.com, a blog dedicated to zero waste living and sustainability. Her work has been featured on MindBodyGreen, Green Matters, The Penny Hoarder and several other publications. Get her free e-book "10 Ways to Reduce Trash" by signing up to her newsletter and learn how to reduce your waste today.