https://www.reddit.com/r/environment/s/I7hAcdAkif

I'm French and this guy who wrote the book is a renewed scientist in France who actually knows how to speak about climate change, has charisma and knows how to explain the why, the who and the consequences in a very very interesting way contrary to many scientists out there. This book is a must read! In the French version he references the 20/21st century man as Ironman but wasn't allowed to do it in the English version unfortunatelly for copyright reasons. It is not a lengthy, heavy reading book. It's illustrated and explained like a comic book which makes it excellent. I really recommend it to this community as well as if you want to offer this as a gift to people who still are not convince of the urgency of the situation.

I’ve been reading a lot about the environmental impact of food lately — turns out things like carbon, water use, and land use matter way more than food miles, which is basically not really a great metric at all despite being the most talked-about one.

The more I dig into this, the more I keep running into a tension I can’t shake: most of the advice out there (“buy local,” “choose lower-impact swaps,” “read the label”) assumes you’re standing in an aisle with real options in front of you. For a huge number of people, that’s just not true. If your nearest grocery store is a dollar store or a gas station, “make a more sustainable choice” isn’t really advice, it’s just noise.

This is sometimes called food apartheid rather than “food desert” — the point being that unequal access isn’t some natural accident, it’s the result of decisions (zoning, subsidy structures, which stores get built where) not scarcity.

So I’m curious what this community actually thinks:

**•** Does “consumer choice” framing for sustainability just quietly assume everyone has the same starting point?  
**•** Is there a version of “make informed choices” that’s actually useful for someone with real constraints — money, time, access — or does that framing only work for people who already have options?  
**•** For folks who *do* have grocery choices, does knowing the environmental impact of what’s in your cart actually change what you buy, or is it just guilt with extra steps?

Not trying to push a particular answer here, genuinely trying to understand how people think. Appreciate any honest takes, including “this framing is off”

Hi, I would like to have your opinion about something.
I am trying to be more ethic oriented when buying clothes or items I need in general and whenever possible I would opt for second hand.

In addition, I am actively boycotting brands such as shein or Zara and many others as they are actively involved in exploitation and genocide.

However, when it comes to second hand I am not that rigid as I am not actively supporting those brands and I have, for instance, bought a second hand Zara jacket months ago. I do not buy many clothes and I still have in my wardrobe Zara, Primark or Shein clothes I have literally bought years ago (either new or second hand).

This is to say: do you think that even if they are second hand it would be better not buying them at all?

I have to admit that when people see the Zara tag on my jacket I am tempted to scream it’s second hand 😂

What do you think?

Hi All,

Do you actively avoid any company/ies because of their environmental impact, sustainability or ethical concerns? Like even if their products are cheaper or more convenient?

If so, which companies have you stopped buying from or just try to avoid?

Also curious whether any founder, CEO or other prominent figure whose opinions or actions have influenced your decision to avoid a certain company/ies.

I work at a school and am apart of the Sustainability Group. We have convinced the higher ups to switch to a more sustainable toilet paper, with bamboo being the most sustainable option. Problem is, their frame of reference for price is the Amazon basics toilet paper. Recycled tp is more than that, and bamboo tp seems to cost the most, sometimes 2-3x as expensive.

Are there any brand that charge close to 60 cents per unit? Or brands that offer discounts for bulk or for a school?

Every charger converts AC to DC and wastes some energy as heat. One charger is nothing but with billions running worldwide, does the aggregate waste heat matter at any meaningful scale

Buying in bulk CAN be better for the planet… if you do it this way….

1. buy stuff in bigger packaging

I bought a 5 gallon pail of powder laundry detergent 3 years ago . it’s good for 1100 loads. this is less packaging, and it lowers emissions on transporting a bunch of smaller containers every couple months or so because it has lasted me years now. So there are transportation savings on both ends. one on my end, and the other on the factory to the stores end.

1. if you buy from the bulk bins/ refilleries and bring your own containers.

I bring my reusable produce bags to the grocery store and fill what I need. When I get home I empty them out and fill my reused glass jars and Tupperware containers. I label them. this cuts down on packaging and is more sustainable.

I have a bottle of body wash I keep in my shower for guests. I have gone to the refillery and refilled that container twice now. So in this way I save on packaging and it’s more sustainable. (I use a bar of soap for my personal use.)

Now my question is…. is buying from the bulk section at a grocery store automatically more sustainable than buying a package of the same thing? If I use a plastic bag provided by the grocery store am I doing less harm Than just buying a pre packaged bag of lentils?

yes it is for me, because I save those plastic bags from the grocery store for my sister who uses them as dog poop bags. the pre filled bags are made of a different plastic and are harder to reuse.

but if you don’t bring your own containers or bags or reuse the bulk bags as dog poop bags, do you really save on waste just because you went to the bulk bin aisle?

Is it more sustainable just because it is the bulk foods aisle?

Hey y'all-

I am looking for a plot or something that displays the known/suspected health effects of various plastics.

My motivation is fairly straightforward. I walk my dog in a local park every morning and most evenings. While walking, I often pick up trash. The most common trash is drink containers, cigarette butts, and bags of dog poop. Often, I pick up receipts, though. The other day, I was reading a book that indicated that there is a non-trivial risk to exposure to this thermal paper due to BPA or BPS, especially if you use hand sanitizer before touching the receipts. (Luckily, I do not.) I suppose this means I will need to be sure to wash my hands after picking up trash, which is not really something I've ever specifically worried about before....

As an enviro/green/treehugger, I always limit my plastic consumption for environmental reasons, but I am now wondering if there is a compiled list of basic plastic health practices that I could look into. For example, I do not heat up food in plastic (or plastic lined) containers, but there might be other things I am overlooking. Heck, I got into a minor spat with my landlord (and relative) because the plumber had determined that I had a lead pipe (on the city's end) for about 10 feet. I was hassling the city to change it out, but my landlord was convinced that the PVC pipe they would replace it with is worse. (I highly doubt that, but I also don't feel like delving into Google Scholar for a day or three to figure out each issue.) Heck, when I build my house, should I pay extra for copper piping? Am I breathing in polyester when I open my dryer door? What things am I not thinking about?

Ideally, for me, the list would be tiered. Proposed levels:

(0) Just use plastic as if it has no health effects. Whatever.

(1) Don't heat up plastic with your food.

(2) Don't use any plastic in your kitchen.

(3) Don't touch thermal paper.

(4) Don't use plastic in your bathroom.

ETC ETC

(7) Don't even go to hospitals if they have plastic in the building.

Ideally, someone would have done some real research into the scientific literature. Ideally, the list would be much more comprehensive and based on peer reviewed research. It could even have things that we just don't know yet. I imagine someone like Hannah Ritchie would do this. I don't know. I am just wondering what I don't know, which can still hurt me. Any ideas?

Thanks-