Become aware of the environmental implications of your consumption, and purchase those goods that have the least impact on our future.

Understanding the resources embedded in the products we buy, and using this knowledge to guide our purchasing decisions, is difficult.

The core challenge is freeing our decision-making from the constant attempts by the advertising world to program our purchasing preferences for us.

If you are able and prepared to set your own purchasing agenda, then the next challenge is learning about the energy, water and other environmental inputs required to produce the things we buy.

These two achievements free us to make purchasing decisions that are aligned to environmental concerns. Not surprisingly, moving from the heavily advertised (and high energy and water) product lines will also save you money.

It's like being paid to have greater peace of mind.

Do it now!

In the absence of standardised product labelling that explains the environmental inputs to the products we consume, we need to apply a common-sense check list to everything we buy. The following environmental shopping filters are a broad guide to some basic rules that will help us select products with minimal environmental impacts.

1. Buy locally produced products - Assuming all else is equal, buying local goods eliminates the tonnes of green house gas emissions required to transport the goods (see Buy local & Seasonal food).

2. Buy high water products from countries with abundant water - Buying rice and cotton from countries with abundant water (eg the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia) instead of buying them from Australian producers recognises the scarcity of water in Australia and the increased environmental cost of using large amounts of it to produce these products (see Buy Fairtrade Food & Products).

3. Buy efficient products - When purchasing products that have ongoing operational costs (ie energy, paper, water) ensure the product is the most efficient of its class (See Install Efficient Appliances and Fixtures).

4. Buy recycled products - Recycled products efficiently reuse materials that would otherwise be buried or burnt (see Purchase Recycled Goods).

5. Seek products with pro-environmental labels and certification - The following labelling programs exist to aid selection of products on the basis of their efficiency and their environmental and social impact.

• Wood and Paper - the Forest Stewardship Council certifies and labels wood products that are harvested sustainably (see Buy Paper and Wood Responsibly).
• Coffee, tea, chocolate, rice, sugar etc - Fairtrade certifies and labels products that are sourced from developing world producers in a way that protects them from the effects of globalisation (i.e. poverty and the resulting decline of the environment).

6. Avoid products with excessive packaging - Consider the whole product, including the packaging, when evaluating its environmental impact. Can the package be recycled? Is it necessary?

7. Avoid consuming endangered animals - Every day we consume tonnes of endangered fish (see Don't Eat Endangered Fish).

8. Avoid toxic cleaners - The introduction of toxic products into the home is bad for your health (see Use Non-Toxic Cleaners).

Why this action is important

When we climb a mountain, we approach it one step at a time - otherwise it all seems too hard. This action outlines some small steps that help us apply our concern for the environment to every purchasing decision we make.

In this way we can start to change our world