Finding Packaging-Free Bulk Foods in West LA

I watched an awesome video that completely opened my mind, about how you can live in a city and produce no waste! I didn't think this was possible, living in the US, where people generally have a consumer mindset and live in a system that produces so much waste.

Lauren Singer, aka. Zero Waste Girl and blogger for Trash is For Tossers creates a mason jar full of trash in a single year. I feel really inspired and as a first step, I will be setting out to find bulk sources for most of our foodstuffs.

Finding Packaging-Free Bulk Foods in West LA

Living in West Los Angeles, close to Santa Monica, it seems that my grocery options to try are:

1. Farmers Markets
   The obvious choise for locally-grown produce. If you're also looking to buy organic, here's a tip: a lot of it is organic, but small producers don't want to pay the hefty fee for getting it certified. So ask the question, "Do you use any pesticides or herbicides?" instead of asking, "Is it organic?"
2. Whole Foods Market
   A great place to find dry foodstuffs, such as grains, nuts, flour, sugar, beans, cereal, spices, etc.
3. Sprouts Farmers Market
   Also a great place to find dry foodstuffs and organic produce.
4. Rainbow Acres Natural Foods
   I'd never been here but supposedly they sell extra virgin olive oil in bulk. If you don't live in this area and are looking for a source for bulk oil, try searching on Yelp for food coop or bulk oil.
5. Co-opportunity
   Supposedly more expensive than Whole Foods, but no harm in checking it out.
6. Payless International Market
   Cheapest produce, good selection of organic produce, too, but would need to use that same night.
7. Dumpster diving
   I haven't tried this and I wouldn't make this a habit, as you never know what you'll get. But I would like to try it someday!
   

There are tons more tips on the blog Zero Waste Home. I will try to implement one tip each week. For example, next, I will need to find reusable cloth bags to put my bulk items in.

My "to do" list

Here's a list of the things on my "to do" list, in order to detoxify my home and my body.

• Avoid Mercury
• Don't eat fish high on food chain and prefer light tuna over albacore or "white" tuna.
• Avoid PFOA and PTFE
• Found in Teflon cookware, many nonstick and water-resistant materials, frozen pizza packaging, French fry containers, packaged-for-heating foods
• Don't eat fast food
• Buy stainless steel, cast iron or enamel pots and pans.
• Avoid BPA
• Found in plastic containers, canned food like coconut milk, soup, meat, vegetables, juice, fish, fruit and beans
• Pre-soak and freeze beans instead of buying in cans
• Eat out less
• French press coffee instead of using coffee makers with plastic tanks and tubing
• Avoid vinyl and polyurethane flooring
• Reduce exposure to THMs
• Leave drinking water standing, uncovered, for several hours
• Take shorter and cooler showers or, even better: take a bath
• Filter out many things from drinking water with carbon or charcoal filter combined with a reverse osmosis system. Check NSF website's database for comparison of products.
• Use green cleaning products
• Look for ingredient disclosure and not the words "green", "biodegradable" or "non-toxic" on the front (these don't mean anything!), e.g. Seventh Generation and Ecover are good
• Use homemade cleaning products made of vinegar, baking soda, etc.
• Look up cleaning products in the EWG database or on GoodGuide.com
• Avoid insect sprays and flea and tick solutions
• Instead: boric acid, vinegar+water, or diatomaceous earth
• Check EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database for safe sunscreen, personal care products and cosmetics, and make my own cosmetics as often as I can
• Avoid toxins in baby's stuff
• Buy only plastic products sold after 2009
• Look for low or no VOC in paint
• Make sure there is no formaldehyde in particle board or avpod particle wood altogether
• Limit electronic equipment in room, especially older models
• Use natural body care products such as Vitamin E, safflower oil or olive oil instead of lotion.
• Produce in the "dirty dozen" has to be bought organic
• Download or purchase the following apps:
• EWG Shopper's Guide for "Dirty Dozen" and "Clean 15".
• Chemical Cuisine for health risks of food additives
• Keep house germ-free
• Wash out veggie drawer in fridge once a month
• Buy plastic chopping board, not wood. Also, if it gets worn and grooved, replace.

 Bonus

• When pregnant, sign up for National Children's Study
• Check that our home, school or workplace isn't near an uncontrolled hazardous waste site, or Superfund site

Unfortunately there's nothing I can do about the fact that I live in smog-filled LA. Or the vinyl flooring in our rental. I promise myself that we'll move when I graduate from school. This tree-lined pocket of apartments between the freeway and electric power lines is just such a good deal in otherwise unaffordable West LA..! (I'm bad, I know.)

What else would you put on your "to do" list? Share in the comments!