Zero waste and bulk stores are not exactly Covid-19 friendly, as they most often operate on a self service basis and encourage reusing containers and bottles, as well as being in close contact with products and food items.

Here are a few things you can put in place in preparation to reopen:

Social distancing

• Keep entrance door open so no one has to touch it, similarly with door to back room or any frequently touched areas

• 2 meters distance between any person in store and in the queue

• A limit of 2/3/4 customers in at once depending on the size of your shop, one in one out rule is useful here so customer in line know when to come in without a staff member monitoring

• Advise customers to come shop alone if possible and make a list prior so that those in line do not wait too long

• Markings inside and outside the store to keep customer aware of social distancing rules

• A limited number of staff members on the shop floor, till, or back room so as not to overcrowd a space

• Placing the customer’s shopping away from you when packing and paying so that they can grab their items without being too close

• Card/ contactless payment preferred

Personal Protective Equipment

Mother’s Day is the day that you can show how much you love her (grand)mother. Do you want to stay away from all the cliché gifts? And be more original? Go green this year. Sustainable gifts for Mother's Day, with which you not only pamper your mother, but also Mother Nature and the climate.

‘Stay home, stay safe', has been the advice for weeks. Luckily, there’s online shopping! If you open the worldwide web, you’ll discover many beautiful, sustainable gifts for Mother's Day. And what stands out? The range of gifts with a green touch grows with the year. Certainly, in this bizarre quarantine time in which we’re confronted with a large sum of (temporary) sacrifices, we will be examining our lives including lifestyle. And that's great! Who knows, maybe your mother is at the beginning of her zero-waste journey, has she already taken the first steps in the green direction? Either way here are three tips on how to turn Mother's Day green:

News of varying environmental issues comes across our screens everyday. Because the environment is ever-changing and our impact on it is ever-evolving, it’s hard to keep up with where we stand with many of these environmental issues. Here’s a breakdown of the state of our environment in 2020. 

Climate Change

• 2019 was .95 degrees celsius warmer than the 20th century average

• Atmospheric carbon concentrations are at an all time high 

• 19 of the 20 warmest years have all occurred since 2001

• Arctic sea ice is declining at a rate of 12.85% per decade 

• Sea levels are steadily rising, with each inch of sea-level rise moving the ocean 50 to 100 inches inland

• Indonesia is having to move its capital city because the current one is sinking

• The U.N. says the world is on track for up to 3.9 degrees celsius warming by 2100 

• In 2018, just 15% of world energy consumption is from renewable energy 

• This past January was the warmest on record, putting 2020 on track to be one of the top 10 warmest years in history 

• This warming is increasing storm intensity and making weather patterns more variable

Deforestation

• The world is losing an area of forest the size of the UK every year

• 17% of the Amazon has been destroyed in the past 50 years

• Cattle ranching and soy production are the two largest contributors to deforestation in the Amazon

• In tropical and subtropical countries, 73% of deforestation is linked to agriculture

• Soy producing countries are rapidly being deforested, mostly to grow soy for livestock 

• Deforestation is the second largest source of human carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere

• Stopping deforestation could have the same carbon impact as removing all cars off earth

Biodiversity Loss

The age old paper vs. plastic debate transcends beyond grocery bags. There are plastic and paper options for cutlery, cups, binders and more- and paper is always framed as the eco-friendly option. However, while paper is more eco-friendly if you’re primarily concerned about plastic pollution, it shouldn’t be viewed as the holy grail of environmentalism. 

The impacts of paper start at sourcing. 40% of the world's wood harvest is used for paper manufacturing. While some wood is sourced from sustainably managed forests, most isn’t, driving deforestation, destroying habitats and leading to carbon emissions. This is, arguably, equally as bad as the resource sourcing that is required for plastics, which includes natural gas extraction and refining. 

The next step is to turn this wood harvest into paper, which is a very greenhouse gas-intensive process. 9% of carbon dioxide emissions from the manufacturing industries comes from the paper industry, and in the U.S., the paper and pulp industry is ranked as the 4th largest emitter of greenhouse gases among all manufacturing industries. When compared to plastic bags, paper generates 3 times more greenhouse gases. The manufacturing process also requires a large amount of water; 4 times more than plastic bags. 

The greenhouse emissions continue through disposal. While paper is recyclable and has a relatively high recycling rate of 65%, a lot of it still ends up in our landfills. Paper makes up around ¼ of landfills, and releases methane as it degrades, contributing to global warming. However, the good aspect of paper is that it is biodegradable and compostable- unless it is colored or contains a glossy coating. Unlike plastic, it can be reincorporated into the environment and doesn’t cause the health issues that are connected to plastic pollution. 

Paper underperforms plastic in some aspects, is equally as bad in others, and in terms of disposal, is better. This means that, all in all, we should work to minimize our primary resource consumption of both paper and plastic. Here are 5 ways to do that. 

Use Reusables 

If you buy and use reusables made out of materials like glass, metal, bamboo or stainless steel, instead of single-use products made out of paper and plastic, you can avoid these environmental impacts altogether. When you go to the grocery store, you shouldn’t have to use paper or plastic- you should bring a reusable bag. However, remember that reusables, like single-use products, still have environmental impacts. They require raw materials, energy and water to be produced, which impacts the environment. When you buy a reusable item, you should view it as an investment, and should use it until it’s on its last legs. Ideally, you should make do with what you already have. Upcycle an old pasta sauce jar into a coffee cup and recycle old clothes into a reusable grocery tote.

Buy Recycled Materials