Subscribing to better choices

I’m a firm believer that as individual citizens who purchase items, we have the power to make positive changes if we so desire.

We can choose to buy items with less plastic packaging, or support companies that create positive social and environmental change. We can decide to make really simple swaps and rejoice in the knowledge that those items have made a longterm difference to the health of our planet.

Where this idea often falls flat on its feet, is time. Busy families do not have time to go to multiple stores to buy all they need, and when they feel rushed, convenience becomes king.

I have three subscription services that make it easier for me to stick to my morals. None of them is particularly revolutionary or new, but they save me time and money and ensure I don’t succumb to convenience. Whatsmore, I feel proud about choosing to support others who are doing good things.

Each week we receive a local and organic fruit and vegetable box. This isn’t an ad, and I’m not receiving any kickbacks for promoting their services, but I have found Good Harvest Organics to be the best vegetable box service I’ve encountered (and I’ve tried a few). A few days before receiving the box, I get a list of what’s in it and have the opportunity to swap out three items if I don’t want them. The produce is always fresh, always delicious and there’s plenty of it. Importantly, it’s great to support a local family-owned business who choose to farm with respect for our planet, and it means we eat seasonally, and our food travels fewer miles.

One day I would like to grow all of our fresh vegetables, but for now, while I master my green thumb and figure out our shady block of land, this is a close second best.

Every three months I receive a toothbrush in the mail from The Toothbrush Project, a social enterprise that uses 100% of its profits to provide dental health programmes in Cambodia. I have used other biodegradable toothbrushes in the past, but love the convenience of a home subscription service and want to support the two girls who created the company after identifying a serious dental hygiene problem in Cambodian children while they were on a gap-year holiday there.

Last but not least, is a toilet paper subscription. When my local supermarket stopped selling the only brand of loo paper which came wrapped in recycled paper, I decided to switch to Who Gives A Crap. They donate 50% of their profits to build toilets in developing countries, improving the health of children who call those places home. My children also enjoy repurposing the colourful paper wrappers for craft activities, and the large cardboard boxes the rolls are delivered in are used as makeshift rocket ships or flattened out to draw on. They are later added to our compost bin.

How do you juggle ethical shopping with busy family life? I’d be keen to hear your solutions and suggestions for saving time and money without compromising ethics.