Dilemmas

I know going green isn't easy, but I am really struggling with a few things. I definitely need to work on these- suggestions most welcome.

Online shopping

I buy most of my clothes online - mostly vintage from etsy, bras from Victoria's Secret, and the occasional Forever 21 order. I buy online for a few reasons, but mainly because prices (and customer service standards) here in Australia are atrocious, and I prefer shopping from the comfort of the couch while wearing PJs.

• Pros:
• It's much cheaper than buying in Australia
• Buying vintage clothes is a form of recycling
• I can ask etsy sellers to use minimal/recycled packaging

• Cons:
• Plastic packaging from stores is usually excessive
• Carbon emissions - but I live in the country so I would be driving for half an hour to shop in person anyway (I'm sure a plane uses much more fuel than my car though!)

(image from Art.com)

Dog food
 
I have two lovely munchkins, who eat both tinned food and dry biscuits. They're both active sheepdogs so they eat a fair bit too. I hate how dog biscuits only come in plastic bags, plus I am throwing out (into the recycling bin, mind you) one large tin a day. I have been thinking about making my own dog food, but I will need to investigate it further to see if we can afford it - you see, we're on a very strict budget too!

Cling wrap vs reusable plastic containers

I take my lunch to work most days, and I use either a Tupperware container or a bowl with cling wrap. I know some people are utterly anti-plastic for storing food, but I'm not (maybe I should be though?). I figure if I already own a bunch of plastic storage containers, shouldn't I use them? I think that would be better than using cling wrap every day to cover my salad or leftovers.

Driving to work

I live about 20km away from my work. The majority of it is 100km/hr highway, then about 5km of town. I was thinking of permanently leaving my bicycle at a relatives house who lives on the fringe of town, so I could leave my car there each morning and peddle the rest of the way. I don't know if this will save much fuel, and I'm a bit apprehensive as there aren't any bike tracks (I'd be riding on the road).