Greener fabrics and recycled materials can help cut your shopping footprint, but the most sustainable way to buy is secondhand.

You can go a bit more upscale with vintage or from shops that do the screening like Buffalo Exchange. Or you can sift through the tons of clothing, furniture and books from mass market donation stations like Goodwill and Salvation Army.

In this video, Emily Dirksen takes her 2-year-old granddaughter Inés shopping for ballet shoes at the Salvation Army in Geyserville, California and comes away with a few surprises, all for less than ten dollars.

We also have videos on secondhand furniture, architectural salvage and redesigned clothing and a report on Slow Fashion.