Six Steps to a Greener Kitchen
Greening our food choices is pretty easy these days, with the help of Whole Foods, Trader Joes, local health food stores, and farmers markets. But what happens when we take those good foods home? How many of us let our green kitchen choices stop at the fridge or pantry? Here are six simple and practical changes to help make our kitchens as eco-friendly and health-conscious as the food we serve in it.
Reduce your use of plastic bags. Trillions of plastic bags end up in the landfill every year. People are more conscious of their plastic shopping bag use, with lots of fun options for reusable shopping bags on the market. But let’s take things a step further and find greener options for trash bags, like these biodegradable trash bags. Single use plastic baggies are another major contributor as well. Try using (re)Zip reusable food storage bags or reusable food storage containers instead.
Compost kitchen waste. Preparing countless meals and snacks every day can leave your trash can full of food scraps. All fruit and veggie bits and pieces can be composted, as can coffee grounds- including the filter, tea and tea bags, even egg shells as long as they’ve been washed. Keep meats, dairy and oils out though as they can encourage the growth of bad bacteria. You can find kitchen countertop compost bins, or outdoor bins that make easy work of turning kitchen waste into “black gold”.
Ditch the paper products. Single use paper products - like paper towels, napkins, paper plates and cups - are easy but use up valuable natural resources and create a lot of waste- especially if there are a lot of people running around your house. Use the real thing instead. Marley’s Monsters and other “unpaper towel” products make easy work of kitchen clean ups. And if you have to use disposable dinnerware, then try something like biodegradable or compostable options that are as eco-chic as they are eco-friendly.
Check your pots ‘n pans. Teflon has become a household name because of it’s non-stick capabilities and ease of cleaning. But it can release chemicals into your food if heated to a high temperature or if the surface is scratched. Chose stainless steel, cast iron, or ceramic coated cookware instead.
Use green cleaners. Dishwasher detergent, dish soap, countertop cleaners, window washers… we all end up using a lot of chemicals in our kitchen. Help reduce your family’s environmental exposure by opting for green cleaners instead of the standard chemical-based versions.
Grow your own food. It doesn’t take a lot of land - or any land at all - to start growing your own produce. You can start in pots or raised beds. There are even garden towers that you can keep inside or on your patio. And if you can’t grow your own - or just don’t want to - then support your local growers and food artisans as much as possible.