Easily Making Your Kitchen Sustainable -Simple Ways To Avoid Using Plastic. (Of Course We Included A Step By Step Plan And Shopping Guide)
Living and Practicing Sustainably is a priority for most who are concerned about our planet and Their health. It’s easy to descend into ruts that are not eco-friendly and sustainable. an area in our home that can stumble into the single use plastic trap is the kitchen. In The Kitchen many foods, containers, kitchen equipment, trash bags, paper towels, the list goes on.. are made to be used Once then tossed. The use of plastic is an area that seems to continually be called to our attention, for how damaging it is to our planet and even our health. Making adjustments to our daily life and routines can sometimes be daunting, we can also find ourselves in old routines, or we might be perplexed in where to start our transition into more sustainable practices.
like us your first stop for research on ways to be more Sustainable will most likely be google, Instagram, or Pinterest. where you will be flooded with images of minimalist, plastic free, sustainable, organized kitchens, pantries, fridges, And many of these kitchens are what OCD dreams are made of. It’s worth pointing out, especially since we are coming from different starting points on a journey of being more conscious about purchases, when we are adding or buying items for our homes, be cautious of green washing. that being sustainable isn’t always going to result in pinterest worthy Aesthetics. So of course it is lovely and visually appealing to have kitchen shelves and Pantries organized in perfectly matching containers. however remember the 3 Rs we learned from the foresight of the muppet geniuses on Sesame Street; Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.
simple starting strategy
a great way to be more Sustainable with what you Use in your kitchen is starting with what is already in your home. this is a key way to save money, time, and taking inventory of what you have before you shop saves you from needlessly buying Items. embracing what you already have helps to avoid waste, which goes to the landfills.
To give you ideas here are ways to start being more sustainable in your kitchen:
Reuse Plastic Bags: Most likely you have boxes of Ziplock Bags or similar plastic bags. Start thinking of these bags as being useful for multiple uses. After you use them simply turn inside out wash, air dry. good again for several to years more of uses. One exception in using/reusing Plastic bags for Items like meat or other uses that could contaminate the bag with E. coli or Salmonella, Use Caution. And it is suggested to use glass containers for such items.
Shop For Food Items That Come in Glass Containers at The Grocery Store: When grocery shopping start to notice what kind of containers your items are coming in, ie. Pasta Sauce, olives, Peanut Butter, ah hem Vodka, etc. avoid buying items that come in plastic as it will likely head to the land fill or worse water ways, after a single use. instead opt for glass containers that can be reused. Once you use a glass jar, for example like pasta sauce rinse out the container, and put in the dish washer. the soap and steam usually helps take off the label giving the glass jar a cleaner look. If the label is still intact after being in dishwasher try using nail polish remover on label, usually does the trick. These containers are great for leftovers like soups or smoothies. are also useful to store dry bulk goods in like lentils, grains and rice.
Reuse Plastic Bags From The Grocery Store: You most likely have a drawer filled with leftover plastic bags from bread, produce and other various items. instead of immediately throwing them away find useful ways for your household to reuse them. For example you can reuse the bags for a produce item you only needed to use half of, like an onion, Tomatoe, etc. if you are a dog owner you can reuse the bags for poop bags(oh the glory).
buy Items that are classically Sustainable: it seems everyday that there is a new sustainable product. however this is green washing, we can’t buy our way to Sustainability as many brands market. we can choose to trade out items that we buy regularly for Sustainable choices. while this tip might cost us more up front, because items that are Truly sustainably made should be made to last longer due to their better durability, quality and are Worth the return of investment over time. so like previously stated when taking inventory of our kitchens notice things that might need replacing. like a pan where the Teflon is starting to wear off (both unhealthy for our planet and our bodies). looking at the state of your kitchen equipment gives you the time to search for deals, sales, garage sales, ebay, craigslist, and perhaps grandma’s garage. for more expensive items like stainless steal pans or cast iron which if cared for will last for decades Possibly your lifetime. buying classic brands, equipment, and materials will outlast trends and look timeless through out the years.
Shopping Guide: Kitchen Edit
We wanted to lend a hand helping you out with our shopping guide. All items that are included in our kitchen edit are items that are durable, sustainably made, and can be used in multiple ways. For example the produce bags can be used obviously on your shopping trip to the grocery store, however we love to use them also for snacks on the go, to strain freshly made almond milk or to cover a curing homemade coconut yogurt.
Inspiration
incase you are needing a little extra inspiration to kick your butt into sustainable gear, we have your fix!
