Eco-Friendly Kitchen Hacks
One of the most manageable ways to begin to lead a more environmentally conscious lifestyle is to break it down. You can look at your bathroom or laundry room, but, in this article, we’ll focus on the kitchen.
Pre-Planning Meals: Reduce waste, save money, and make life easier for your future self (you know, the one that won’t have to figure out what they’re going to make for dinner after a long day) by putting a couple of hours into meal planning on the weekends. Creating a weekly menu will allow you to maximize the use of your ingredients and prevent food waste.
Zero Waste Grocery Shopping: Bring your own reusable bags to the grocery store to reduce plastic waste! Though plastic bags can be recycled and reprocessed into new bags, this rarely happens. Most end up in landfills, taking around 300 years to photodegrade … contaminating the environment and us, in the process. Instead, opt for our 100% organic cotton French market bags, or our adorable FD totes available in-store.
Preserving Food: Reduce plastic waste in the kitchen by switching to reusable, sustainable food storage options. For food preservation, we carry Bee’s Wrap, Vegan Bee’s Wrap, and Stasher bags. Bee’s Wrap and Vegan Bee’s Wrap are made from organic cotton, plant oil, and tree resin, with beeswax or plant-based wax to seal in freshness. Stasher bags, made of platinum food-grade silicone, are another excellent option, free from harmful chemicals.
Swapping Out Imperishable Products: Replace non-recyclable sponges and plastic brushes with eco-friendly, biodegradable alternatives. Use Swedish dishcloths or paperless towels instead of paper towels, eco-sponges over microplastic-releasing ones, and dish and vegetable brushes and pot scrubbers in place of plastic ones.
Using Green Cleaning Alternatives: While you’re incorporating environmentally-friendly sponges and brushes into your dish-washing routine, you might as well check out our refillable liquid dish soap or dish blocks. No Tox Life’s Vegan Dish Blocks are a zero-waste alternative, made from biodegradable, septic, and greywater-safe ingredients. For mopping up or wiping down, try our floor and all-purpose cleaning concentrate to reduce harmful chemicals.
Composting: If, even after pre-planning and preserving your meals, you find yourself with leftover food, don’t let it go to waste! Put your scraps into a composter and, after a few months, you’ll have nutrient-dense soil to add to your garden.
These tips show that you don’t have to start big to have a positive impact! Small, simple changes add up quickly and contribute to the well-being of our planet.
Sources:
https://www.lick.com/us/blog/sustainable-kitchen-ideas-5-eco-friendly-hacks
https://dpw.lacounty.gov/epd/plasticbags/articles/googobits_07-21-05.pdf