5 tips for an eco-friendly kitchen

By / Life / February 25th, 2020 / 14
eco-friendly kitchen - reusable produce bags

We’re all doing our best to keep our homes and our lifestyles clean and green, but sometimes that can be overwhelming, not to mention expensive. Waste happens, it’s impossible to avoid. Reducing and reusing doesn’t have to be overly labour intensive. Here are some ways we can be a little savvy about keeping the kitchen eco-friendly.

Save your food scraps

Throwing out food sucks and it’s something we do all the time. Before you yell “nuh-uh, not me” at your computer in protest, when was the last time you munched on carrot stems, or broccoli leaves? Just because that doesn’t sound like an ideal snack, doesn’t mean we have to throw those things away. Consider saving your food scraps. Maybe keep them in the freezer so it doesn’t go bad, and when the container is full, it’s time to make a soup out of those odds and ends.

How to make “Garbage Soup”

Toss your veggie scraps in a pot with some water and let it simmer. I usually add salt and pepper to start and then throw other spices depending on how the soup turns out after a few hours. You may also want to strain the soup, so you don’t end up biting into a stem. Voila, you’ve got yourself a soup stock! You get an extra couple of meals out of food you were going to throw out anyways, and each time you’ll end up with something a little different.

Use reusable plastic wrap and cooking mats

Admittedly, this is a suggested buy, which in theory goes against my initial statement of keeping it budget friendly… but hear me out. Think about how much plastic wrap you buy. How much parchment paper or aluminium foil you use to line baking sheets. This is an easy environmental swap. No planning required, just a one-time replacement purchase.

Try Bee’s Wrap Sustainable Food Storage.

Plan ahead so you only buy what you need

Often that means buying in bulk, but this saves a lot of random groceries that seem like a good idea at the time but just end up sitting on the counter.

Think about packaging when you shop

Easier said than done, but even just being aware of packaging makes a difference. Sometimes this means bringing your own grocery bags or those little mesh bags for produce rather than a new plastic bag for each veggie. This can be a challenge to adapt, but just try to notice the packaging you use and see what happens.

Get creative about reusing

We all know you can reuse yogurt containers for packed lunches and food storage, but what else can you repurpose? Maybe those empty glass bottles make the perfect vase? Maybe something you normally throw away can be used for an art project, or as extra storage. Get creative, and take ownership over your scrappy eco ways! Every little bit makes a difference.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Natalie Pressman is a freelance journalist based out of Toronto. She enjoys arguing loudly about oxford comas, and almost always has snacks. You can find her on twitter at @natpressman.

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