Who says going green in the kitchen has to be complicated or expensive? In fact, our experience is that with a few easy steps, you can reduce waste and save money at the same time! Here are five easy ways we have accomplished this in our home:
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| Photo courtesy of Full Circle |
- Eco friendly, do it yourself cleaning solutions - household cleaners can be a source of indoor air pollution and can impact the environment. The Full Circle Come Clean Set has worked really well for us - we just keep a few basic cleaning supplies on hand, such as lemons (which look and smell awesome anyhow), vinegar and baking soda. The set comes with stylish spray bottles, labels, lemon reamers, a recipe book and a microfiber cloth. No more hunting for recipes or supplies. We keep the spray bottle next to the sink, so it's always accessible. The result? Not only do we save a lot of money on cleaning supplies, we have vastly reduced the number of bottles and cans stored under our sink.
- High quality, food safe, reusable food storage containers, clips and bags - we are fans of 'keep it simple' when it comes to food preparation and storage, but eating healthy and reducing waste are also priorities. Proper storage keeps food fresh and can minimize waste, a major source of greenhouse gas and wallet drain. We use containers to store snacks, leftovers and many other foods in the kitchen, pantry and freezer so we always have a good selection of food available. Using food storage containers, clips and bags also enables us to buy foods in bulk and when prices are low, keep those foods fresh longer and reduce our trips to the grocery.
- Sticking with the food storage theme, we don't buy food we won't use. Not only does this reduce food waste, it has also saves us money. No matter how great the deal, if we can't use it before it goes bad, we don't buy it. Three tips on this - only buy foods you know your family will eat, determine how you will store it (pantry or freezer) and keep a copy of the USDA Food Storage Guidelines handy where you can reference them.
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| Photo courtesy of Full Circle |
- Composting - composting is an easy way to reduce food waste and save money. Used in the garden or with potted plants, compost reduces the need for fertilizer and water. Compost can also be expensive. This year we grew many herbs and vegetables on our deck in containers, and despite the heat and drought, we still had an excellent crop - and we know our home compost helped! We have our big Earth Machine at the back of our yard, but trekking food scraps to it through rain, sleet and snow in the dark after working all day? No thanks. To avoid this, we use a kitchen composter and a Scrap Happy Scrap Collector - simply scoop scraps in the collector and place them in the freezer until the next trip to the compost bin.
- Paper towels - we avoid using paper towels, which can contribute to deforestation and landfill waste. Instead, we keep stylish, natural fiber towels and cloths handy and on display in the kitchen. Our family members will usually grab the first thing they see for cleaning a quick spill or drying their hands, so having a paper towel alternative at their fingertips was important to break the paper towel habit. A few strategically placed stylish towels are also a great way to brighten the kitchen and save some money at the same time!
Have some suggestions you would like to add to this list? We'd love to hear from you!
