Greening the kitchen doesn’t have to be a daunting task. Below are some simple steps from Sara Snow that you can take in the kitchen to lessen your impact on the environment.
• Set up an easy-to-locate recycling center and get the whole family in on the game. Using chalk and chalkboard paint, label old buckets or bins to make sorting recyclables easy
• Save 5,000 to 7,000 gallons of water each year by foregoing the pre-rinse and sticking your dishes straight into the dishwasher. To conserve even more water, never run a dishwasher that isn’t full.
• Keep leftovers in glass or ceramic bowls and store them covered with Reynolds Wrap Foil from 100% Recycled Aluminum
• Cool leftovers before you store them in the refrigerator. For optimum efficiency, keep your fridge full, but not overly stuffed.
• Reuse old cloth or heavy-weight plastic bags when you go to the grocery store. Because many stores now offer incentives like “a nickel a bag,” you’ll save money as well as precious resources.
Greening the kitchen also applies to the foods you eat.
• Switch to organically grown and produced foods to reduce your daily dietary pesticide exposure by as much as 98 percent
• Wondering where to start when it comes to organics for your kids? Pick those foods that they eat the most of and those that pose the greatest pesticide exposure risk according to the Organic-Center’s “pocket guide.”
• Shop farmers’ markets or join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) for fresh and local foods that are nutrient and flavor rich, but light on the “long-distance footprint”
• Load up on fruits and vegetables when they’re in season in your area. Bag and freeze them so you can enjoy locally-grown foods even in the dead of winter.
• Shop the perimeter of the grocery story for the healthiest and freshest foods, including fresh produce, dairy, meats and frozen goods
hk8wbc639v
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Awesome post