Green Guide: How to be Kinder to the Earth in the Kitchen
Could you improve your eco cred in the kitchen? Follow this six-step checklist to see how
Fancy yourself as a bit of an eco warrior? Be sure you’re doing all you can to care for the planet with this green guide to meal prep, cooking, waste disposal and cleaning – all those things we do daily in this useful room of the house. Small steps can lead to big changes, and awareness of what we could be doing better is a good place to start.
2. Establish green cleaning habits
Either make your own cleaning products – it’s easier than you think – or shop for earth-friendly products. Vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice and eucalyptus oil are all handy ingredients – mix and match to your heart’s content to wipe down benchtops, clean the fridge and deodorise the bin.
7 All-Natural Cleaning Products Good Enough to Eat
Either make your own cleaning products – it’s easier than you think – or shop for earth-friendly products. Vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice and eucalyptus oil are all handy ingredients – mix and match to your heart’s content to wipe down benchtops, clean the fridge and deodorise the bin.
7 All-Natural Cleaning Products Good Enough to Eat
3. Make eco-smart appliance choices
An energy-efficient fridge is the most important appliance to go green on, simply because it’s on all the time. And make sure your fridge has a good seal to prevent needless energy use. Keep the seal mould-free with a regular clean using a mix of eucalyptus oil and water. This concoction can be combined in a spray bottle for use throughout the kitchen.
An energy-efficient fridge is the most important appliance to go green on, simply because it’s on all the time. And make sure your fridge has a good seal to prevent needless energy use. Keep the seal mould-free with a regular clean using a mix of eucalyptus oil and water. This concoction can be combined in a spray bottle for use throughout the kitchen.
Do your research when it comes to the relative energy efficiency of appliance options. Induction cooktops, for example, are far more efficient than gas or electric.
Tip: You can compare the annual and 10-year running costs of different appliance models using this online Energy Rating calculator.
Tip: You can compare the annual and 10-year running costs of different appliance models using this online Energy Rating calculator.
4. Buy only what you really need
There’s an appliance for everything, but too many end up gathering dust rather than being used. That bread maker, juicer, ice-cream maker, smoothie maker and popcorn maker? How often do you really use them?
There’s an appliance for everything, but too many end up gathering dust rather than being used. That bread maker, juicer, ice-cream maker, smoothie maker and popcorn maker? How often do you really use them?
5. Reduce food waste
According to Foodwise, Australians throw out 20 percent of the food they purchase. That’s one in every five bags of groceries! The majority of food thrown out – 60 percent – is fresh fruit and vegetables and leftovers. Discarded food also wastes the resources that went into producing it and getting it harvested, processed and transported to stores, so it pays to do the following:
According to Foodwise, Australians throw out 20 percent of the food they purchase. That’s one in every five bags of groceries! The majority of food thrown out – 60 percent – is fresh fruit and vegetables and leftovers. Discarded food also wastes the resources that went into producing it and getting it harvested, processed and transported to stores, so it pays to do the following:
- Plan your meals, only shop for what you’ll realistically use, and don’t shop when you’re hungry.
- Don’t cook more than you can eat over a couple of nights, or freeze leftovers to use another day.
- Have some go-to recipes you can make quickly instead of ordering take away.
- Store your fruit and veg so it lasts.
Tip: To avoid food waste ending up in landfill, compost it. Your garden will benefit, and you’ll dramatically reduce the amount you throw out each week.
Odour-Free Composting Made Easy
Odour-Free Composting Made Easy
6. Get rid of the plastic
The impact of plastic on the environment is becoming hard to ignore. The energy and resources required to make the trillion plastic bags used around the world each year, for example, is only half of the equation. Plastic pollution and its effects on wildlife is the other.
You can make a pledge to go plastic free with National Geographic. Minor habit changes is all it takes – refill glass containers with pantry staples from co-ops and other stores that allow you to scoop what you need from tubs; use wax wrappers instead of plastic wrap; avoid plastic drinking straws and take a refillable water bottle with you when you head out the door. Incredibly, nearly a million plastic beverage bottles are sold every minute around the world.
The impact of plastic on the environment is becoming hard to ignore. The energy and resources required to make the trillion plastic bags used around the world each year, for example, is only half of the equation. Plastic pollution and its effects on wildlife is the other.
You can make a pledge to go plastic free with National Geographic. Minor habit changes is all it takes – refill glass containers with pantry staples from co-ops and other stores that allow you to scoop what you need from tubs; use wax wrappers instead of plastic wrap; avoid plastic drinking straws and take a refillable water bottle with you when you head out the door. Incredibly, nearly a million plastic beverage bottles are sold every minute around the world.
Tip: Don’t leave it to chance to remember your earth-friendly shopping bags. Hang them on hooks by the front door so you can grab them as you head out to the shops, or stash them in sight right next to your car keys.
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How have you upped your eco-credentials in the kitchen? Tell us in the Comments below, like this story, save your favourite images and join the conversation.
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How have you upped your eco-credentials in the kitchen? Tell us in the Comments below, like this story, save your favourite images and join the conversation.
More
Read more eco living stories
Installing a new kitchen? Materials such as sustainably sourced bamboo, recycled rubber and FSC-certified timber, Paperock and recycled stone are all good choices for flooring and/or benchtops. Seek out suppliers of E1-rated or low-VOC cabinetry to minimise the chemicals in your kitchen.