Most of us are looking for ways to be more eco-friendly in our day-to-day lives. For years, we excused poor behaviors with a lack of knowledge or a belief that as individuals, we couldn’t do enough to make a difference, and that it was up to large companies and countries to save the planet. Luckily, those days are behind us. We all know the damage that we’ve done to our planet, and we’ve learned more about how much of a difference we can make as individuals.
The good news is, we also know now that living in a more environmentally conscious way doesn’t have to be difficult or even expensive. In fact, once you commit to changes, and establish new ways of doing things in your home, they are easy, and often even cheaper than the less green alternatives. If you are looking to make some easy and cost-effective changes, your kitchen is the best place to start.
Switch Your Coffee
Coffee machines are incredibly popular. What was once a luxury is now in most homes across the country. Pod-style machines are even more popular with their huge range of flavors, celebrity endorsements, and ease of use. But many coffee machine pods are at least in part plastic, and few are recyclable. For an easy eco-friendly swap, start buying Gourmesso pods. They are completely compostable and suitable for use in the popular Nespresso machines.
If you drink instant coffee or use a different kind of machine or coffee maker, make sure you are using Rain Forrest Alliance-approved beans or granules and that you buy products in refill pouches instead of glass jars every time.
Ditch the Kitchen Towel
Paper kitchen towel is, and long has been an easy and fast way to mop up small spills. For years we used this paper for everything from wrapping cake to wiping spilled milk. It was a staple in most kitchens. But it’s wasteful. Instead, stock up on microfibre cloths, or other cloth alternatives that can be rinsed out and reused, and washed in the machine when they need a deeper clean.
Buy Bamboo
Bamboo is an excellent reusable material. You can get bamboo cotton wipes and pads, bamboo cleaners, and brushes, and other bamboo kitchen supplies. It’s a resource that grows faster than we can use it, uses little water to grow, and is sturdy and lasts for a long time even with heavy use.
Use Natural Cleaning Products
Cleaning with chemicals is easy. Making products with chemicals is cheap. And so, these chemicals appear in kitchens all over the land. But natural cleaners can be just as effective, and you can even make your own to cut costs. Most natural products that you can buy will also come in refillable containers, or without plastic packaging.
Turn the Tap Off
Are you guilty of leaving taps running, or filling sinks when you probably need a lot less water? Do you fill your electric kettle or coffee machine for just one cup? Do you wash less than half loads in your dishwasher? We’re all guilty of wasting water like this. Be more aware of water as a resource and only use what you need.
Buy Reusable – But Only When You Need to
Buying things like reusable produce bags, Tupperware, shopping bags, and sandwich bags or wraps is great. But it’s not so good if you immediately throw away what you’ve got and replace it with reusable to feel better about yourself. Use the plastic that you have got for as long as you can, before replacing it with a more sustainable material when you need to.
Minimize Food Waste
Food waste is a huge problem. But one that’s easy to remedy. Buy less, only shopping for what you need by making meal plans. Then freeze extras and cook meals with leftover meat.
Making your kitchen eco-friendlier is incredibly easy, and these changes are easy to stick to. Get into better habits, think more carefully before you make a purchase, and you’ll be green in no time.