Your sustainable eating habits need to extend to include your cooking and cleaning habits in the kitchen as well. Every single home contributes to the toxic chemical release that affects the environmental in deleterious ways. For a truly healthy kitchen, it is essential that you adopt sustainable methods in cooking and cleaning as well as reduce the toxic release from appliances. These changes can be beneficial for your pocket as well as the environment.ย Here are some tips to adopt green living methods in your kitchen.
Wash utensils responsibly
To conserve water, you can opt for a dishwasher and eliminate the need of hand washing. A dishwasher reduces water consumption by about 37%, which can be decreased even further by filling one side of the sink with clean water and the other with soap water and keeping the faucet closed. Try to air-dry your dishes instead of using the heat-dry option on the dishwasher. Some modern dishwashers come with a function called โeconomyโ cycle that uses much less water.
Use durable and sustainable material in your kitchen.
Try to use more durable cookware and utensils instead of going for just the looks. You can ditch low-quality plastic and Teflon and opt for the most durable options like stainless steel or cast iron instead. Choose sturdy utensils with good wood and high-quality plastic to make sure that they last you a long time. Choose wash cloths and kitchen towels that have the appropriate quality to last long.
Cooking in a smarter way
Instead of using the oven for a small dish try using the toaster instead. Cooking in the oven can be used best when cooking larger meals or more than one dish at once. You can also reheat in a microwave instead of going for an oven and save up to 80% energy. Use appropriately sized pots on your gas stove to avoid energy spillage. Covering your cooking pots with tightly closing lids will help decrease the energy used and the time taken to cook food.
Set up your own composting system
Recycling is as important as sustainable choices and the kitchen is the main area of waste creation. All your food scraps do not have to end in the trash if you set a home-based composting system. Americans wasted nearly 33 million tons of food in 2010, so to conserve the edible wastes you can set your own indoor or outdoor composting unit. This compost can be used in your own vegetable patch to have fresh and clean green food ready for cooking in your green kitchen.
Recycling
Set up receptacles in accessible areas and properly label them for the type of waste that they are intended to contain. This can be done by following the color coding and other basic guidelines from your local recycling service. Discard dirty napkins and wrappers and rinse all glass, aluminum, and plastic containers before putting them out for recycling. Not all plastic is recyclable so pay special attention to avoid purchasing such non-biodegradable products.
Using environmentally friendly cleaning products
Many cleaning products like detergents contain phosphates which can enter the water table and promote algae growth. This decreases the waterโs capacity to support marine life. Chlorine is another such chemical that can contaminate water and soil. Using non-toxic products from companies like Clorox Greenworks, Begleyโs Best, Method Cleaning, Seventh Generation, and Mrs. Meyerโs can be a great way to keep your kitchen green and clean. You can use vinegar, baking soda, and lemon juice to naturally clean your kitchen and bathroom and avoid harmful chemicals completely.
Eating healthy and green is not all it takes to lead a sustainable life. Eating healthy begins with cooking healthy and green. There are a number of ways to make your kitchen a green place, this can be done by using fresh grown food items, conserving energy from appliances, composting your edible waste and recycling the non-edible type, and using durable and sustainable appliances and utensils.
