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Although kitchen renovations can be very worthwhile, sometimes it’s the little things that can make a big difference. For example, consider some more eco-friendly habits.
The kitchen has more potential for waste and inefficiency than other areas in the home, but there are easy ways to be less wasteful without a major overhaul, all while helping to take a load off the planet.
Here’s how:
Rethink storage for food and leftovers.
Swap single-use food wrapping for reusable elasticized bowl covers, beeswax wraps and non-plastic zipper-top storage bags. Use recyclable mason jars or glass containers with airtight sealing lids. These all come in pretty designs and colours to suit all tastes.
Invest in reusable baking essentials.
With home baking here to stay, trade in the disposable parchment paper and cupcake and muffin liners for eco-friendly silicone baking mats, pans and baking cups. The icing on the cake – pop them in the dishwasher for easy cleanup.
Prevent food waste with a meal plan.
Plan meals ahead with more mindful grocery shopping and do more home cooking. Learn how to use commonly discarded – yet still usable – parts of food, such as vegetable scraps for soup stock; think broccoli cores and kale stems. Get into composting what you can’t use to keep it from landfills. Buy yourself a stylish compost tin for the counter to collect organic waste and discard appropriately.
Use the dishwasher more.
Contrary to popular belief, running the dishwasher half full wastes less water and energy compared to handwashing those same dishes. An Energy Star-certified dishwasher uses 15 litres of water every cycle while a running faucet uses the same amount every two minutes. Consider Cascade Platinum ActionPacs, which save water by not requiring pre-washing.
Find more tips and information at cascade.takeahalfloadoff.ca/en.
—NC
