They say the kitchen is the heart of the home, but it’s even more than that. It’s a place whose importance extends beyond the household, helping to determine your relationship to nature and the world that surrounds you.
From utensils, cutlery, and prep tools to dishware, cookware, and appliances, every item in your kitchen can have a different effect on the environment. A wonderful way to stay conscious of these effects is to seek out these eco-friendly essentials.
Essential items for your eco-friendly kitchen
The kitchen is a great place to start when moving toward a more eco-friendly home. Here are some kitchen essentials you can easily make eco-friendly swaps for today.
Reusable Grocery Bags
Single-use plastic grocery bags should be avoided as often as possible. They’re returned for recycling about 1% of the time, are pretty devastating to marine life, and, well, are terrible for a million other reasons. Be sure to keep a strong collection of quality reusable grocery bags. Dans le Sac, for example, carry a huge range of shapes and sizes of reusable bags.
Sustainable Utensils
An estimated 40 billion plastic utensils are wasted per year in the U.S., each of them taking up to 1,000 years to decompose. Stock up on well-made, ethically manufactured utensils, and if you need something disposable, look for compostable options such as those made of bamboo.
Reusable Food Storage
Food storage is one of the most common sources of single-use plastics, with plastic wrap alone being enormously harmful as it accumulates. To avoid contributing to this source of pollution, opt for some mason and canning jars, reusable bowl covers, beeswax food wraps, or other options.
Washable or Plant-Based Towels
It takes about 17 trees and 20,000 gallons of water to manufacture one tonne of paper towels. Reducing paper consumption is always a good idea in general, and this is a great example. Fix yourself up with microfiber dish towels that will actually last, or better yet, bamboo cloths.
Better Sponges
The plastics used in common kitchen sponges aren’t great for the environment, and neither are the chemicals you’ll find in those boasting antibacterial properties. Even worse, they don’t really hold up too well. Loofahs, sea sponges, and cellulose Swedish dishcloths are worth checking out instead.
Eco-Friendly Dish Soap
Commonly-available dish soap is usually manufactured with phosphates and other chemical compounds that are persistent when they reach aquatic environments, causing harm to aquatic plant and animal life as they accumulate over time. Always have the eco-friendly stuff on-hand.
Not-So-Terrible Straws
The single-use plastics are at it again! With an estimated 8.3 billion plastic straws polluting beaches around the world, it’s no wonder they’re increasingly being banned or phased out. Bamboo, steel, glass, silicone, and even wheat options are worth considering for your kitchen.
Reusable or Compostable Coffee Filters
Despite claims that they’re not too bad, vast amounts of coffee pods end up in landfills. Avoid these and opt for zero-waste coffee brewing methods like counter-top espresso makers, French press or Moka pots. Reusable filters like those from Corretto are available for the AeroPress, and you can get reusable or compostable filters for your pour-over or percolator.
Eco-Friendly Parchment Paper
Shopping for parchment paper made from PEFC-certified wood pulp is another way to make your kitchen more eco-friendly. If this paper is also certified biodegradable and compostable, like this parchment paper, is a way to be sure that from end-to-end, you're making a sustainable choice. Choosing pre-cut parchment paper also reduces kitchen waste.
The things you use every day are an extension of you, so why not make them reflect your love for the planet? With gorgeous design and eco-conscious materials, our goods can help you strive towards a better home and a better world. Shop our line of biodegradable parchment paper to upgrade your baking and frying while reducing your environmental footprint.
The things you use every day are an extension of you, so why not make them reflect your love for the planet? With gorgeous design and eco-conscious materials, our goods can help you strive towards a better home and a better world. Shop our line of biodegradable parchment paper to upgrade your baking and frying while reducing your environmental footprint.
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