Even though Earth Day/Month is over, I’m in the camp that hopes that the green momentum keeps going year-round.
On our transition from apartment to house, one room that I’ve emphasized greening has been the kitchen. It’s the area that is responsible for feeding the people I love, and so, naturally, it’s also a place where we always convene together as a family.
I’ve read so many great resources on greening the kitchen, but I thought I’d reference Whole Living Body + Soul once again. So, here are some helpful tips on how to green your kitchen.
1. Use Glass Containers
Like many other homes, we used to use what was convenient and inexpensive…then concerns about BPA sparked several years ago, and the plastic binge began. Why risk high levels of the hormone disrupting chemical, BPA? For kitchen storage containers, glass is a safer alternative. My rec: check out the Glass Lock Storage Containers from Snapware. They’re stackable, durable, BPA-free and are seriously air-tight. I found the best deal on Snapware’s Glass Lock Storage Containers at Costco and loved them so much I had to buy more at Home Goods. Even Lifehacker agrees that they rock.
2. Compost
There’s so many good reasons why you should compost. but reducing trash and creating nutrient-rich feed for your plants and garden are pretty high up on the list. My parents have composted since I was a little girl, so once we had better resources to do so at our house, it was second nature. Most convenient way to integrate composting in the kitchen: have some sort of pail, whether it’s re-sealable, old coffee tin or a compost bucket by the kitchen sink. Every time you clear your plates after a meal, scrape waste into the pail. Veggies, fruit, egg shells and coffee grinds are just a few of the items that can be included in your compost pail. My rec: check out TJ Maxx or Home Goods for inexpensive compost pails. They’re unobtrusive and often have carbon filters that help with the smell.
3. Do Smarter Dishes
Whole Living Body + Soul recommends to run the dishwasher at night to avoid peak energy rates. In the summer, too, this will keep less humidity in the air, which will keep things cooler, thus put less strain on the AC. Also, switch to plant-based detergents. I’ll have to do a separate post on this one day, but through trials and tribulation on finding the best natural dishwasher detergent, we had the best luck with BioKleen Automatic Dish Powder. In my opinion, it cleans MUCH better than most conventional detergents that are found on the shelves. The grapefruit smell is pretty awesome as well.
4. Minimize paper waste
Paper waste is one of my many downfalls in the kitchen. I’ve added dishtowels throughout the kitchen, as well as many reusable towels. My next step is to use cloth napkins every day. But there are times when reusable napkins don’t make the most sense, so 
it’s helpful to use paper products that use recycled fibers. Scott Naturals napkins uses 80% recycled fibers, which fits the bill for us, especially with all the outdoor picnicking we’ve been doing.
And since it’s the last and final week of the Scott Natural 4-Week Test Drive, we couldn’t end it without another great giveaway.
