How Green is Your Kitchen Routine?

Cutting back on water, electricity, gas, and disposable items makes your kitchen more eco-friendly! Better Homes and Garden created this awareness checklist to assess your cooking and cleanup habits, and discover how being greener will save you some green.

• My fridge lives up to its cooling potential: The refrigerator should be full but not stuffed and the coils free of dust. Avoid storing piping hot food. And though the savings are nominal, it can’t hurt to obey Dad’s edict: Don’t stand too long with the door open.
• I safely clean: It’s wise to check labels on cleaning products for what the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency calls signal words. Danger indicates the most harmful formulas, followed by warning and caution. To learn more about its Safer Choice seal, see epa.gov/saferchoice. For other terminology go to ewg.org/guides and click on Label Decoder.
• I plan meals that conserve cooking energy: Batch cooking, one-pot meals, and thawing meat in the fridge (not microwave) reduce appliance use. Other simple energy savers: Match the pot size to the burner and avoid opening the oven door when cooking.
• I wash dishes efficiently: An energy-efficient dishwasher combined with conscientious handwashing is best for cast saving and low environmental impact. For these best practices- in the sink-scrape plates, soak and scrub then in sudsy hot water, then dip in clean cool water. In the dishwasher-run a full load at an off-peak time (like bedtime) and skip the heated dry option.

• I prefer reusable containers: Glass containers with airtight lids remain one of the best ways to store leftovers. Other ways to avoid single-use storage; beeswax wraps, silicone bags and stainless steel containers.
• I avoid unnecessary packaging: These shopping habits cut down on trash and save money; Reduce the number of packages you buy overtime by choosing larger packages of cereal, pastas, and spices the decanting them into reusable containers. Bring your own store approved containers to buy foods like dried grains in bulk. Use cloth mesh bags for fruits and vegetables, and think twice about produce that’s shrink-wrapped or in plastic containers. Beyond it’s disposable wrappings, precut produce is expensive and can have reduced nutritional value.
• I repurpose what I can and recycle the rest: Pinterest is filled with ideas for glass jars, creating terrariums and refrigerating herbs in water. And those jars come “free” with your purchase of pickles, salsa and spaghetti sauce. Minimizing what’s in your trash can and your recycling bin is the faster track to zero waste living.
• I feed the soil: Think of composting as operating your own little recycling center. That pile of organic material you create over time by combining food scraps with yard waste allows you to buy less topsoil and fertilizer for your yard or garden. It’s good for your soil, and you’ve helped the methane that food creates in landfills.

How green are you?

• Lime – Only a few checkmarks? That’s okay; you’re off to a good start! Commit to one new idea today!
• Kelly- You’re halfway there. Don’t stop now! Challenge yourself to up your green game as you lower your utility bill and reduce kitchen waste.
• Forest – Great job! Your kitchen is set. What’s the next room you’re ready to tackle?

While I do some items on this checklist I do not do all of them. I would say I’m somewhere between Kelly and Forest! Living green is taking small steps to help the greater good! Life is messy and busy and to change a lifestyle habit can take time. Pick one or two items on the list and start going green!

This checklist and information is from the Better Homes and Garden Magazine, February 2021 issue, under the living green section written by Kit Selzer. I love this magazine and every month I look forward to pouring over it’s pages. My absolute favorite part of the periodical is the living green section, of course! I’m always intrigued by the eco-friendly information they share!