In continuing our monthly theme of sustainability, today I want to share with you a few of my favorite sustainable kitchen products. As we talked about in the last blog post, going green can feel very overwhelming but the kitchen is a wonderful place to start! There are a lot of swaps you can make in your kitchen to help kickstart your eco-friendly journey that are not super challenging, expensive or disruptive to your life.
When I started on my journey to transform our house I decided the kitchen was a great place to start as not only did it feel manageable but I knew that the changes were really impacting not only the environment but my health. The kitchen is where we prep, make, cook and store everything we eat. Making small changes in your kitchen can help eliminate toxins that you would typically be consuming on a daily basis. Don’t get me wrong, not all of these products are going to impact your health but some will and others will make a difference to the environment – a win win for everyone!
Mesh Produce Bags (01) These mesh produce bags are a great option to rid your life of single use plastics. They are good for the environment and the added organization bonus of no risk that you might be tempted to hold on to those pesky bags to use down the line. The bags are sturdy and washable so I can reuse them over and over again.
Bee’s Wrap (02) I love Bee’s Wrap as an alternative to plastic wrap. Bee’s Wrap is made with certified organic cotton and responsibly sourced beeswax. It tightly clings to just about any bowl, dish or container and really keeps your food fresh. And you can reuse your Bee’s Wrap for up to a year with regular use and proper care.
Bamboo Utensils (03) This swap is super easy and likely one you wouldn’t even notice in your day to day life – change out your plastic cooking utensils for bamboo. The exact set we use is no longer available but I have linked up a very similar (and lovely) set here.
Disposable Plates and Napkins (04 and 09) I am here to help the environment but I am still a busy working mom on teenagers – let’s be honest I need some convenience in my life. To make sure I am paying attention to both, we use biodegradable plates made from fallen palm leaves and tree free napkins when we need the ease of a quick clean up.
BPA Free Kettle (05) I love a hot cup of tea in the morning and nobody has time to boil water on the stove. This BPA free tea kettle allows me to have my morning pick me up without the fuss.
Eco-Friendly Food Storage (06 and 10) If you have been around for a while you know I am a huge fan of Stasher bags – they are reusable food grade silicone food storage bags that allow you to avoid single use baggies. I love that they are so easy to use and clean and completely leak-proof. We also use glass food storage containers in our home to avoid as much plastic as possible.
Dish Brushes (07 and 08) We have a couple of bamboo dish brushes (here and here) that help us avoid plastic and let’s be honest they are cute!
Swedish Dishcloths (11) These Swedish Dishcloths are a great alternative to paper towels. The cloths are made from cellulose and are soft to the touch when wet but gritty enough for scouring when dry. They are super absorbent (you can use them to quickly clean up spills) and the cloths also dry quickly so they don’t get smelly like a sponge. They are machine washable and come in a variety of colors.
Cast Iron Skillet (12) So many pots and pans contain toxins in their coatings (especially non-stick pans). We made the switch to cast iron and this one here is a personal favorite ( and when I say personal favorite I mean for Jon – you all know he does most of our cooking)
TELL ME: Have you already made any of these swaps? And do you have any other recommendations for me?
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We made the transition to cloth napkins years ago and it has been something we have easily been able to maintain. We have a set of hooks in the kitchen where each person has name tag for their cloth napkin to prevent cross contamination if anyone is sick. We typically use one napkin each per week.