How to Be Green? 4 Easy Ways to Dish Up Some Sustainability in the Kitchen

4 Kitchen Retrofits That Will Make Your Home More Sustainable

Many homeowners are searching for ways to live in a more harmonious relationship with their natural environment, and in many cases, living this kind of lifestyle coincides with sustainable living practices. The beauty of green living is that the small changes can not only make a big difference in terms of your health, but they also have the potential to make a big difference in the amount of money you can save. So, if you're looking for a few easy ways to implement sustainable practices into your home, I'd recommend starting with the kitchen.

Compost Bin
Flickr image credit: Daryl_mitchell

Give composting a try

You need fertilization to grow healthy produce. The great news is that you can make your own fertilizer with composting and save money as well as eliminate kitchen waste in your home in an environmentally friendly way. Composting units are available at most hardware stores and are designed to dispose of left-over food, leaves and other organic debris; turning the mixture into a fertile compost that is perfect for any garden.


My patio garden
Flickr image Credit: Katieharbath

Grow your own fruits, veggies and herbs

My vegetarian and vegan friends fully understand the expense involved with buying produce that hasnít been chemically treated or engineered. If you eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, spending a fortune at the grocery store doesnít sound very appealing.

Container gardening is a practical alternative to traditional gardens if you live in a small apartment with little room to spare and are great for growing herbs in small spaces. A window sill can be used to grow herbs live rosemary, thyme, chives, and cilantro in mason jars or planting pots or your balcony may provide enough room for a small elevated garden for growing tomatoes, lettuce, and chili peppers.
Making Infused Vinegar for Cleaning
Flickr image photo credit: Chiotís Run

Use natural cleaners

Another practice you can implement is to eliminate store bought cleaners and start making your own from the natural ingredients. Many of these natural ingredients such as baking soda and vinegar are probably in your home already and can be used to create effective cleaners which are devoid of harmful chemicals.

In addition to being better for the environment, homemade cleaners are also much cheaper to produce and the savings can easily add up if you also consider making your own personal hygiene products.

Abeego reusable food wrap thingies
Flickr image Credit: DBarefoot

Stop using plastic or foil wrap

I think we can all agree that the planet would a lot better off if we eliminated the amount of plastic we use in general, especially when it comes to single use plastic bags which have a hand in the degradation of soil. Fortunately, switching to reusable alternatives as a replacement for plastic and foil wrap is not all that difficult to implement.

For example, you can buy reusable sandwich and snack bags or reuse the wrapping from other food items like bread, frozen vegetables or your kidís favorite box of cereal. If you have to use plastic, try to make sure it can be used repeatedly instead of just being thrown away after a single use.
At the end of the day, living green doesnít have to be a headache and implementing sustainability into your family life is an ideal way to establish a more Eco-conscious and healthy home.

About the author
Alex is a writer, husband, father and aspiring slipstream fantasy novelist. When he isnít writing for HomeDaddys or completing chores from his ìhoney- doî list, heís most likely spending quality time with his wife and kids or working on his novel.




P.S.- People always ask me where I get my organic food and personal care products and I love to tell them about The Green PolkaDot Box! Backed by the Organic Consumer's Association and EnvironmentalBooty.com, you can easily buy NonGMO organic groceries, including Harvest Fresh Organic produce, at wholesale pricing online.  It's like a Sam's club but focused on products for green, healthy living! You can even shop by dietary restrictions like gluten free, vegan or diabetic and it all comes right to your front door. Enjoy!

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