Simple Sustainable Swaps: Kitchen Edition

Homemade Advent candle wreath made with things we already had and candle purchased secondhand.

Hello Friends:

Last month I wrote to you about my keystone habit of sleep, specifically getting to bed early. While I would love to say I am still going strong, old habits have a way of creeping in and my habit tracker doesn't lie. The good news is that every day (folks in the meditation community say with every breath) we can start again. So, I start again, over and over and over, again. Small steps matter every day.

In September, I shared my "Fall Favorites" which included two local shops that are helping me take small steps toward living more sustainably. This month, I will share some of the simple things that we do at my home to reduce waste in our kitchen.

It all started in the kitchen

If growing your own tomatoes is the gateway drug to gardening, composting just might be the gateway drug into the world of reducing waste. I cannot remember exactly when we started backyard composting, although I think it might have begun with me dumping coffee grounds on our hydrangeas. Some time after that I found a cheap rotating compost bin (long broken and gone) on sale at Lowes.

The equipment does not matter. For years we used an old plastic container to gather scraps in the kitchen and only recently upgraded to a proper compost pail with a filter. We continue to compost coffee grounds, tea leaves, food scraps (except meat and dairy, our dog takes care of most of that) and yard waste on the ground in our backyard.

As with organizing, the key to reducing clutter, or waste, is to keep it out of the home in the first place. Pandemic panic buying of 2020 aside, we go shopping with a plan and try to buy only what we will use up. In the summer months when our garden gives us more than we can eat, we preserve the excess with freezing and canning.

Since the pandemic, we are more intentional with our shopping trips.  This helps me remember my containers for bulk shopping, reusable grocery and produce bags, along with any plastic bags that slip in the house for store recycling. Usually a late adopter, I now enjoy using my smartphone to scan groceries and pay. This way, I can also avoid printing produce stickers.

There are still so many improvements to be made in our kitchen and throughout our home. My approach to sustainability is just like my approach to any other changes that I want to make: one by one, bit by bit, I introduce new habits and products.

I am very curious to hear what sustainable changes you might have made in your kitchen. Please reply to the email or comment below.

All my best,

Carolyn