5 Easy Steps to a More Sustainable Kitchen

Thank you to Alexander Goodwin at Homedaddy's  for providing this informative and helpful guest post! Stop by Homedaddy's for more information, articles, and ideas from a dad's point of view!

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There are many ways to help the environment through sustainable living practices. Small changes make a big difference, so if you have been looking for a way to lower your environmental impact, here are five easy suggestions for making those changes.

Give composting a try
 Instead of sending extra food to the landfills, you can turn it into compost, a source of rich ingredients that can be used for gardening. Even items that are ground in a sink garbage disposal are added to waste that is evacuated from the home.

 Use a composting bucket or pail for food scraps. Layer the bucket with newspaper to keep down on odors and flies. Add a mixture of leaves or soil to the top of the newest scraps to cut down on odors. Not everything can be turned into compost so stay away from meats because they attract rodents and scavengers, this includes fish.

Start your own garden
Instead of buying fruits and vegetables from the grocery store, grow your own garden. This is the perfect place to use that compost you made from your kitchen scraps. Any extras can be recycled and composted to grow more plants. It saves you money and is good for the environment.

If you live in a small apartment with little room outdoors, container gardening is a practical alternative to planting a traditional garden. A balcony or a large open window space can be used as a space to grow fruits, vegetables and herbs in jars, buckets or planting pots. A lot of people who live in cities fill buckets with soil and grow their own vegetables.

Eating vegetarian once a week
Eating vegetarian once a week with items you've grown yourself cuts down on the production of meat for human consumption. It's arguable that animal farming uses more water, leads to land degradation and pollution; all of which is damaging to our environment. Eating vegetarian once a week from items that you grow yourself will contribute to a healthier environment.

Reusing packaging
Everything you buy at the store comes in plastic wrapping. Some items come in a plastic bag wrapped with cardboard. That's a lot of wasted materials. Instead of buying freezer bags, you could reuse the packaging from other food items. Cereal has plastic bags that are made to protect cereal from moisture. These bags are perfect for storing items in the fridge or freezer. Use clips to close the bags tightly to prevent freezer burn. The packaging from frozen vegetables is perfect for freezing other food. It's made especially for protecting food from freezer burn. Make sure to wash the bags thoroughly before reuse.

Plastic bags from bread can be reused to store items in the fridge. They are not recommended for freezer use however, but they can be used for sandwiches instead of plastic sandwich bags.

Stop using foil and plastic wrap
Buying foil and plastic wrap for one-time-use is a waste. You can buy reusable plastic containers for storing leftover food in the fridge and freezer. Although this is an extra purchase of plastic, it is used repeatedly instead of buying and throwing away plastic wrap and foil. It can be used for bringing lunch to work too.

About the author
Alex is a writer, husband, father and aspiring urban fantasy novelist. When he isn’t writing for HomeDaddys or completing chores from his “honey- do” list, he’s most likely spending quality time with his wife and kids or working on his novel.

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