The waste-free kitchen: how to start sustainable habits right away
Photo by Laura Mitulla on Unsplash
Everyday tons of food and plastic is thrown away. It is urgent to say we need to make changes for a more sustainable world. This will not happen overnight but you can start now by making some changes yourself.
You don't need to shift only into sustainable habits right away. But you can start by incorporating some habits in your lifestyle progressively.
A good place to start? The kitchen!
Be aware
Look at what you normally throw away in a week. Food, packaging, plastic, imagine everyone on the planet does the same. Isn't it ridiculous?
Plan your meals
You can start by planning your meals in advance. Going for healthy meals is the way. It is more sustainable. And if you're concerned about our planet's health, then you should care about yours as well.
Have a grocery list
Knowing what you'll eat during the week will help you when making your grocery list. Having a grocery list will save you from wasting food and money. With a list you are less likely to buy junk food or food you don't need and won't eat.
Go local
Choose carefully where to do your shopping. Instead of supporting big industries, go for local. They have more sustainable options. They use less transporting and packaging and the quality of their products tends to be a bit better.
Bring your bags
Prepare yourself before going to the grocery store. Opt for every reusable package. For example you can use reusable bags for all your groceries or small ones for your fruits and vegetables. You can wash them and they are more resistant and practical. In some places you can bring your own containers for oats, nuts, seed, etc.
No packaging
If you can, try to change for products that have less packaging or no packaging at all. Maybe it seems easier and more practical to buy vegetables, beans and lentils in cans. But these are not essential. You can actually make them yourself pretty easily and you won't be buying or wasting cans.
Homemade meals
Instead of buying prepared and fast meals and drinks while you're out or at work you can bring them from home. Prepare your healthier homemade meal in advance. You can also bring your own homemade juice, water bottle, tea or coffee.
Start with Meatless Mondays
Try reducing your meat consumption. The animal industry plays a big role in greenhouse gas emissions. You can replace meat with vegetarian or vegan options a couple times a week. It will already make a difference.
Smart fridge
It's a good idea to organize your food smartly in your fridge. Put the vegetables, fruits and food that will soon expire in the middle where you will see it more often. That way you wont forget about it and won't end up throwing it away.
Leftovers
Instead of throwing food away, freeze your leftovers. Even if it's just a small portion or part of your meal. You can incorporate them in new meals or prepare yourself a small buffet with different leftovers. Plan a couple days a month to eat them or keep them for when you don't have the time or motivation to cook.
Repurpose
You can also keep the peels and bones of your vegetables and use them to make broth that you can also keep in the freezer.
Share
And last but not least, if you're going on a trip and have food that will expire during that time or if you bought food you know you wont eat, donate it. You can search for food pantries, associations or give them to someone you know will make good use of it!
