organic foods

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What’s in an eco-friendly pantry?

July 29, 2009 in Eco Kitchen, Food & Drink by Jennifer | No comments

Eco-friendly kitchen pantries have some common themes…

  • Bulk food items in reusable bulk bags and containers. Bulk food cuts down on packaging considerably and most eco grocers and co-ops have fab bulk sections with everything from spices to flour to cereal to dried fruit to pasta. In fact you can usually get natural peanut butter in bulk even at most decent co-ops.
  • Large size of stuff you use all the time. The larger the package the better the eco-deal. I.e. a huge jar of tomatoes for sauce vs. a tiny can.
  • Food items that are free from double and triple packaging. It’s totally unnecessary to buy a box of food that’s sitting in a tray, wrapped in plastic, then placed in a box.
  • No individually wrapped items. Fruit snacks, granola bars, seasoning, crackers for kids, and candy can all be found in bulk or in larger loose packaging.
  • Bottles and jars that come with safety caps that pop – much better than shrink wrapped caps.
  • Glass bottles of condiments and juice vs. plastic.
  • Local and organic food items. At least a decent bulk of your food items should be organic, bulk and in season.
  • Simple food items such as brown rice or plain noodles rice mixes and noodle mixes for instance.The former food items use more package than necessary and often contain lots of chemicals and preservatives.

What’s in your pantry – have you looked lately to see what you might be able to make greener?

Minimize food waste

April 6, 2009 in Eco Kitchen, Food & Drink by Jennifer | No comments

Minimizing food waste is important if you want to live a greener lifestyle. Why?

  • It creates a general awareness surrounding waste. People waste a lot of items in life and often that means more junk to toss and more resources used when you don’t need to. Minimizing food waste is an easy change to make.
  • It means money saved which means you can afford the organics you should be buying.
  • Minimizing food waste means less packaging bought – a good thing since so much of the current food packaging you see is layered and excessive. Even if you can recycle, it’s still kind of over the top.

HOW TO MINIMIZE YOUR FOOD & FOOD PACKAGING WASTE:

Use it up: for example, most leftovers can be used to make homemade ice pops (use sustainable reusable molds), used in soups, used in baked goods, and more. Think up new ways to use all your food up before it goes bad.

Only buy recyclables: if you can’t recycle the package, just say no. Buy in bulk using reusable bags and containers to minimize your waste further.

Share it or freeze it: if you get a great deal, but the amount of the deal is large, split it with another family or freeze the excess. Don’t forget to use sustainable food storage.

Compost it: you can make food that’s old do double duty with composting. Turn your old food into healthy soil.

Quit cooking for a crowd: if you know that your family (or just you) has a bad habit of cooking too much and then forgetting the leftovers, stop. Cook what you need, not more.

Give it away: if you cook for an event or a large family dinner, and can’t eat it all, donate it to an elderly neighbor, a shelter, or another organization.

Grow some food: growing your own is a great way to cut down on food waste because one, fresh grown food taste way better, thus enticing you to munch them down. Two, you’ve stopped the packaging and transport issues cold when you grow your own. Organic gardens are highly sustainable.

What other tips do you have for cutting down on food waste?

Be an organic home know-it-all!

March 10, 2009 in Food & Drink, Furniture & Appliances, Green Your Home, Healthy Green Home by Jennifer | No comments

When it comes to organic food and organic home products, there are a lot of choices. It can be overwhelming. However, there’s no need to freak. You will totally look like you know what you’re doing (even when you’re not so sure) with these simple rules…

Organic is not always best: There are absolutely some items you should purchase organic, and then there are the organic items that matter less. Clothing, textiles, and other fabrics for your home are good organic, but you can also choose used or other sustainable fabrics that are just as eco-friendly as organic cotton. For example – hemp, bamboo, and thrift store finds all lower your footprint without the organic label. As for organic food, some purchases offer better health and eco-benefits than others. Check out which organics you need to buy and 11 Ways to Save Money on Organic Food in order to make smart choices.

Don’t go nuts all at once: Small organic changes are just as good as a complete life overhaul, but WAY easier. Don’t try to go massive organic all at once. Start making small changes; i.e. buy organic peanut butter and organic cotton pillow cases. Eventually all your simple changes will start to add up.

Got pets?: Let them go organic too. Many people forget their pets but currently there are many organic varieties of pet foods, green pet homes, and toys out there.

Go organic for health: If you’re only going organic for the eco-benefits, that’s fine, but the health benefits of organic over conventional offer you much more motivation. For example, you can make over your bathroom soaps and cosmetics in order to cut chemicals out of your world or buy a better organic mattress for a non-toxic dream time. Think about organic in a way that personally relates to you because this makes shopping decisions easier.

Make it easy for your kids: Kids raised on organics are in a better position to grow up understanding the long-term benefits. Don’t just go organic – talk organic with the kiddos so they know what’s up. Once they’re old enough to make shopping decisions, they’ll have a far easier time than our generation of adults.

How are you going organic at home?

What Are Your Green Goals for 2009?

December 24, 2008 in Holiday by Jennifer | No comments

With New Year’s almost here, it’s likely you’re starting to think about your goals. Do you have some green household goals that you’d like to work on in the upcoming year? If you’re looking for ideas, here are some good ones:

Go green in 2009 by…

Ditching toxic household cleaners and chemical based home air fresheners.

Improving the air quality in your home.

Green your kitchen java for the entire year! Coffee is a great place to start if you’re looking to go green your lifestyle.

Drinking tap water, or at the very least buying a water filter over bottled water.

Starting a compost routine.

Only buying sustainable home furniture and decor.

Giving your baby a fresh green start in life.

Pledging to reduce, reuse, and recycle more at home.

Planting some trees around your house or in your neighborhood.

Taking shorter showers.

Conserving electricity around the house.

Do you have another green home goal? One I didn’t mention? Leave a comment about your green goals for 2009.

Oh, by the way, my green goals are as follows:

1) Recycle all the toilet paper tubes – this was actually my goal last year. I’m great at recycling everything but the tubes still sometimes end up in the bathroom trash vs. the recycling. I’ve improved since last year, but this is an ongoing goal.

2) Cook more. This last year was nuts (seriously) I bought more packaged foods than maybe ever in my entire life. That’s not great eco cooking. It’s much better to buy less packaging, and cook closer to the earth meals.

10 Ways To Green Your Thanksgiving

November 16, 2008 in Holiday by Jennifer | No comments

It’s easy to green your Thanksgiving day events and still keep it simple and fun. Try these tips…

  1. Use real dining ware and cloth napkins and tablecloths. While most of us don’t use paper plates at Thanksgiving, some do to save time, or for a Thanksgiving potluck. Using real dishes and cloth napkins plus tablecloths will green up your day in a big way.
  2. Serve organic foods and drinks.If you can’t afford to serve an entirely organic feast, the turkey and dairy good you serve are a good place to start. Poultry and dairy products have both been found to contain plenty of pesticide that you don’t need to serve to your family. Learn which types of foods you should buy organic. Also serve eco-friendly treats with your meal such as organic pies, fair trade coffee, and organic holiday cookies.
  3. Go veggie! Don’t serve meat at all. Vegetarian meals have a much smaller impact on the planet.

    4. Read the rest of this entry »

10 Fast Ways to Green Your Kitchen

October 22, 2008 in Green Your Home by Jennifer | 2 comments

1. Green your brew: Use a reusable coffee filter instead of paper filters (I’ve had mine for four years now, and it’s in great shape). If tea is your drink, use loose leaf tea, instead of paper bound tea bags.

2. Green your trash: Recycle and compost more than you are now. Most of us can afford to complete a trash audit. You’d be surprised at what ends up in the garbage can.

3. Green your cleaning: You don’t need harsh cleaners in any room of the house. But there’s food in the kitchen, so being more careful in this room counts even more.

4. Green your herbs: Grow your own organic herbs. They taste better, cost less, and make your windowsill a little more beautiful.
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