Is Your Kitchen Environmentally Conscious?
Ask yourself these twelve questions to find out:
Do you use a cloth shopping bag?
Do you select organically grown foods and organically grown clothing to support environmentally sound farming methods and reduce groundwater pollution?
Do you buy in bulk or larger sizes? Do you choose refillables?
When buying packaged products, do you select items which are packaged in containers that can be recycled or reused?
Do you buy local products when possible? This supports regional economics and cuts down on the energy used in transportation of products.
Do you economize on energy usage? When baking or roasting, toss a few potatoes or winter squash into the oven, or cook a pot of rice alongside. You'll save on energy and generate leftovers to incorporate into meals later in the week.
Do you compost all peelings, discarded foods and scraps?
Are you conservative with your use of paper products? You should rely on cloth kitchen towels and napkins rather than paper.
Do you purchase unbleached paper or cotton products? Bleaching paper and cotton in a major cause of dioxin pollution.
During clean-up, do you use nontoxic, biodegradable cleansers? Have you stopped leaving the water running?
Do you use compact flourescent light bulbs and energy-efficient appliances?
Do you buy recycled products? Recycled products are not truly recyclable unless there is a market for them. Therefore, complete the cycle, and buy recycled products.