10 Easy Swaps For An Earth-Friendly Kitchen

“We do not inherit the land from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. ”

— NATIVE AMERICAN PROVERB

Let’s talk single-use plastics. Plastic can take up to 1,000 years to break apart and accounts for 90% of the trash in our oceans. Have you seen the huge mass of plastic waste floating in the Caribbean? It goes without saying, the future of our planet is driven by our buying practices. There are huge environmental benefits to switching to plastic alternatives, like reducing landfill waste and the greenhouse gases emitted from the manufacturing of plastic.

In honor of Earth Month, I’ve put together a list of my go-to environmentally-friendly kitchen items that make a positive impact on the planet, and save us money in the long-run.

Stasher Bags: How many plastic sandwich bags have you thrown away in your lifetime? Hundreds? Thousands? Multiply that by the population of Earth and you understand the size of the issue we’re tackling. 20 million plastic sandwich bags go to landfill every day in the U.S. It takes over 500 years for a plastic bag to break down in a landfill. Taking the extra step to bring a reusable bag could save animal lives and decrease landfill waste. We've been using these freezer-friendly, reusable bags for years and swear by them. They're even dishwasher safe!

Misto Oil Sprayer: This reusable oil spray and mister bottle is a game changer. It gives you the convenience of typical aerosol sprayers but in a more healthy, economical and environmental way. This non-aerosol sprayer doesn't use chemical propellants, and it's refillable, so no more throwing cans away to end up in landfills.

Beeswax Food Wrap: Swap your regular plastic wrap and try these reusable, sustainable beeswax food wraps! They form perfectly to leftover foods and can be washed with soap and water to reuse.

Glass Meal Prep Containers and Glass food Storage Containers: A must for easy food prep and storage! We love using glass to reduce plastic usage and because many are microwave safe. Plus they're a stylish way to stay organized!

Sustainable Travel Mug: Did you know that over 50 billion disposable coffee cups end up in landfills every year? Unfortunately, a paper cup takes more than 20 years to decompose. Why? Most are lined with a layer of plastic that makes it waterproof but also difficult to recycle or decompose. Bringing a reusable cup or tumbler to work will cut down on coffee cup waste. In fact, some coffee shops even offer a reward or discount when you bring your own cup to fill.

Water Filter: Humans around the world buy one million plastic water bottles per minute, which demands the 30 billion bottles to be made each year. Of those, less than 10% are actually recycled. Switching to filtering your own water and storing it refillable water bottles will save you money as well as reduce waste.

Bamboo Cutlery: Plastic utensils are easy and the go-to for get-togethers; however, if you’re the party host you can opt for silverware. Even if you’re away from home, such as having a picnic lunch, you can still pack silverware from home. You can also always carry compostable utensils in your bag to use when you’re ordering to go, instead of using plastic utensils. If you do happen to have leftover plastic utensils, you can wash and reuse them too!

Reusable Grocery Bags: By now lots of people have made the switch to use reusable bags at the grocery store, but if you're looking for a new one we love these washable cotton net bags.

Biodegradable Trash Bags: How many trash bags does your household use each week? Multiply that by 52 weeks in the year. It’s a lot. Making the switch to biodegradable trash bags is easy and usually doesn't cost much more. We love these ones because they hold up and don’t leak.

Cleaning Concentrates: Most cleaners (even the green organic kinds) found on store shelves are over 90% water — that means you're paying for the bottle, the label, and the transportation and supply costs, all just to get your hands on that single active ingredient: the concentrate. Not to mention the plastic bottle that gets tossed after just one use. Switching to a concentrate not only saves you tons of money over time, but keeps our planet free from single-use plastics. Simply fill a spray bottle with water and add a drop of concentrate. Voila! I make my own refillable window wash, floor cleaner, degreaser, and mutli-purpose spray all from the same bottle of concentrate. Use this link for 15% off a starter kit.

There are lots of little things we can do every day to show Mama Earth some love. By adopting new habits, big or small, treading lighter on the planet will contribute to change and make an impact in the world we leave for our children.

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