To live sustainably is something that a vast majority of people think about and desire. But why do we want this sustainable living? How do we do this, and where do we start?
Having a sustainable kitchen is a great place to start. The kitchen is one place where a lot of waste is created – specifically food waste.
A sustainable kitchen will have zero waste, reduced use of plastics, and non-toxic chemical cleaning products.
Kitchens need to be healthy. Living the Lithe Life means living a healthy, eco-friendly, waste free life providing sustainability to prolong the life of our planet.
Ideas to Create a Sustainable Kitchen
1. Sustainable Food Storage
As humans, one of our biggest food problems is that we waste too much of it, and quite unnecessarily so.
Food wastage has many aspects - some just pure wastage as it may not ‘look’ how we think it should. Ridiculous aye? Some just because we don’t ‘use’ the whole vegetable. We may, for example, use the leaves and not the stalks of vegetables. We then throw the rest away. So wasteful! Fortunately, this has a simple answer – use ALL the food and it doesn’t matter what it looks like! Anything unwanted should be composted to be able to be put back into our soil.
Another simple and sustainable solution to this is to not overbuy food and to ensure it is stored in a way to keep the food fresher, tastier, and nutritious.
The storage of food can make a lot of difference to its shelf life. Of course, we don’t want to use toxic and unsustainable plastics to keep our food in, so at The Lithe Store we have the perfect solution - Stasher Food Bags. These are a great alternative to plastic and come in four handy sizes.
There is the sandwich bag, the half-gallon bag, the stand-up mid bag, and the stand-up mega bag.
The Stasher bags are made from platinum silicon which is tough and durable. The ‘Pinch-Loc’ system with which they seal close, is easy to use and ensures your food is kept fresher for a longer period of time.
These handy zero-waste bags take up very little space when they’re not being used. They are reusable, non-toxic, and are oven proof, microwave proof, freezer proof, and best of all, dishwasher proof! How convenient is that?
You will never have to throw rotten food away again.
2. Sustainable Cleaning Products
Using reusable dish towels and non-toxic cleaning products is another ideal way to create a sustainable kitchen.
Did you know your common two-sided kitchen sponge with one spongey side and one scrubby side, is made of plastic? It breaks down causing microplastics to go into our environment.
At The Lithe Store our multipurpose cleaning cloth is ideal for scrubbing pans, cleaning dishes, and wiping kitchen surfaces. This is an essential item for your zero-waste kitchen. These cloths are durable and with one soft side for glasses and dishes, and the rough side for the pots and pans. They are washable and reusable.
Another alternative to the dirty plastic kitchen sponge, is our eco-friendly scourer. This is durable and flexible, fully biodegradable and breaks down over time helping you keep your home and the environment clean. This washing-up scourer is just as effective at cleaning your dishes as other plastic cleaning utensils, but with the advantage of being vegan friendly and plastic-free. It is also 100% biodegradable & compostable. These come in a convenient pack of three.
Non-toxic chemicals are also a part of a sustainable kitchen. Not only is The Lithe Store’s Organic Dishwashing Liquid, made from a blend of bergamot and sweet orange essential oils that is extremely effective, will kill bacteria and leave your dishes sparkling clean, but it is biodegradable and free from nasty chemicals. AND the plastic bottle it comes in is 100% recyclable.
3. Sustainable Produce and Shopping Bags
Single use plastic bags are just the worst thing to use if you want sustainable living. When you buy fruit and vegetables from the supermarket, there is little alternative… unless you take your own bags!
We have the perfect solution here! Check out our eco-friendly, reusable Produce bags.
The Produce Bags come in two different types. We have the natural organic cotton bags, which are breathable and non-toxic, lightweight, yet durable and machine washable. These cotton bags come in three different sizes.
Another great option we offer are our R-Pet Mesh Produce Bags. These bags are made of ‘R-Pet’, which is recycled polyethylene terephthalate. These bags are strong and durable – being able to hold up to 2kg each. Of course, they too are washable, breathable, lightweight, and non-toxic and vegan friendly. These bags have a finer mesh than the cotton bags. Use them like a colander to wash and drain your fruit and vegetables. The R-Pet bags come in a set of five, along with a convenient little pouch to keep them in.
Both types of bags are extremely handy for the carrying and storing of fruit and vegetables. A very favourable option when living the Lithe Life!
What’s stopping you?
We all can make a huge improvement to the sustainability of our planet by using eco-friendly, zero-waste products in our kitchens. It isn’t hard and just needs a little planning. The initial costs purchasing products could be seen to be a hurdle, but this is soon outweighed by the long-term savings. Savings in your pocket, saving the environment, and very importantly, saving our health!
Start with one product at a time and it wont take long before we are all saving our planet.
Our purpose at The Lithe Store is to encourage people to live a Lithe Life – to be healthy, energetic, confident, and live an environmentally friendly lifestyle with minimal effort. Come on and join us!
