Normal Green: Greening your Kitchen

Over the course of the last 10 years, I've been immersed in the process of trying to make my kitchen a greener place. It began as I replaced all my cruddy, cheap collegiate pots and pans with anodized stainless steel, cast-iron and enameled-cast iron pans. I got rid of my non-stick skillets after I read about Teflon fumes being harmful to pet birds. (This article has more great information on environmentally-friendly cookware.) The next process involved getting rid of as much plastic as possible in my kitchen. When you have little kids, it's almost impossible to avoid plastic or melamine plates, forks, and cups. (And IKEA makes them so cheap, it's even harder to resist purchasing them.) Once I noticed my toddler didn't dump her dishes on the floor anymore, I cleared out the plastic and made way for small, sturdy, glass mugs and kid-sized ceramic plates. We've used them for almost two years now and haven't broken a one (knock wood).

As much as I've tried to get rid of all the plastic in our kitchen — and that includes choosing products packaged in glass or paper to avoid bringing more plastic into our house — it's hard to avoid it completely. I have always washed out and reused plastic bags and saved jars for "something someday." Our "Tupperware" consists of large, wide-mouthed jars that are used over and over again to store chilis, soups and stews. Quart-sized yogurt containers — if in our fridge — usually don't contain plain or vanilla yogurt but rather leftover pasta, salads, or grains.

While we've used cloth napkins almost exclusively for a few years now, it's only recently that I finally made a break with my beloved paper towels. (Paper towels, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...) Thick paper towels were my guilty pleasure. I felt a little better about the ones with perforations at the half-way mark so you use less (theoretically), but still, every time I reached for one I felt like I was personally killing a tree. So now, I have a basket on the counter filled with folded cloth diapers (finally a second use for those) and I use those instead of paper towels. It's a no-brainer.

As I've said before, the "reduce" part of the "reduce, recycle, reuse" equation is the one I am challenging myself to focus on most.  I love glassware, dishware, and serveware and collect it, but I have seriously cut back on my antiquing habit because we just don't need anything more in our tiny abode. Plus, rules about lead in glazes were less stringent in years past, so while the vintage Fiestaware (or my weakness: Bauer mixing bowls) may be tempting, it's best to use the new stuff if you are going to be eating off of it. If things in your kitchen need replacing, it might be worth looking at greener alternatives. Not just swapping out plastic dishes for glass or ceramic as I mentioned above, but old plastic cutting boards for a renewable bamboo product. Or questionable older plates for newer lead-free dishes. Or hemp linens instead of those made from synthetic materials. Whatever change you make, however small, helps make the world a better place, and there's no better place to start changing the world than in the one of the most used rooms in your house—your kitchen. [photo of Sol recycled glass mini-bowls: Viva Terra]