Some Takeaways for Waste Reduction Week 2016

The biggest takeaway for me this week was to more thoughtfully consider what we do with what we have. As far as being a reducer, re-user, and recycler, I'm definitely in the know and I know our family does this better than we used to. However, there are still many, many things we can do as a family to improve our impact on the environment. Every day brings new opportunities to make changes to "how" we run our home.

It's easy to get complacent. It's disheartening, here in the west, when we know that no matter how much we give and alter our lifestyles and choices, there are other countries around the world that don't care and don't make any changes. But we are responsible for our choices, and if nothing else, we can make a difference locally. Buy those ugly vegetables. Reuse your plastic bags when you buy fruit and vegetables, and bring your own boxes or bags to the grocery store. Recycle what you can, and minimize what you can't. There are almost always better choices to make- none of us has this completely covered.

How about you? Have you had any epiphanies this week about what changes you can make to give your kitchen a waste-reducing makeover? ​#wastereductionweek2016

Here are a few final ideas for reducing kitchen waste, and here is a pretty decent article I found online this morning.

• Use less paper towel. You can invest in microfiber products, such as those produced by Norwex, that use very little water and require no chemicals.
• Replant the roots of your used green onions. Set in water until they sprout, then plant in dirt.
• Try to buy products with little packaging. Recycle the packaging according to local regulations whenever possible, and think twice before throwing away .
• Use vinegar and baking soda for cleaning rather than more chemical products
• Reuse your dishwashing soap containers with stain removers for laundry, blended vinegar and essential oils for cleaning.
• Keep track of what fresh vegetables and fruit are in your fridge. Make sure you have a plan to use them.
• Run your dishwasher when possible, and as full as possible. A full dishwasher is more efficient, and a dishwasher uses less water than hand washing.

All the best this week, friends. 

Stacy