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It would be easy to say that I should take a break, get out of the kitchen and do some activities for Earth Day. But the truth is, the kitchen is the perfect place for me to be. It is the heart of our home – the place where we create delicious family meals and memories. It makes sense that on this Earth Day, I honor my kitchen with some positive activities that affect the health of my family and the health of our planet.

Before reading a list of action items, perhaps you might benefit from a bit of background information. Everyone is talking about Sustainability – do you know what it means, and why you should care?

Sustainability refers to food choices that celebrate flavor, affirm regional cultural traditions, and support local communities without compromising air, water or soil, now and in the future. If you are not thinking about how your shopping choices can affect our planet in the future, consider the impacts that the growing, harvesting and transporting of goods have on the environment. Chemical fertilizers, oil, gas and pollution all leave quite a “footprint” on our water, soil and air. If we respect the natural cycles of life and look to nature as a guide, we leave less impact and a healthier ecosystem with more biodiversity. Visit this website for more information: www.circleofresponsibility.com

Buying Local? Consider that your ingredients are fresher and more nutrient rich when they travel a shorter distance from the ground to your table. Also keep in mind the pollution that results from transporting foods halfway around the world for your consumption. If you are buying local, chances are also good that you are eating fresh foods that are in season now. Yum! It pays to wait for the produce you love – asparagus, snap peas and strawberries are waiting for you at your local farmer’s market right now!

Ready to take action? Here are some items that you can do to Green your Kitchen and make a difference to our Earth every day!

Food:

• Check out your local farmer’s market for locally grown and sustainable produce
• Eat whole fruits – the pieces don’t need packaging!
• Buy in bulk – this uses fewer resources and saves you lots of money! (A large container of yogurt instead of little tubes or individual containers, for example. Simply pour the right portion size into a reusable container!)
• Make seasonal adjustments to your favorite recipes
• Buy organic produce when you can – you will reduce your own exposure to pesticides and will not be encouraging the addition of pesticides to the water table and air.
• Use cold water to wash vegetables, or fill the sink with a few inches of water and wash all of the produce for your meal at once.
• Allow leftover food to cool before putting it into the refrigerator – you don’t want to heat the inside of your fridge and use extra energy to cool it back down again!

Kitchen:

• Use dishtowels instead of paper towels. Why throw something away when you can use the alternative over and over again?
• Stop buying paper napkins! Use Fabkins or baby washcloths as napkins for children.
• Use cool water on the dishes that you rinse before putting in the dishwasher.
• Don’t use the Heat-Dry cycle in your dishwasher. Let your dishes air-dry.
• Wash dishes in a basin instead of letting the water run when you wash dishes in the sink.
• Use eco-friendly dish washing soaps.
• Stop buying bottled water! Use a filtered water system along with reusable water bottles.
• Clean the coils on your refrigerator, so that they are more efficient.

What are you waiting for?  You can save 10% on any waste-free items at What’s Cooking by entering the coupon code:  EARTHDAY at checkout.

The earth thanks you for your consideration!