Sustainability in the home starts in the kitchen, the place where you unload groceries, cook meals, and sort your recycling. Whether you are reducing the amount of plastic in your home or rethinking your energy usage, the decisions you make for your kitchen will help determine your home’s climate footprint.
For apartment dwellers, the options are plenty to transform your space into a stylish haven of sustainability. A kind note first off just to say that part of being sustainable is to make use of what you have and to only replace kitchen items that you absolutely need to. After that, there are a ton of eco-friendly kitchen products available to help kit out your space without impacting the planet. From organic cotton hand towels to greener cleaning products, here are 12 eco-friendly picks you can bring into your kitchen now for a more sustainable lifestyle going forward. Mother nature will thank you.
Made from 100% organic cotton, these kitchen hand towels are a great way to reduce your usage of paper towels. Tested for harmful substances and certified to the Global Organic Textile Standard, these towels are also great quality and lightly-dyed, adding a bit of minimalist rustic flair to your kitchen linens.
Grow your green thumb with this compact indoor garden. Great for apartment dwellers without garden areas, this grow light is built to allow you to grow herbs, small vegetables or other greens using water (for a hydroponic grow) or soil. Fresh salads, coming right up!
Made from recycled glass, these handmade Old Fashioned glasses are a stylish way to stock your cabinets or bar with a unique item. These handmade green-tinted glasses are great for serving cocktails or spirits. For more flair, add a sphere ice cube.
Made from plant-based and natural ingredients, this Dropps Power Dish Spray is concentrated and powerful, meaning you can cut down on water usage while hand washing dishes. Unscented, the product comes in a reusable spray bottle that is also refillable and recyclable. Add it to your stockpile of favorite eco-friendly cleaning products.
Help the turtles by forgoing wasteful plastic, single-use straws in your smoothies and cocktails, and instead opt for these beautiful and colorful glass straws. The straws are portable, and can also come with you when you eat out, grab your iced coffee, or go on picnics.
Opting for a wooden silverware tray instead of a plastic one can help you lower the amount of plastic that ends up in the landfill. This flatware kitchen drawer organizer is chic and made from bamboo, of one of the fastest-renewing materials, plus it's durable and built to last.
A great way to avoid using plastic containers, aluminum foil, or plastic cling wrap, these beeswax food wraps work to keep your food fresh for longer. Great for bundling vegetables or covering up your freshly-baked sourdough, these reusable wraps are plastic free and made from sustainably-harvested beeswax.
This line of Chateau Acacia Wood serving bowls, cheese platters, and cake stands are a great way to incorporate more handcrafted serving ware to your collection. Made in a Fair Trade factory, the pieces are unique, naturally beautiful, and made from sustainably-harvested materials.
Made from 100% recycled yarns, these dish sponges are durable, machine-washable, long-lasting and make washing and drying dishes a breeze. Instead of piling up disposable sponges and paper towels, these are practical sponges that can do it all.
A great cast iron skillet will last throughout your lifetime. Designed “pre-seasoned”, this skillet is ready for even cooking right out of the box. Made from Tennessee company Lodge, these skillets are free from synthetic chemicals, which is exactly what you want in your cookware.
More chic than your grandma’s bread box, the LARS NYSØM Bread Box is made for preserving the life of your bread. The box can also store some produce, such as onions or potatoes, as well as baked goods, making it the ultimate solution to reducing food waste in a counter-worthy design.
Cutting down on food waste is one of the easiest ways you can reduce your kitchen’s carbon footprint. These glass food containers from IKEA are durable enough to be portable, meaning they can serve as a great way to enjoy your leftovers in your lunch bag. Plus when you organize Tupperware like a pro, it will genuinely elevate your refrigerator — we know this.