There are a lot of things you can do to be greener around the house. Fixing cracks in your windows can help lower your energy bill by a substantial margin. Lowering your thermostat by one degree produces the same effect.

However, there are even more things you can do to go greener in the kitchen. As you cook delicious dishes and prepare meals for the entire family, there are so many steps you can take to reduce you carbon footprint. We are going to review some of the more practical tips you can try right away.

Reduce Your Use of Plastic Bags
One of the first things you can do to be greener in the kitchen is to reduce your use of plastic bags. The next time you shop for ingredients, bring your own canvas bag or ask for paper bags instead.

Plastic bags don’t degrade unless recycled.
The same can be said for plastic bottles and utensils. When ordering takeout, for instance, ask for the food to be delivered without the plastic utensils they usually come with. You are taking real steps to save the environment this way.

Watch the Soap
We use water and soap to wash ingredients and dishes, all without realizing that some chemicals in the soap can harm the environment. There was no alternative to soap in the old days, but that’s not the case today.

You can now opt for organic soap to protect the environment. Don’t forget to reduce your use of water too. Limiting the use of dishwasher to only when it is full also helps reduce your carbon footprint and creates a positive impact to the environment.

Choose Appliances Wisely
Some appliances are safer for the environment by nature. Appliances made from wood and certain types of metal are the ones you want, mainly because they are sustainable and recyclable.

A gorgeous wooden tray is a nice addition to your kitchen, don’t you think?

When it comes to wooden appliances, particularly wooden trays, you can get one from Virginia Boys Kitchens. The brand has some gorgeous pieces that will complete your kitchen without harming the environment.

Refresh Your Appliances
This next tip is my personal favorite: update the kitchen appliances! Who doesn’t like shopping for new, smart appliances, right? Modern kitchen appliances are designed to be energy-efficient.

Check the efficiency rating before adding new appliances to the kitchen so you know you are getting the most benefits.

Modern appliances are also smarter, which means you can control them to further boost their energy efficiency. For example, you can have the coffee machine running 15 minutes before your morning alarm instead of leaving it on all night.

Limit Your Waste
The most impactful thing you can do in the kitchen, however, is to limit the food you cook. Food waste is a big issue. All of the energy used to bring the ingredients to your kitchen – and to cook them into tasty meals – goes to waste when you have a lot of leftovers.

Food prep is a more efficient approach to cooking. Rather than cooking in large batches, you buy ingredients in bulk (and save money) and process them into prepared ingredients. The prepared ingredients can then be stored for an extended period of time.

The next time you want to cook a small portion of a dish, you can take the right amount of pre-prepared ingredients and begin cooking right away. You are not just limiting your food waste, but also making cooking more fun and less time-consuming.

These tips are simple enough and easy to implement. You can get started with going green in the kitchen right away now that you know the little things that can make a big difference.