Happy Earth Day! Win an Herb Savor + share tips!

In the last post, I ranted about my fury towards uni-taskers and useless kitchen gadgets. Apart from creating clutter, having tools that only perform one task is hurtful to the environment – think about all the plastic that goes into creating that stupid egg cracker! Or worse… a smores maker *smacks forehead*.

I thank you for all the honest (and hilarious) comments. I thank you for your confessions, but also for enlightening me about uni-tasking tools that you can’t live without.

Several people mentioned their need of a cherry pitter during cherry season – I totally understand. Others really hate chopping garlic and use a garlic press.

Hey, I won’t judge.

Today is EARTH DAY to celebrate the Earth’s birthday. (How they pinpointed that exact day as the Earth’s formation is really beyond me). Regardless, Earth Day is a great way to raise awareness on how we can better take care of the Earth, diminish our impact, and to save some of nature’s blessings for the next generation.

As a city dweller in a concrete jungle, it’s not always easy to be environmentally wise and we often make compromises. Here are a few simple ways I show the Earth I love it without pulling a Pioneer Woman:

• Use a travel mug and a reusable shopping bag.
• Stop driving – use your legs! Wear heels to tone your calves too.
• Sign up for paperless bank invoices.
• Open the fridge / freezer door as few times as possible. Take everything out at once, put it all back in when done.
• Buy, eat and drink locally and seasonally.
• Buy only what you can finish.
• Eat more vegetables and fruit – go easy on the meat. Only buy sustainable seafood.
• Reuse plastic yogurt containers for storage.
• Avoid shopping on impulse and buying trendy junk.
• Run outdoors instead of on a treadmill. Climb actual stairs instead of a stair climber.
• Only run full loads of laundry and dishes – use cold water
• Switch to Earth friendly cleaning products.

One thing I find very lacking in my city life is I do not have access to a garden. In fact, my small loft window faces into a back (or crack) alley. Whatever you want to call it. I can’t even have planters and I simply do not get sunlight in my space.

It breaks my heart to buy packaged herbs. I feel guilty when I think of all the plastic, energy, and transportation involved just so I can make a chimichurri sauce. Worse yet, pre-cut herbs do not last very long in the fridge, even if I sandwich it between towels and roll it into a bag.

What am I getting at?

If you have the same struggle as I do consider picking up a Prepara Herb Savor, the most useful kitchen “gadget” I own. It’s available in my new OpenSky shop BUT

What I do now is I steal herbs from my friends’ gardens or purchase them from the farmer (they use less packaging) and store them in my Herb Savor for weeks instead of days. Yes, it’s still made of plastic but I can use it forever and will ultimately reduce waste.

What’s an OpenSky Shop? It’s my way to show readers and friends what I use in the kitchen and make it simple for them to purchase the items. I promise only to fill it with my favourite, quality products that I use regularly. Stay tuned for more goodies! Notice the “Shop” tab is at the top of the page?

DISCUSSION: What new steps are you taking to protect the Earth? What genius ways can you recommend to a city dweller?

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