It’s easy to toss plastic wrap, wilted greens, or a mushy apple in the trash without considering the resources that were required to get them to you or what happens to them after they leave your home. A typical trip to the grocery store is so far removed from the land, water, and energy that created the products on the shelves, we are quick to forget the true cost of the items we buy. But if we truly want to minimize our environmental footprint, the best thing we can do is turn our kitchen into a place for closed-loop cooking. What this means is using the scraps from one project as the foundation for the next. So, for example, you could use those mushy apples (cores and peels included!) to make your own apple cider vinegar. Beyond mushy apples, you can also close the loop in your kitchen by using scraps of vegetables to make soup broth or turning old food containers into something useful such as a DIY perfume spritz. Whatever it is, closed loop cooking can be rewarding for both you and the planet.
Why you should turn your kitchen into a place for ‘closed-loop cooking’
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