Earth Day is upon us (Thursday, April 22, 2021) and we think it’s a great time to think about implementing little changes to make our homes and habits more sustainable. So, with that in mind, here are our top-picks for eco-friendly kitchen products for a happier planet. Ready? Here we go!

(Tip: click on the product photo if you’d like to see it in our online store).

Danesco Stainless Steel Straws, Set of 4, $9.95

Save-It Silicone Straws, Set of 6, $9.95

Why It’s Important: There are an estimated 8 million tons of plastic that ends up in our oceans EACH YEAR. Whoa. Plastic straws are big offenders since they are small, light and are easily carried down waterways into oceans. This is bad news for marine animals – about 1 million turtles, sea birds, fish die from starvation or entanglement from ingesting plastics each year. And, millions more sea animals ingest toxic microplastics (that’s the broken down version of plastic ocean debris).

What We Love About These: Of course we’re stoked that both of these attractive straw sets are reusable, but we’re also super-duper happy that they are easy to clean. Both sets come with a tiny-but-nifty straw brush for cleaning, and both are dishwasher safe. And, both stainless steel and silicon straws won’t absorb flavours or odours.

Ecologie Swedish Sponge Cloths by Danica, $6.95 each

Why It’s Important: About 26% of the world’s landfills are full of paper. This isn’t cool, as paper in landfills contributes methane to the atmosphere as it decomposes, which is bad news for our ozone layer.

What We Love About These: Ok, how cool is this: just 1 of these sponge clothes replaces 40 paper towel rolls and 5 kitchen sponges! You can machine wash these babies at least 200x, AND when you’re done just chuck them in the compost and 9 months or so later they will have completely decomposed. Some other cool facts about these cloths: they’re super absorbent, dry quickly, are streak-free, bleach-safe, printed with water-based inks, and they come in dozens upon dozens of really beautiful designs. A huge winner for kitchen sustainability in our books!

Note: There are dozens of design options in the Ecologie Sponge Cloth line, and we’re still working on uploading them all to our e-store. To view our entire selection, visit us at the shop, 311 St. Lawrence St. Merrickville. We’re open Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Made by Bees Beeswax Wraps, Set of 3, 10″x10″, $24.95

Why It’s Important: Plastic cling wrap just feels wrong – it’s lightweight, is intended to be disposable, travels easily through our water systems and ends up in the bellies of wildlife. Not good.

What We Love About These: These reusable food wraps are entirely plastic free! We LOVE that these beeswax wraps are made locally in Brockville. Made by Bees has created an effective alternative to plastic cling wrap using 100% cotton infused with beeswax, resin and jojoba oil. Just wash these wraps with cool water after use, hang to dry and you be able to use them again and again. These wraps have a faint, pleasant fragrance of beeswax, and come in many different, pretty designs.

Save-It Reusable Printed cotton Produce Bags,

Set of 3 (8″x10″, 10″x13″ and 12″x16″), $19.95

Save-it Mesh Produce bags, set of  (12″x14″), $19.95

Why It’s Important: The average family takes home almost 1500 plastic bags per year, and guess where 80% of those end up? You got it – the ocean. And for those plastic bags that do make it to the landfill, many won’t degrade for about 500 years. What’s worse, plastic bags don’t break down completely, but rather photo-degrade, turning into toxic mircoplastics.

What We Love About These: Save-It reusable cotton bags replace 200+ plastic bags! They’re machine washable and are a much prettier alternative to plastic too. The mesh bags are like something out of a magician’s kit – they expand like crazy to carry large loads, and then shrink back again when you wash them. Both make fantastic alternatives to plastic on trips to the grocery store.

S’Well Triple-Layer Insulated Containers, (left to right: 17 oz/500 ml Bottle, $44.95; 18 oz/530 ml Tumbler w/ slide-open lid, $44.95; 16 oz/470 m. Traveler, 44.95)

Why It’s Important: In the U.S. alone, 25 billion Styrofoam cups are thrown away each year. It’s not just Styrofoam that’s the problem either; most paper cups are thrown away instead of recycled, leaving them to slowly decompose in landfills and give off harmful methane. Very worrisome indeed.

What We Love About These: S’Well’s line of 18/8 stainless steel containers are triple-insulated, keeping beverages cold for 17 hours and hot for 4 hours. Beat that, paper cups! Best of all, these non-odour absorbing cups can be used over and over again. Be sure to pick a design you love (there are many choices), because you’ll be using these containers for a loooooong time!