Kitchen Accessories

---

Plastic straws have become synonymous with wasteful unnecessary plastic and rightly so. Their eco-villain label is appropriate. Still, hundreds of millions of straws are thrown away every day! (Please ask restaurants and food vendors to offer paper straws). There are so many eco-friendly options these days, there is no reason to buy plastic ones anymore. Reusable Bamboo straws from Eartheasy come six to a set and a handy narrow cleaning brush is included. They are made from organic sustainably-harvested bamboo and are about eight inches long. There are no inks or dyes and they are suitable for any drink. These straws won the Eco-Choice award for Most Innovative Product at the Sustainability: Design for a Better World exhibition in New York in 2015. In addition to other environmental partnerships, Eartheasy plants one tree for every order placed on its website through its partnership with the Trees for the Future Foundation. Eartheasy also offers a food-grade stainless steel straw that’s also 8.5 inches in length. They come four to a pack and it includes a bristle cleaning brush and an unbleached carrying pouch for taking it along to work or anywhere. They are BPA-free, anti-rust and scratchproof. They have no metal aftertaste and no oxidation. This straw also comes in a curved style. 

For a long time I struggled with how to hang up pots and pans. For years they sat in a heap on a shelf. I have a cathedral ceiling and limited wall space so most racks designed for pots and pans weren't going to work for me. One day I saw these stainless steel peg boards and I knew that was my solution. I wanted a one large one but opted instead for two of these 16-inch square smaller ones to put on either side of a cubby space I have in the kitchen. I put them up myself, very easy. And got S hooks for the pots and pans. It looks great and my kitchen is more organized. These sturdy pegboards also come in 32-inch length and 48-inch length rectangular sizes. 

Composting vegetable scraps and coffee grinds is a great way to reduce the volume of trash thrown away. And if you have space to toss it out back into a designated compost area the garden, soil, bugs and worms love it. This stylish one-gallon compost keeper from Eartheasy is made of ceramic and has a stainless steel handle and charcoal filter in the top to absorb odors. Fits nicely on countertops.

Glass is best and Anchor Hocking's glass measuring cups are made in the U. S. from BPA-free, lead-free non-toxic glass. This set of three includes a one-cup, two-cup and four-cup measuring cup. They are designed with bold lettering to be easy to read. 

Eartheasy’s disposable picnic plates are made from biodegradable organic bamboo. They’re stronger than paper and better and safer for the environment than plastic. And more attractive too, suitable even for elegant events. They are free of harmful chemicals including pesticides, bleaches and dyes. They can be thrown away after use or tossed in a backyard compost heap where they will naturally break down in several months. Eartheasy also has some good options for non-toxic biodegradable picnic utensils. They are made from organic bamboo, are chemical-free and contain no dyes or bleaches.

This is a great glass pitcher. I have it and find it a good size and I'm happy with the quality. The stainless steel top is a great and has two pouring options. It's made of heat-resistant borosilicate glass, lead-free, lightweight, durable and suitable for cold and hot beverags.

There are a variety of water filters from simple to elaborate that you can install in your home that will remove toxins and other impurities. For simple countertop filtering, I use activated charcoal sticks in a glass pitcher. Charcoal is the same material that cleanses water in many filter systems, including the popular Brita systems. The big advantage is there is no plastic involved . No plastic housing and no plastic pitchers. I like Kishu sticks. They look like small black logs. They come in a biodegradable cardboard box and you can buy several different sizes. Take your stick and boil it for 10 minutes, and let it dry for half an hour, before putting it in a glass pitcher and letting it sit for a few hours while it bonds with and removes chemicals that may be in your water. I usually get the regular size sticks as they are perfect for an average two-quart size glass pitcher such as this one. or this one.. Other systems, like Brita, are fine but there's just no need for all that plastic. Kishu sticks remove such metals as lead, mercury, copper, uranium, aluminum from water. Reboil your sticks every few weeks and replace them after about four months. The removed toxins will not leach back into your water from the sticks because they have bonded with the charcoal at the molecular level. I usually get the regular size sticks as they are perfect for an average two-quart size glass pitcher such as this one. or this one. Other systems, like Brita, are fine but there's just no need for all that plastic.