Earth Day 365: Week Three

Can you believe we are already in our third week of Earth Day 365?! We've already found two ways we can lessen our impact on the environment by taking action in our homes (especially our kitchens!) This week's challenge is another one that hits pretty close to home for me. If I thought giving up paper towels was hard, I hadn't even wrapped my head around this one. Week three's challenge is:

Boy, this is a toughie for me. So this week, I've asked my friend Kira, formerly of the awesome printable party store paper & CAKE to show us how to give up one of these most ubiquitous of kitchen objects - zippered plastic baggies. But what, you may be asking yourself, can you replace these landfill-fillers with? Why, re-usable bags and wraps, of course. And the best part - Kira's gonna show you how to make them for yourself!

At the end of the last school year, I lamented the amount of plastic baggies we went through. And while I did my best to "re-use" said plastic baggies, they really only made it through a couple of uses. So, what to do? Make my own! Here's how ~ with a disclaimer.

*Disclaimer: I am not the best stitcher in the world; oh, all right, I failed my pattern drafting class in graduate school for Costume Design; they had me do all the painting and dyeing my stitching skills were so poor. I say this, not to discourage the would-be sewer, but to encourage you. If I can do it (and no one looks too closely) you can too!*

Supplies 

(makes one bag)

1/4 yard cotton fabric (I'd recommend buying fat quarters), pre-washed

1/4 yard rip-stop nylon

Velcro®

Step One:

Cut out a 7.5" X 17" rectangle of both the cotton and the rip-stop.

Step Two:

Place wrong sides out, cotton on top of nylon. Stitch 1/4" seams on 3

sides - leaving one short side open.

Turn right side out. Fold open edge in, and top-stitch closed.

Step Five:

Top-stitch the 3 pocket sides (leaving the top edge open).

Step Six:

Adhere Velcro® tabs to create closure.

Note: these can be washed in the washing-machine or dishwasher!

Try making snack-sized ones too...

How are your Earth Day 365 Challenges going? We're still loving our local produce from Greenling.com - we've even started getting our milk, eggs and cheese through them - all from local providers! We tried out the Farmstead box this week - $15 for a selection of locally made tasties. This week included pico de gallo and chips and wonderful Thumbprint Scones from the Little Bluestem Bakery. And as for the paper towels - let's just say, my kitchen towels and wash cloths are getting a good work out! Hope you're coming along for the ride with us - let us know what kind of changes you're making to help the environment - email us at thekidcancookblog{at}gmail{dot}com.