Building a Sustainable Kitchen

Naomi Hansen is the award-winning author of Only in Saskatchewan: Recipes & Stories from the Province's Best-Loved Eateries, her debut cookbook published in 2022. She is a contributor to many publications, including CBC, Chatelaine, and Canadian Living. Building a Sustainable Kitchen is her second book. She lives on Treaty 6 Territory in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan with her partner, Paul, and their dog, Rue. Find her online at naomihansen.ca.Elizabeth May is an Officer of the Order of Canada, a politician, environmental activist, lawyer, author, Member of Parliament, and Leader of the Green Party of Canada. She served as a policy advisor to the government of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and, in 2011, she became the first Green Party Member elected to the House of Commons. May has served as leader of the Green Party from 2006 to 2019, co-leader of the party from 2022–2025, and is once again the sole leader as of February 2025.

"Building a Sustainable Kitchen by Naomi Hansen is a refreshing, down-to-earth guide that cuts through the noise and brings clarity to the conversation around sustainability at home. With a thoughtful, evidence-based approach, Naomi empowers everyday Canadians to take practical steps toward a greener kitchen, without guilt or overwhelm. Her chapter on managing food waste is especially powerful: packed with smart, achievable strategies that align with Second Harvest’s mission to prevent perfectly good food from going to waste. From shopping smart to making the most of leftovers, this book is a must-read for anyone who wants to nourish their family while nourishing the planet. Inspiring, informative, and rooted in real-life experience, Building a Sustainable Kitchen proves that sustainability starts right where we gather most, around the kitchen table." —Lori Nikkel, Chief Executive Officer of Second Harvest"Building a Sustainable Kitchen is a refreshing, evidence-driven antidote to the noise surrounding sustainability. Naomi Hansen cuts through greenwashing and guilt with a clear, practical roadmap for creating a more planet-friendly kitchen—one realistic step at a time. Drawing on extensive interviews, academic research, and her own lived experience as a regular Canadian cook, Hansen demystifies the science behind everyday choices with honesty and humility. This book is grounded, accessible, and most importantly, useful. It’s a timely guide for anyone seeking sustainable habits without the hype.” —Sylvain Charlebois, Senior Director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University and co-host of The Food Professor Podcast“Eating sustainably can feel overwhelming! Naomi’s book breaks down complicated concepts into practical, doable steps that have real impact. Building a Sustainable Kitchen offers people flexibility and meets them where they are, at every stage of their sustainable living journey. With region-focused advice, easy-to-follow takeaways, and ‘What You Can Do’ sections scattered throughout, this book is an essential guide to building a sustainable future for all. Buy this book now—you’ll love it!” —Puneeta Chhitwal-Varma, author of Globe and Mail Best Cookbook, Good Food, Healthy Planet“Reducing food waste is one of the most powerful individual actions you can take. This book is your A to Z on how and why these simple everyday shifts in your kitchen can help reduce our carbon footprint. Going zero waste is impossible but it is something we all need to work towards.” —Christine Tizzard, creator of Zero-Waste Kitchen, author of Honest to Goodness, and ambassador for Love Food, Hate Waste“Looking to make your home and the world more sustainable? The kitchen is where your actions have the power to make the biggest impact and Naomi Hansen has done all the legwork to find out where and how you should prioritize your efforts. This is a fantastic, well researched reference guide for all of us.” —Bea Johnson, best-selling author of Zero Waste Home

• Table of ContentsForeword by Elizabeth May, Member of Parliament, Leader of the Green Party of CanadaIntroductionMy Journey to Building a Sustainable KitchenUnderstanding SustainabilityUnderstanding Climate ChangeWhy Food and KitchensBut Does Individual Action Really Matter?How to Use This BookThe Journey BeginsChapter 1: Food WasteWhat Is Food Waste and Why Does It Even Matter?What Food Waste Costs UsWhat Food Waste Costs the PlanetWhat You Can DoTake Stock: Build Awareness of Your Food Waste HabitsTake Stock Again: Check In with Your Fridge, Freezer, and Pantry RegularlyPlan Ahead, at the Store and at HomeUnderstand Best-Before DatesImprove Your Food Storage HabitsTable: Consumer Best Before TimetableBe Mindful of Food Waste Beyond Your Dinner TableTakeawaysChapter 2: Low-Waste CookingWhat You Can DoLearn to Cook Intuitively with What You HaveGet Comfortable SubstitutingUse Foods in Their EntiretyFind "Anything Goes" Recipes That Work for YouRepurpose Leftovers to Create Something Even BetterTakeawaysChapter 3: What We EatThe Impact of the Global Food SystemPlant-Based and Animal-Based Foods by the NumbersChart: Greenhouse Gas Emissions Across the Supply ChainBeef and Other Ruminant AnimalsWhat About Local or Sustainably Raised Food? How About Packaging?Chart: Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Food ProductionWhat About Fish and Seafood?What About DairyThe Prominence of Animal-Based Foods in SocietyThe Impacts of Plant-Based FoodsWhat You Can DoShift Toward a Plant-Based DietTake stock of Your Starting PointInvite Your Loved Ones into the ProcessSet Reasonable GoalsStart with What's Easiest for YouLearn to Cook with Plant-Based ProteinPrioritize Progress over Perfection and Reflect on the ProcessTakeawaysChapter 4: Local, Seasonal, OrganicEating LocalEating SeasonalWhy Eat Local and Seasonal?Eating Sustainably Looks Different in Every ClimateEating OrganicWhat Makes Food Organic?Is Eating Organic More Sustainable?What You Can DoReframe How You Think About Local and Seasonal FoodVisit a Farmers' Market Near YourSubscribe to a CSA or Local Food BoxBuy Your Animal-Based Foods Local and OrganicFind Your Region's Unique Ways to Source and Support Local, Seasonal, and OrganicTakeawaysChapter 5: Grocery ShoppingThe Principles Behind Sustainable Grocery ShoppingWhat You Can DoCreate a Reusable Grocery Shopping KitFind a Bulk Bin Store Near YouShop at a Zero-Waste Grocery StoreBuy in Bulk to Save on PackagingVisit Individual Local BusinessesSubscribe to a Food-Saving Produce BoxShop more Sustainably at a Conventional Grocery StoreBonus: Apply These Principles to Everything You BuyTakeawaysSidebar: Does Sourcing Food Sustainably Cost More?Chapter 6: CompostingHow Does Composting Work?Why Composting Helps Create a More Circular SystemWhat You Can DoUse Your Curbside Organics Collection Program—and Use it WellAdvocate for an Organics Program Near YouChoose a Home Composting OptionBonus: Understand Compostable Plastics—but Keep Them out of Your CompostTakeawaysChapter 7: RecyclingA Brief History of RecyclingWhat Is Mechanical Recycling?Which Materials Recycle Well?The Challenge of Recycling PlasticTypes of Plastic—and How They Affect RecyclingThe Economics of Recycling PlasticThe Challenges of Composite PlasticsUnderstanding Recycling LabelsOur Obsession With RecyclingWhat You Can DoGo on a Recycling TourFollow the Waste Hierarchy: Reduce, Reuse, Then RecycleUse the Recycling Services Available to You—and Use Them WellDo Your Homework for Hard-to-Recycle ItemsTakeawaysChapter 8: GarbageDefining WasteA Brief History of GarbageThe Grim Reality of LandfillsLinear Versus Circular SystemsThe Zero-Waste HierarchyWhat You Can DoReplace Garbage with Landfill in Your VocabularyTake Stock: Do a Kitchen Garbage InventoryMake Less GarbageConsider Your Garbage BagTakeawaysSidebar: My Experience Making Less Garbage—and the Limits of Individual ActionChapter 9: Disposables and ReusablesAre Reusable Items Always More Sustainable?The Zero-Waste Hierarchy: Zooming In on Refuse and ReduceWhat You Can DoRefuse: Use Up What You Already Have—and Then See What HappensImplement the Zero-Waste Hierarchy in Your KitchenThe Waste Hierarchy CategoriesLearning to Think Zero WasteAluminum Foil and PansDinnerwareDrink ReceptaclesPaper Baking ProductsPaper NapkinsPaper TowelPlastic Wrap of Cling WrapPlastic Zip-Top BagsStrawsWax PaperTakeawaysSidebar: Share What Your HaveChapter 10: PlasticsWhat Even Is Plastic? When Was It Created?What Happens to Plastic Once It Becomes Waste?Microplastics, Chemicals, and UsWhy Avoid PlasticsWhat You Can DoTake Stock: Do a Plastics Inventory in Your KitchenReduce and Avoid Plastics Moving ForwardTakeawaysChapter 11: Coffee and TeaThe Environmental Impacts of CoffeeThe Environmental Impacts of TeaA Sustainable Morning CuppaWhat You Can DoBuy Coffee and Tea That are More SustainableTake Stock: Clean Up Your Home Coffee and Tea RoutineDeliberately Reject Disposable Coffee CultureTakeawaysChapter 12: GardeningBuilding My Sustainable GardenWhat You Can DoStart a GardenTake Care of the SoilSay No to Synthetic Pesticides and FertilizersHarvest RainwaterDon't Buy a Bunch of New Garden StuffConsider End-of-Season PracticesBonus: Rewild Your Green Space Using Native PlantsTakeawaysChapter 15: WaterWater Use in CanadaWhat You Can DoWaste Less Water When You CookPut Thought into Your Drinking WaterCheck Your Kitchen Sink and TapConsider Your Dishwashing HabitsTakeawaysChapter 14: CleaningWhat You Can DoTake Stock: Do an Inventory of Your Kitchen Cleaning and Dish ProductsOpt for Greener CleanersTry Cleaning with Household IngredientsEvaluate Your Dish SoapEvaluate Your Cleaning and Dishwashing SuppliesTakeawaysChapter 15: AppliancesAppliances and Energy ConsumptionRenewable EnergyWhat You Can DoUse the Appliances You Already Have More EfficientlyCheck for Phantom PowerBuy Large Appliances That Are Energy EfficientBuy Small Appliances and Kitchen Gear Sparingly and ThoughtfullyRepair Your AppliancesImplement the Waste Hierarchy for End of LifeTakeawaysWhat’s Next? Building Sustainability Beyond the KitchenSustainability in an Unsustainable CultureThe Most Sustainable Actions Are Not Always What They SeemIndividuals Can Make Sustainable Choices, but Systems Need to Catch UpSustainability Is an Ongoing ChoiceWhat Is the Most IMpactful Action You Can Take From This Book?What More Can You Do?The Future Is in Our HandsAcknowledgementsResource List BibliographyList of Interviewees List of Figures Index