Here at Green Renters we spend a lot of time thinking about ways to live sustainably in a rental property. Like everyone, sometimes we find it hard to find time to do everything around the home that we’d like to. But I see it as an ong0ing process rather than a big list of ‘must do now’ items. Finding time to garden can be hard, and finding time to shop ethically even harder.

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We talk a lot in our workshops about reducing packaging in the kitchen, especially in relation to food, so imagine our ‘delight’ in finding this great post on SustainLane full of great ideas to achieve just that…

Enjoy!

In our garden we have an over abundance of zucchinis growing! They’re easy to grow and great for swapping, baking and making into soups and fritters. Here’s one of my favourite ways of using them:

Ingredients

Preparation method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
2. In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Stir in the egg and vanilla, mix well, then stir in the grated zucchini. Sift together the flour, baking soda and cinnamon, stir into the zucchini mixture. Finally, stir in the oats, muesli and chocolate chips.
3. Drop dough from a teaspoon onto an ungreased baking sheet. Leave about 5cm between biscuits. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven

Recipe sourced from All Recipes with changes by Cate

Ways to make your fridge energy efficient from Colleen Quinn:

• Don’t keep your fridge too cold. A change of one degree can effect energy consumption by 5%. Freezers should operate at -15°C to -18°C while fresh food compartments should be held at around 3°C to 5°C.
• Clean the coils annually.
• Cover food and drink to avoid evaporation in the fridge, which can force the compressor to work harder.
• Keep your freezer filled. Frozen blocks of food keep freezer temperatures more stable.
• Don’t clutter the fridge top; it can hamper the compressor’s proper air circulation.
• Don’t put your refrigerator in direct sunlight or next to an oven or dishwasher.
• Check the door seals. They should be able to hold a piece of paper in place.
• Defrost the freezer regularly and avoid frost build-ups of more than a quarter-inch.

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images © Burkhard SchällerI was excited to see a post about  this mobile kitchen from the Talents section at Ambiente 2010 Consumer Goods Fair in Frankfurt. It was created by German interior designer Burkhard Schäller and features three mobile and collapsible components  for chopping, water and cooking which can of course, be moved around easily. The fact that it folds up could mean awesome possibilities for those in shared rental spaces who are longing to eschew the communial kitchen, and I imagine there would be ways of setting this up as an outdoor or even studio kitchen.

I found this article on the internet and knew I’d have to share it on Green Renters. I am an enthusiastic cook who is at times, prone to burning things. Especially when toasting spices or trying to make toffee and I get distracted by something else…

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