Sustainable development is quite the trendy term these days. However, being green at home is not just about recycling or up- and downcycling, it's devoted to using our resources to their fullest. So, what would you say if I told you that about 20% of the food an average household has in it's refrigerator goes bad before it's consumed? Doesn't sound too environmentally-friendly, does it?

Despite all the high-tech gadgets we have in our kitchens - refrigerators which will cool your meal instantly, microwaves to heat up the food in seconds, dishwashers which do the dirty work with one push of a button, we still face the same problems our ancestors did - quite a lot of our food goes to waste.

Inspired by the creative food preservation techniques used throughout the ages, designer Jihyun Ryou challenges us to reconsider our storage methods. Maybe the giant white box we place fruits, vegetables, dairy products and etc. is as all-mighty as we believe. Based on time-honed storage techniques, Jihyun's food preservation units give a new meaning to the word sustainability.

Eggs - Taste & Preservation

We all know that an egg shell is fragile. However, what few are familiar with is that it has millions of microscopic holes through which it absorbs not only odours but also substance around it. The next time you tuck the eggs in that oh-so-handy little tray inside the refrigerator door, you might want to consider how your preservation method might impact the taste of the eggs.

Jihyun Ryou's neat wall shelf provides the ultimate storage facility - away from other food and unpleasant "fridge" odours. Something better, it offers you the means to test whether the eggs are fresh. When placed in a water container a fresh egg will sink on the bottom while an old one will remain on the surface.

Root Vegetables Preservation

Which is the reason you most often clean up your fridge? From personal experience, I would have to vote for the slimy mess on the bottom of the appliance. While I prefer to leave this to my cleaning maid as it can get far too messy for me, others are forced to deal with the fridge cleaning, the smells and unknown substances leaking from the vegetable drawer on their own.

Jihyun's invention is about to put an end to all of those. His research indicates that when placed in vertical position, carrots, parsnips and celery retain their freshness over a more extended period of time. The sand, on the other hand, balances the humidity and keeps the vegetables upright.

Vegetables & Humidity

One thing is for certain when it comes to veggies - if they don't look good, they won't taste well either. Once they begin to loose humidity, they wrinkle and shrivel and you have no other choice but to throw them on the compost pile. Now, there is a way to keep them fresh for longer. With the elegant wooden rack with a water tray on the bottom by Jihyun Ryou, you will have fresh peppers, cucumbers and eggplants at any time.