by Christina Wright
They say the kitchen is the heart of a home, but in many homes, the kitchen is also the single biggest energy drain. Kitchen lighting, refrigeration and cooking consume about 41.5 percent of the total home energy use. Add to that total the other energy consumed in your kitchen, like space heating, cooling and water heating, and your kitchen is quite the energy hog. Creating an eco-friendly kitchen includes your choice of appliances, but it also goes beyond that; the floors, paint, pots and pans and other kitchen items you use can make your kitchen eco-friendly as well. This green kitchen buying guide will help you learn more about how to make your kitchen more energy efficient and environmentally friendly.
Energy-efficient appliances: Go green in your kitchen with Energy Star qualified kitchen appliances. Appliances certified by Energy Star use 10 to 50 percent less energy and water than standard models. Energy Star appliances meet strict energy-efficiency guidelines set by the Environmental Protection Agency and US Department of Energy. For more information, check out energystar.gov.
Energy-efficient doors and windows: Nothing runs up heating and cooling bills like a drafty door or window. Even skylights can add to your energy bill. Check your weather stripping every year. Replace window and door seals that are cracked or missing. Also, if doors and windows are old and thin, replace them with doors that are thicker and offer more insulation or with double-paned windows.
Energy-efficient lighting: The most energy-efficient lighting choices for your kitchen are compact fluorescent lighting and LED lighting. Compact fluorescent lighting has come a long way since the dim office lighting of years ago. This lighting simulates natural light, reduces eye stress and fatigue, has low heat emission and will ultimately save you money. LED lighting works well for under-cabinet lighting, and it uses the least energy of all.
Induction stovetops: Induction stovetops are specialty appliances that use electricity to produce a magnetic field which reacts to the iron content of your cookware to produce heat. Induction stovetops can be used with stainless steel, cast iron and enameled steel cookware. Induction cooking uses about 90 percent less energy than gas and radiant electric stoves. Although induction cooking is pretty new, look for new advances and price reductions to come along soon.
Eco-friendly flooring: Popular eco-friendly flooring choices include cork and bamboo. Cork is a great thermal and acoustic insulator. It has a great memory, meaning it will spring back when dented, and it is soft underfoot. Bamboo flooring is made from quick-growing bamboo stalks and offers the same beautiful look you can get from wood. For either flooring material, use nontoxic glue. Many other items you might use in your kitchen, from window shades to serving bowls, are also made of these materials.
Recycled countertops and backsplashes: Recycled materials make beautiful countertops and backsplashes: recycled glass, recycled porcelain, concrete and resin or a mix of all of them. Bamboo is also used to make countertops, and butcher block countertops made from certified and rediscovered forest products are also very popular. Resin recycled paper composites are gaining steadily in popularity, too. All of these recycled products make great countertops and backsplashes.
Low-flow faucets or an aerator: Adding an aerator to your faucet is one of the best and least expensive ways to increase water conservation in your home. Water pressure is not noticeably affected. If you already have an aerator installed, its flow rating should be on the side and should read 2.75 gallons per minute (gpm) or lower. If it is over 2.75 gpm, replace it. Most faucets are threaded to accept aerators.
Lead-free dinnerware: The federal standard for lead in dinnerware is three parts per million (ppm); it is 0.2265 ppm in California. If you have older dinnerware, chances are it contains lead. Do yourself and your family a favor by upgrading your dinnerware to lead-free dinnerware. Also look for lead-free crystal and serveware.
New pots and pans: Metal leaches out of pots and into our food. Most of the time, it is in small amounts, but for a green kitchen, even small amounts count. Use inert cooking utensils like glass or porcelain-enameled steel or iron. Replace your worn or scratched cookware with new cookware, but be cautious; avoid high heat with nonstick coatings and remember that acidic foods, like tomatoes, leach metals from pans.
Creative uses for old things: Your old pots and pans and dinnerware make great camp cookware when they are no longer used in your kitchen. You can also remove the handles from lighter frying pans and use them as a back-up dish for camping trips. For other ways to reuse household items, check out the World Environmental Organization website at www.world.org.
Reusable kitchen accessories: To really say you have a green kitchen, follow the mantra of reduce, reuse, recycle. Don't waste money on paper plates and plastic forks that are just thrown away. Instead, invest in long-lasting, quality kitchen items, such as cloth napkins, reusable coffee filters for coffee machines, tote bags for shopping and reusable lunch box containers.
VOCs, otherwise known as volatile organic compounds, are gases emitted from certain solids or liquids, like cabinet glue, varnish and paint. VOCs are the cause of the "new" smell. Many things have VOCs, including cleaning supplies, pesticides, building materials, furnishings, copiers, printers, permanent markers and lacquers. When you're online shopping to outfit your green kitchen, look for products that are describes as "low-VOC" or "no-VOC." They release a minimum of VOC pollutants and are almost completely odor-free.
Instead of tossing out your old housewares, find them a new home. Have a garage sale or donate your gently used appliances and kitchen items to charity. If your pots and pans are too old to be reused, recycling is a great choice. If you are unsure of the recycling practices in your city, check Earth 911 online at earth911.org. You can look up recycling places by location, zip code or item.
