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.
If you are remodeling or planning a new kitchen, consider adding a few of these products to make your kitchen more eco-friendly and cost effective.
Energy-efficient appliances: An easy part of any green kitchen makeover is buying Energy Star qualified kitchen appliances. They use 10 to 50 percent less energy and water than standard models. Energy Star appliances have met strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the EPA (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 windows with double panes.
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 ferric (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 non-toxic glue.
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 have an aerator installed, its flow rating should be on the side and should read 2.75 gpm (gallons per minute) or lower. If it is over 2.75 gpm, replace it. Most faucets are threaded to accept aerators.
Where you place your appliances can also affect the environmental impact. Appliance placement is one of the best ways to save energy, and it's also one of the easiest. By simply moving your appliances out of direct sunlight and away from heat sources, you will reduce the amount of energy they use to stay cool. Move your refrigerator away from the window and give it enough space between the wall and the refrigeration coils so hot air can dissipate. When you design your green kitchen, remember that it's not just about what you use but also about where you put it.
There are other additions to your kitchen and your home that can greatly impact how eco-friendly you can make your life, and they are easy and often inexpensive.
Lead-free dinnerware: The federal standard for lead in dinnerware is three parts per million (ppm) or 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 hollowware (anything that holds liquid, like a pitcher).
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 porcelain enamel over steel or iron and glass. Your old cookware may be worn or your nonstick coatings scratched. Replace these with new cookware, but be cautious; avoid high heat with nonstick coatings, and remember that acidic foods, like tomatoes, leach metals from pans.
Wear them out -- outdoors: Your old pots and pans and dinnerware make great camp cookware when they no longer are 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.
One of the best ways to have a green kitchen is to buy reusable kitchenware. Don't waste your money on paper plates and plastic forks that are just thrown away. Instead, invest in long-lasting, quality kitchen items, such as:
Cloth towels
Cloth tablecloths and napkins
Reusable coffee filters for coffee machines
Tote bags for shopping
Reusable lunch box containers
Rechargeable batteries
Glass containers for food and kitchen storage
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.
What are VOCs?
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.
Are there any eco-friendly cleaning supplies?
There are a lot of green cleaning solutions available. Laundry detergent advertised as "free and clear" contains no dyes or perfumes. Natural dish detergents are water based and non-toxic, and natural kitchen cleaners use natural ingredients, like orange and lemon, to clean your home without any chlorine or petroleum-based solvents. Eco-friendly cleaning supplies are also biodegradable, and that is one of the best ways to identify them.
Where can I recycle my old pots and pans?
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.
Cook fresh
Often we waste a lot of food when we try to buy it fresh (like herbs). Make your food fresh without the waste by grinding your own grains, nuts or herbs. Food grinders let you grind only what you need, and it will be fresh and flavorful when you use it; the longer your grains and spices remain on the shelf, the less flavor they have.
Set up a composting area
Somewhere in your backyard, set up a composting area. Compost has so many environmental benefits and these benefits could also help you in the kitchen:
Compost enriches soil: You won't need to buy soil add-ins for your kitchen garden.
Compost helps clean contaminated soil: Compost treats VOCs, absorbs odors and removes explosives and metal.
Compost helps prevent pollution: Instead of adding those banana peels to your trash bag to then relase methane while they're in a landfill, add them to your compost, where they will be used to help grow more fresh produce.
Compost reduce your need for water, fertilizers and pesticides: Your enriched garden soil will grow food and flowers better without all those extras.
Decorate green
Bamboo is a staple of the eco-friendly home; add bamboo kitchen decor and add style and renewable resources to your home. Bamboo table runners and placemats are easy to care for; just wipe them clean. Bamboo also stands up well to heat. Shop Overstock.com for kitchen decor that can help you go green in your kitchen and your home.
