Everyone knows they're suppose to recycle. But what are some other ways to make your kitchen eco-friendly. Here is a list of ten easy ideas to help the environment, many that you can do right now.
Buy as much as you can from local producers. Most produce in the U.S. is shipped an average of 1500 miles before being sold. That's a lot of wasted fuel! Also, large national producers use a large amount of paper and plastic to keep food fresh. Buying local also means supporting small farmers and the local economy. Shop your local farmers market or grow your own garden. It doesn't get more local than that!
There are several species of fish and shellfish that have been severely overfished in the past decades (not to mention trouble with pollution). Only by making better choices at the supermarket can we change the demise of these creatures. Some of the fish in danger include Red Snapper, Orange Roughy, and Chilean Seabass. Better buying choices would be U.S. farmed Tilapia, Striped Bass, and Pacific Halibut. For a complete list of environmentally friendly fished seafood and seafood to avoid, check out the
Seafood Watch Guide.
Check out the label of most household cleaning products and you'll find something about calling 911 or the Poison Control Hotline. This stuff is not good for people, animals, or the environment! Most things in the kitchen can be cleaned with the Big 3: Vinegar, Baking Soda, and Lemons. Try these first and save the industrial strength stuff for the truly difficult cleaning.
Think before tossing out those vegetable scraps. Can I use this for something else? Many vegetables work great for making a chicken or vegetable stock. Parsley stems, carrot pieces, onions, tomato bits, celery, and others work great. If you or a neighbor has a garden, compost your kitchen scraps in a compost pail. There are several on the market today that are orderless and store nicely under the kitchen sink.
One of the easiest ways to save energy in the kitchen is to change those incandescent bulbs to more energy efficient fluorescent bulbs. Compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), which fit in a standard light socket, use less energy and create less heat, thus saving more energy from cooling costs. Another alternative is to incorporate more natural lighting in your kitchen. Consider installing a tubular skylight. These skylights are relatively inexpensive and bring a considerable amount of light into the kitchen.
If you're in the market for a new appliance, be sure to look for the Energy Star symbol. Energy Star is a program used by the EPA to identify products that are more energy efficient, typically 10- to 20-percent more efficient for kitchen appliances. Other tips: Convection (with fan) ovens are 25% more efficient than conventional ovens because they cook faster. Self-cleaning ovens are better insulated. Refrigerators with the freezer on the top or bottom are more efficient than side-by-side models.
Make your sure your range hood is cleaned frequently and working properly. A poor range hood will not ventilate properly creating a hotter kitchen and higher cooling costs. There are many energy efficient hoods on the market. Also, make sure the range hood vents to the
outside and is not being recirculated or vented into the attic. Hot air directed into the attic will increase your cooling costs.
When remodeling your kitchen, consider using products made from recycled materials. Both
countertops,
cabinets, and
flooring are available in beautiful designs. Recycled materials include reclaimed timber, stone, concrete, plastics, and even paper. Another option is using a highly renewable resource such as bamboo. Bamboo is very durable, regrows extremely fast, and is harvested from plantations not the wild. Check out beautiful bamboo flooring from
EcoTimber and cabinets from
Totally Bamboo.
9. Use the Right Size Pan for the Job
Use the smallest size pot or pan necessary for the cooking task. A smaller cooking surface requires less energy to heat. Also, match the pan to the right size burner. Cooking with a 6-inch diameter pan on an 8-inch burner wastes over 40% of the heat produced. Use a microwave (gasp!) for small tasks like melting butter.
Induction cooktops are greatly more efficient than gas or electric rangetops with a power saving of 40- to 70-percent. These cooktops use induction heating which involves an electromagnetic field causing resistance (and heat) in an ferrous (iron-containing) pot or pan. They offer almost instantaneous temperature control and a cooktop that remains cool to the touch (only the pot gets hot). Induction cooktops are still more expensive than conventional cooktops, but prices will most likely fall rapidly as they become more popular and competition increases.
