Green Your Kitchen!!

Ever look through your cupboards of your kitchen and wonder how Eco-friendly it is? Probably not, but now is the time to do so!

There are numerous ways to live with an environmental kitchen such as what stone you use for your counter, the refrigerator you purchase, the appliances you use, and so on.

For a list of 10 Earth-friendly kitchen counters, Click Here! One of the more interesting kitchen counters on this site that caught my eye was the Fuez which is "made with recycled glass, fly ash, stone and shells, it’s more durable than marble." Its eco-friendliness stems from the fact that it's made with "60% to 80% recycled materials, including beer bottles; made using 100% wind-generated electricity."

When I think about "greening" my kitchen, I don't necessarily go into remodeling the countertops or shopping for new fridges because let's face it, a good majority of us are on tight budgets these days. Instead, I attempt the little things like unplugging my appliances when they're not in use. Note that appliances that are NOT in use yet still plugged into an outlet do have the potential to suck electricity and that's a big, environmental no-no!!

In addition, I make sure to purchase recycled paper towels and use them as minimally as I can. Investing in kitchen towels helps to reduce the use of paper towels when drying dishes or cleaning countertops, so take that into consideration as well!

Now let's discuss one of the most important aspects that make up a kitchen: the refrigerator. According to the U.S. Green Building Council: "Refrigerators use 14 percent of a home’s electricity, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Today’s most efficient 20-cubic-foot refrigerators use 47 percent less electricity than 1993 models." If you've perhaps just been convinced to pull together some funds for a new fridge, then check out ENERGY STAR for one that will be worth the money! It's for the Earth, do it for your planet. :]

For even MORE ways of greening your kitchen, check this site out! They've got a lot of useful methods that will blow your mind.

Peace&Love,
Dr. Green T

Works Cited:
Green Home Guide Staff. "Creating a Green Kitchen: From Resource Planning to Maintenance." U.S. Green Building Council's Green Home Guide. 03 Sep 2009. U.S. Green Building Council, Web. 26 Nov 2009. http://greenhomeguide.com/know-how/article/creating-a-green-kitchen-from-resource-planning-to-maintenance