How to Have an Environmentally Friendly Kitchen

With today's environmental concerns, living a more green lifestyle is important to many families. Often people convert their kitchens, because after all the kitchen is the center of the home. Transitioning your kitchen to be a more eco-friendly room is easier than one might think. Simple changes can be made that will help make your kitchen more environmentally friendly, yet still leave it functional for your everyday use.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Appliances
   There are many simple adjustments you can make to your kitchen appliances that will reduce your negative impact on the environment. Starting with the refrigerator is wise, because it is one of the biggest wastes of energy in your home. You should always set the temperature of your refrigerator between 38-42 degrees Fahrenheit/3-5 degrees Celsius. Never keep the door open for long and try getting everything you need at one time so you can reduce the amount of times your refrigerator is opened. On your stove a few simple changes will have you saving energy as well. Use an electric kettle rather than a pot to boil water, because the kettle use less energy than the stove. Invest in glass pans, because they heat quick than metal. Try to use pots and pans that encompass the whole burner, because it use less energy to heat that way. Unless your baking, cut out the preheating of your oven. Thaw food before you cook to reduce oven time. When it comes to your dishwasher, only run it when you have a full load. Additionally, turn it off, open the door and let it air dry after the rinse cycle.
2. Use Less
   There are many small ways you and your family can cut corners to help the environment. Start off by not letting your water run while doing dishes. You can also use less paper products by switching from paper napkins to cloth and from paper towels to rags. When you buy food for your kitchen consider purchasing bulk items, because they use less packaging. Choose food packaged in containers that you know you can recycle after you use them. Buy organic food, it is better for you and the environment. Try purchasing fruits and vegetables locally. It not only supports the local economy, but reduces food transportation, thus has a lesser impact on the environment. Additionally, when the need arises to store food, use glass containers if possible or reuse plastic containers rather than throwing them away.
3. Of course there are major changes you can make in addition to these small changes. Converting to energy star appliances when feasible is definitely wise. Reducing your use of water and appliances altogether is suggested. If your really brave you can also compost your food scraps for use with your own organic garden. The point is if you reduce, reuse and recycle you will have done your part and if everyone made these small changes we would rapidly move toward major change.