Eco-Kitchen: Earth Friendly Tips for Your Kitchen

Eco-friendliness is the mantra of the moment as people are growing increasingly aware of the need to protect the environment. The kitchen, which is the heart of a home, offers a lot of opportunities towards this end.

The best time to take the appropriate ‘green' measures is when you are installing an entirely new kitchen. It’s the perfect time for designing your kitchen around naturally available resources and eco friendly kitchen appliances.

Installing a 'green' kitchen

Plan the layout of your kitchen in such a way that it makes best use of available natural light. If sinks and worktops are placed under windows, it does away with the need of switching on lights unnecessarily. A brilliantly energy-efficient move! Okay, so not everybody is lucky enough to design their kitchens around natural light. What you can and should do then, is install energy saving lighting in your kitchen. These lights last much longer and use far less energy than conventional light bulbs.

When looking for eco-friendly kitchen appliances; look for those that have an ‘A’ rating. These appliances, such as washing machines that have energy-saving wash settings and dishwashers that feature half-wash programs, are certified energy-efficient.

Worktops made of recycled stone or recycled plastic look just as good and are as durable as granite or marble worktops. They are also hygienic, easy to clean and moreover can be molded to form a sink, giving you a smooth, seamless finish.

Bamboo is a raw material that has been praised for its positive eco-friendly credentials. It grows very quickly and in abundance. It is incredibly versatile and can be used to create excellent eco-friendly chopping boards and bamboo salad bowls.

If you would like to design your worktop using wood, make sure the wood has a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) seal that guarantees the wood is got from a sustainable source.

Eco friendly kitchen tips

Now that you’ve bought your energy-efficient appliances and eco-friendly worktop, you can go one step further and ensure that everything you do in the kitchen is equally energy-efficient and environmentally friendly.

• Put foods in the fridge only after they have cooled down completely and naturally.
• Avoid opening the oven door while cooking is in progress as this lowers the oven temperature by almost 25 degrees and the food will require a longer time to get cooked. You can check your dish by turning on the light and peering in through the glass on the oven door.
• Use your dishwasher only when you have a full load of dishes. After the wash cycle, open the dishwater door and keep the door open to allow the dishes to dry naturally. Try and avoid using the dryer to dry your dishes, as this expends the most energy.
• Remember to recycle and reuse whenever you can.
• Dispose off your compost-able kitchen waste separately from glass, tin and plastic.

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