The kitchen is
commonly cited as people’s favorite room, but it is one of the least
eco-friendly rooms in the average home. Most people never consider the
environmental impacts of their kitchen when cooking or cleaning, so most
kitchens are nowhere near as green as they could be. Making your kitchen
environmentally friendly doesn’t require an extraordinary amount of time or
money, and with some simple changes, you can easily turn your kitchen green.
Combining small changes with larger green projects, like solar energy, can lead to even greater
benefits for both you and the planet.
Solar Powered
Regardless of what
is in your kitchen or how you use it, you need electricity. Standard homes are
tied to an electrical grid and energy usage comes with a monthly bill, but this
is not a renewable or sustainable system. Homeowners are adding solar panels to
reduce their energy bills while being environmentally friendly.
Solar panels generate
energy when sunlight hits photovoltaic silicon cells, which allows photons to
knock electrons free from atoms creating electricity and the energy is either
used or stored for later. Roof-mounted solar panels are the most common way
homeowners add solar energy to their homes and the barriers to entry are
shrinking every year as many governments offer incentives or tax credits for
going solar. The cost of adding solar energy to your home depends on the size
of your desired solar panel system with the average price ranging from $10,000
to $18,000. Most solar panel systems do not entirely eliminate a household’s
monthly energy bill, but they can greatly reduce it. Calculating your potential
savings depends on many factors, and you should talk with a professional
consultant to determine the components of your unique situation.
Stand the Test of Time
When you are
outfitting your kitchen, it can be tempting to buy cheap utensils, pots, and
pans, but this is not financially or environmentally advised. If you buy a
cheap non-stick pan, there is a high likelihood you will need to replace that
pan sooner than a higher quality pan. A cast-iron pan might be expensive, but
that pan can be passed down through generations because of its quality. Buying
a poorly made product might save you money upfront, but will cost you more
money in the long run.
Not only will
buying higher quality tools save you money, but it helps save the planet. When
cheap goods break, they are tossed into landfills and contribute to global
waste. Many cheap kitchen tools contain toxic materials such as Teflon that
cause environmental damage even after the tool is thrown out.
Energy Star Appliances
Large kitchen
appliances use a significant amount of energy, especially older models, but Energy Star
appliances are the greenest option. Energy Star appliances are certified by the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to be more energy-efficient than
non-Energy Star appliances. While Energy Star appliances have a higher sticker
price than traditional appliances, you will save money in the long run through
energy savings.
You may think
swapping out your old appliances with Energy Star appliances is the greenest
option, but it is far more environmentally friendly to use your current
appliances until they no longer function. Throwing out something that still
works is wasteful, so use your current appliances until they reach the end of
their life and then buy Energy Star replacements. Many communities have appliance
take-back programs where professionals will take your dead appliances and
properly dispose of hazardous materials.
Correct Wasteful Habits
Many homeowners
have daily habits that they aren’t aware are environmentally harmful. Standing
in front of your fridge with the door open trying to decide what to eat may
seem harmless, but you are wasting energy by keeping your fridge open
unnecessarily. Your fridge is constantly working to maintain a certain
temperature and holding the doors open forces it to work harder and use more
energy to stay at the set temperature.
Washing dishes by
hand might seem like the green way of cleaning, but running a fully loaded
dishwasher is more eco-friendly than washing the same amount of dishes by hand.
A fully loaded dishwasher uses less water and energy than cleaning dishes by
hand, but this is only true when your dishwasher is full. For smaller loads of
dishes, cleaning them by hand is the green option. Turn off the heated dry
option on your dishwasher and let your dishes air dry to save even more energy.
Making your kitchen
more environmentally friendly doesn’t need to be complicated. Consider adding
solar energy to your house to make your entire house greener. Buy quality
kitchen tools that will stand the test of time, replace dead appliances with
Energy Star alternatives, and fix wasteful habits to make your kitchen as
eco-friendly as possible.
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