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By now we’re all too familiar with the green movement and the growing trend to be more environmentally friendly. When we’re trying to add some “green” to our lives, one of the first place homeowners turn to is the kitchen. There are more ways to transform your kitchen into an inviting, eco-friendly haven than one can list, but if you’re looking to go green in your home, the kitchen is a great place to start.
Here is a list of eco-friendly kitchen design ideas to help you get the ball rolling.
1. Use Bamboo for your kitchen flooring or furniture
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If you want a stylish, yet green look to your kitchen, bamboo is a great wood to work with to transform your kitchen design. While many homeowners choose to go with tile floors and walls, you can choose to install finished bamboo instead to bring a vibrant and bright look to your kitchen.
You can also add bamboo chairs for your breakfast bar seating, or purchase bamboo cutting boards.
2. Choose Eco-Friendly Recycled Glass Countertops
If bamboo isn’t your thing, there are other ways you can create the ultimate eco-friendly kitchen. Many homeowners have turned to eco-friendly recycled glass countertops. The Recycled Trend Glass from Granite Transformations is the perfect candidate as it is both heat resistant and cold resistant. The non-porous surface means spills won’t stain it and cleaning is very easy.
3. Eco-friendly Appliances are Key
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Eco Friendly Kitchen EkoKook by Faltazi
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past decade or so, you’ve heard about Energy Star appliances. The ones with the little logo sticker placed on the front that tell you the appliance is energy-efficient. Well, it’s no easy feat to get your appliance labeled with the Energy Star seal of approval, and with newer technology, these appliances can save you anywhere from 10 to 50% on your household energy consumption. If your refrigerator, stove and oven or dishwasher is due for an upgrade, look into your Energy Star options.
Another eco-friendly appliance you should strongly consider purchasing is an induction cooktop. Not only does this cut your cooking time in half, but induction cooktops are also approximately 90% energy-efficient as they waste very little heat energy.
4. Set-up a Kitchen Recycling Center
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If you were to walk onto any college campus’ mess hall, you would see a well-organized recycling center with individual bins for garbage, paper products, glass and plastics. With more and more offices around the country adopting the recycling center, so can you for your home. There are many all-inclusive recycling centers you can purchase for your home that make it a mindless effort to separate your paper, plastics and glass products.
The essence of going green, there’s no better place to start than by properly recycling your waste products, and this is amongst the least expensive ways to create your eco-friendly kitchen.
5. Let There be “Green” Light
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While the incandescent bulb remains the most commonly used light bulb in American households, there are significantly more energy-efficient options for you to choose from. Compact florescent light bulbs, also known as CFL bulbs, are amongst the most energy-efficient on the market, and are relatively inexpensive. These bulbs use electricity as a heat source to heat the mercury vapor within the bulb to provide you with visible light. Better yet, CFL bulbs last six times longer than your standard incandescent light bulb, and operate on 75% less energy.
As lighting can account for upwards of 10% of your household energy costs, examining your lighting options is an absolute must for any homeowner looking to create a truly green kitchen.
Rachael Jones is a blogger for DIYMother.