Guest Blogger: Eco-Friendly Kitchen Inspiration

Guest Blog #81, Entry #532, May 24, 2011

It’s always a treat to find eco-friendly ways to improve your lifestyle and the Earth at the same time. Especially in the kitchen, where food, running appliances, and still keeping the aesthetics beautiful can often be a challenge.

Today, our Guest Blogger Isaac, gives you tips for having an ‘eco kitchen’ in your home.

Eco friendly kitchen inspiration

Image courtesy of Design Wagen

There are many different ways to make your day to day living more in harmony with ecologically responsible priorities. One way to do this is to create an “eco kitchen.” A kitchen works on many levels that can impact the environment. From the food you prepare to the materials used in the kitchen’s construction to the appliances used to whether or not you recycle – All of these levels can be brought into greater harmony with the ecology of the planet and thus play a part in the environmental healing and rehabilitation of our earth. The following are some ideas you can use in creating your own eco kitchen:

Use Green Construction Materials

If possible, try to use green construction material in the actual construction of your kitchen. This is of course easiest if you are having the house custom built or building it yourself. However, even if the house has already been built, you can consider remodelling options that are ecologically responsible. For instance, you can use green flooring. This is flooring (and by flooring we mean everything from the subfloor to the planks to any tile you use) that is made from recycled or renewable materials. Some options here are recycled or reclaimed wood (either plywood or boards), tiles, stone flooring, and so on. Pretty much any material that is reused from another source will help conserve the earth’s resources and can be used in kitchen construction.
Another option here is to investigate new materials such as wood or stone that has been cultivated in an ecologically responsible way. Not all companies that deal in these products do so with the same level of green awareness. So investigating which companies to do business with for building materials should be a first step that you take when planning to build or remodel your kitchen to make it greener.

Certain building materials such as wheat board and bamboo are much more renewable than the traditional timber that is used in lumber production. So investigate using these as well. Wheat board is a by-product of wheat harvesting that would otherwise go to waste and bamboo grows back very quickly after being cut. So both of these are great eco-friendly options as regards building materials.

Eco friendly construction materials

Image courtesy of Bamboo Plant Care

Cook Organic Food

A kitchen is for preparing food. So it makes sense that an eco-kitchen would prepare ecologically responsible food. You can buy certified organically grown products to prepare in your eco kitchen. The organic food industry is large and well organized now and you can get a huge variety of organic food products. Make all kinds of interesting recipes with the ingredients you purchase to inspire people to cook in vegetarian and organic ways themselves.

Appliances and Power Usage

In order to cool ecologically sound food in your kitchen, you need various kitchen appliances. The way to make these appliances more eco-friendly is to get appliances that are energy efficient. The design of common kitchen appliances has evolved over time, and new appliances often use much less energy than old ones, thus helping to preserve the earth’s energy resources. Investigate high efficiency ovens, stoves, toasters, and so on and compare their energy consumption data with existing ones that you own. You may be surprised by how much more efficient they are. You can even use low voltage, energy conserving lighting in your eco kitchen.

Energy efficient appliances

You will have fun designing your eco kitchen as well as learn a lot in the process. The kitchen is a high usage area where you will find many opportunities to promote a greener earth. This is a local step that can have global implications.

Isaac writes on behalf of Cliq Studios a home improvements business who design, manufacture and sell quality kitchen cabinets which come with a lifetime warranty. Use the Cliq Studios website to visualise your new kitchen, request free kitchen samples or to simply browse the kitchen design blog for inspiration. Whatever your requirement – trust Cliq Studios’ Kitchen Cabinets to exceed expectations.

For more kitchen & bath ideas on Stagetecture, click here.