Getting green is not only great for the environment but it makes you feel good about doing your part to save the earth.
Here are some excellent tips to get your kitchen as green as the grass outside your window.
- Take control of your water flow – You can attach to your kitchen faucet a low flow aerator that mixes air into the flow of water which in turn cuts the usage of water without affecting the water pressure. You can find them at any hardware or home center and they typically cost $10 or less.
- You and Your Dishwasher – You may be surprised to find that when you use the dishwasher to do the dishes the water you use is actually less than if you had done them by hand. This will make a lot of green conscious homemakers very happy! Only run the dishwasher when it is full and choose the setting that will be most energy efficient. Instead of using the heat system to dry your dishes, choose to air dry them instead.
- Change Your Dish Detergent – There is plenty of products available that you can use that are environmentally friendly for your dish liquid. Typical dish washing products contain phosphates that will make its way into the waterways in your area which in turn causes growth of algae, a direct threat to wildlife. Many of those same dish liquids will release chlorine in the steam of the dishwasher and find their way into your home.
- Learn to Compost – If you are not a city dweller then composting your food trash can turn into a valuable fertilizer for your garden. Discarded food stuffs such as eggshells, banana peels and coffee grounds when treated properly can have your garden flourishing from the nutritious compost you feed.
- Bigger is Not Better – Small appliances are much more energy efficient than those that are large. If you are cooking a small portion of food or heating up leftovers use a toaster oven or a microwave which will use less energy than a stove or the oven. If you need to boil water, try using an electric kettle as it uses far less power than had you heated the water on your cook top.
Going green isn’t as difficult as you may think. There is plenty of information available that will allow you to green the whole house and save money once you begin implementing some of the suggestions.
