Go Green Tip of the Month

Top 5 Ways to Make Your Kitchen More Eco Friendly

1. Change How You Light Things Up
   Why not use light bulbs that consume a lot less energy? Replacing regular light bulbs with CFL’s (Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs) you can make a huge difference. What kind of a difference you ask? Look at these wattage stats of CFL bulbs compared to regular bulbs:
   Regular Bulb vs CFL Bulb
   60w vs 13w-15w
   75w vs 20w
   100w vs 26w-29w
   150w vs 38w-42w
   
   
2. Reduce the Waste of Water
   The kitchen is one of the top rooms in a home where water is wasted. As supplies of water drop due to rainfall patterns changing, this has become quite important. One of the easiest ways to reduce the waste of water is by not leaving the water running. (ei turn the water off while you are brushing your teeth). A lot of people tend to turn the water on a lot higher than they need to as well. Simply reducing the pressure of the water can sometimes help as well.
   
   
3. Buy Local Produce
   Buying local produce is a great way of making your kitchen more eco-friendly. By bringing local produce into your kitchen you are helping out the environment more than you will ever know. A lot of the produce is shipped around an average of 1,500 miles or so before they are even sold. What makes that bad is the fact that it takes so much fuel to make those trips. If you are unable to visit your own local farmers markets why not try growing your own vegetable garden? Not only is it great for the environment but growing your own vegetable garden can also be quite rewarding.
   
   
4. Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products All the Way
   Instead of using chemical filled cleaning products in the kitchen use eco-friendly cleaning products, which work just as well as your regular chemical cleaners.
   
   
5. Turn to Energy Efficient Appliances
   Choose Energy Star appliances. Some appliances can be quite hefty when it comes to the price so be sure to shop around and choose smartly. Energy Star appliances are typically anywhere from 10% - 20% more energy efficient than regular kitchen appliances.