Green up in the Kitchen

A lot of people are choosing to live a greener, healthier lifestyles so it is no surprise that a good place to go green is in the kitchen.  Some experts say the kitchen is the biggest energy and resource consumption area in our homes.

Ranging from our natural gas and electricity using appliances to the water used in our dish washers and sinks, our refrigerators full of with foods that are not locally-grown along with the non-recyclable packaging thereof, most of us have room for improvement in the way we live and the choices we make that effect our environment.  So to help out here are a few ways to green up in the kitchen

Reuse and Recycle – more than half of what we throw out is said to be either recyclable or reusable. Personal consumption can be greatly reduced by reusing what you already have and recycling what you can’t use. 

Try bringing your own reusable grocery bags when you go to the grocery instead of bringing home all those plastic store bags. Try refilling and reusing your plastic water bottle all day and the recycle it at the end of the day.  The same can work for those plastic storage bags and to-go containers after only one use, try rinsing them out to use at least one more time.

 Eat locally-grown foods – Eating fresh, organic and locally-grown food is known to be healthier and keeps chemicals from running off into our oceans and streams from non-organic farms.  Most local grocery stores have organic produce; however local farmers markets are a good source of locally grown organic foods.  Collin County has several:

Chestnut Square Farmers Market

 315 S. Chestnut St.
McKinney, Tx  75069

Frisco Farmers Market at Frisco Square

6048 Coleman Boulevard
Frisco, TX 75034
(972) 335-2487

Georgia's Farmer's Market

916 East 15th Street
Plano, TX 75074-5808
(972) 516-4765

Historic McKinney Farmers Market at Adriatica

Stonebridge and Virginia
McKinney, Tx  75070

Make your own Compost – Instead of throwing out those coffee grounds, eggshells and banana peels why not make your own rich potting soil, sounds crazy but start small you may find you really enjoy it.  A way to start small is to grow your own herbs, you can get some decorative kitchen compost crocks that look nice and will help you get your garden off to a good start

Use natural cleaning products – Go with natural, environmentally friendly cleaning products instead of ordinary products that are noxious and full of industrial compounds, pollutants and harmful chemicals.

Choose Energy Star –Energy Star rated appliances can reduce power and water usage by as much as 50% compared to standard, non-Energy Star rated appliances.  Look for the energy star symbol when purchasing new appliances.

Use the dishwasher – Surprisingly, it actually takes less water to wash dishes in the dishwasher than it does to wash them by hand, fill your dishwasher to full capacity before you run it because it takes the same amount of energy to run half a load as it does to run a full one.   

Choose energy-efficient Lighting – Compact fluorescent lights last up to 10 times longer than standard luminescent bulbs and use a quarter of the amount of energy.  Each high-use bulb you replace in the kitchen with a fluorescent bulb will save up to $10 per year.

Living green and healthy at home can start in our kitchen.  It’s all about awareness and making smarter choices in the way we live!