Whether you are building a new home or remodeling an old one, having a green kitchen is a must. We only have one Earth, so it is imperative that we do everything we can to harm it as little as possible. Green kitchens can be beautiful. They can look modern and vibrate while still helping the earth.
A great idea when building a green kitchen is to use recycled materials or items made from partly recycled material. Kitchen products made with recycled material help take some of the things we would throw away, out of landfills. An example of this is a sink made from recycled electrical wires and pipes.
Cork flooring is a great option when going green. Unlike wood floors, cork floors are made without cutting down a tree, instead the tree’s bark is taken off. In addition, cork floors are durable as well as great heat and sound insulators.
When choosing lights in your kitchen, choose compact fluorescent lights. They last longer than traditional lights and use less electricity. For a while they were a turn off because of their harsh light, but now they come in a variety of colors. The color you choose can change the whole atmosphere of your kitchen.
Instead of going with granite, go with a greener counter top such as concrete. Unlike normal concrete, concrete for counters is made with cellulose. Cellulose makes the concrete strong and last longer. Another reason to choose concrete is price, concrete is less expensive than granite.
Using synthetic materials made with chemicals can sometimes cause off-gassing. Off-gassing happens when chemicals evaporate over time. When these chemicals evaporate, the chemicals can be dispersed through the air. Unfortunately, off-gassing happens throughout the entire lifetime of the product, meaning that while you have the product in your home you are breathing in chemicals. Using organic, non-chemically treated products it a great way to stop off-gassing. When you cover furniture with organic fabric, the chemicals are less likely to be dispersed into the air.
Having a green kitchen is a great way to help save the environment. If that is not enough, having a green kitchen can have positive effects on your health, which is always a plus. If you purchase products like the ones listed above, you will be on your way to creating a wonderful green kitchen.