Green Living: Your Kitchen

Don't Open The Oven
Avoid opening the oven door while cooking is in progress as this lowers the oven temperature by almost 25 degrees and the food will require a longer time to get cooked. You can check your dish by turning on the light and peering in through the glass on the oven door.

Shop Locally
Look for locally grown produce at farmers' markets, farm stands and food co-ops. You get fresher fare, support your community and help reduce fuel waste and emissions from long-distance shipping.

Bring A Re-Usable Grocery Bag
Skip your supermarket's plastic bags and transport groceries in reusable tote bags or canvas produce sacks.

You can buy a Reusable Grocery Bag - "I'm Saving the Planet - What Are You Doing" by BlueQ for about $12 here.

Get Rid Of The Plastic Water Bottles
Outfit your kitchen tap with a purified water filter, and tote around a refillable sports bottle, made of glass, aluminum or recycled plastic.

Concerns had already been raised in 2007 about the safety of Bisphenol A, a chemical found in plastic bottles and containers. The controversy grew in September 2008 when another study linked exposure from Bisphenol A to the risk of heart disease, diabetes and liver problems.

Why take a chance? You can buy an OGGI Aluminum water bottle here for about $9 by clicking here.

Let's Not Forget To Recycle
Kick those cleaned-out cans, jars, plastic bottles, pizza boxes and even used tin foil to the curb on recycling day. When sorting plastic containers, look for #2 and #3 on the bottom and trash or reuse the rest.

Reduce Your Waste
Buy in bulk, pick fresh ingredients and look for products with limited — or at least recyclable — packaging. Switch to cloth napkins or buy paper towels and napkins labeled "recycled," "unbleached" and/or "post-consumer waste."

Have You Tried Composting?
Feed fresh kitchen scraps (no meats or oils, please) to a compost pile. Then use the nutrient-rich compost to perk up your herb or vegitable garden.

You can buy The complete Worm Factory 3 Tray Composting System for less than $100.

Look For A Natural Substitute
Look for alternatives to your everyday, chemically infused products. For instance, if you have a flat glass top stove, don't buy the expensive and eco-"UN" friendly store bought product. I use simple baking soda and a little water and it works great! All you have to do is ask around and see what other people are doing. You can also Google a substitution such as natural substitute for Soft Scrub.

Remodeling or Purchasing

Go to Abe's of Maine and view their appliance Closeouts & Clearances

Refrigerator - When choosing a new refrigerator look for the units with the Energy Star label. These guarantee they are 10-50 percent more efficient than other models. Also, consider a top and bottom freezer/refrigerator unit instead of the side-by-side style. Less cold air escapes from these. Using an energy-efficient refrigerator saves you approximately $400 per year while reducing your use of precious energy.

Dishwasher - Consider a dishwasher drawer over a conventional style. These not only take up less space in your kitchen, but also use less water when you have a small load. If you have a conventional dishwasher, try not to run a load until it is full. You will save on both water and the energy to heat it.

Convection oven - These use a fan to move heat rapidly from source to food to cook 25 percent faster than conventional ovens.

Lighting - Wherever possible, use fluorescent lights; they cut your energy use by 50 percent. Also, consider using motion sensors so lights come on automatically and turn off when you leave the room. These will eliminate lights being left on, unused. If remodeling, try adding more natural light by installing larger windows or skylights.

Faucets and hot water heaters - Faucets with aerators inject air bubbles into the water stream to create the same pressure with less volume of water used. Also, try tankless hot water heaters that heat water at the source. These use less water and 10-20 percent less energy.

Cabinets - Some cabinetry contains urea-formaldehyde, which off-gasses and can be harmful to your health and the environment. If you must have wood cabinets, look for solid wood or those made from materials such as wheat board. Some cabinet manufacturers are now making wood cabinets from scrap wood. It still makes a nice cabinet while saving trees.

Flooring - Bamboo has become popular to use as flooring because it grows faster than trees; it only takes seven year to regenerate a bamboo forest. Bamboo is strong and can stand up well to pets, high heels and other abuse. Cork has also become popular among eco-friendly homeowners. Cork is made from the bark off of trees, is sound absorbing, hypoallergenic and resistant to mold and mildew. One flooring that is making a comeback is linoleum. Linoleum is made from natural materials, is durable and easy to clean.

Countertops - Consider countertops made from recycled paper or hemp. These are durable and very easy to clean. Another option is a recycled stone-chipped composite countertop. This countertop resembles granite and holds up just as well.