How Green is Your Kitchen?

Both the planet and your health can benefit from having an eco-friendly kitchen area.  Experts from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, the EPA, and others offer these simple ways to green up:

1. Set your dishwasher to air dry. Better yet, install a dish-drawer, which is more efficient for smaller loads.

2. Save your leftovers. This not only keeps you from wasting food, but also saves the energy it would take to prepare a new meal.



3. Reduce your trash. When you’re truly finished with a meal, compost the scraps.  Visit howtocompost.org for tips.  Composting not only keeps waste out of landfills, but can also lessen the amount of pollutants created there.

4. Retire your oven. Instead use smaller, more energy efficient appliances whenever possible.

5. Work in the sun. Daylight is the best light, and it’s also free. Do your prep work by a window if you can.

6. Get a good fit. Heat is wasted when you cook on a burner that’s larger than your pan.

7. Cook on ‘off.’  You can turn off the oven or stovetop up to five minutes before the timer dings.  There will be plenty of heat built up to complete the job.