The environment is a growing concern amongst many, especially the younger generation. If you are conscious about being less wasteful and decreasing your carbon footprint, here are a few things we recommend you should take into consideration for your kitchen:
1. Lighting
One of the easiest ways to save energy and be more eco-friendly in the kitchen is to change the light bulbs to more energy efficient light bulbs. They will also last longer than standard bulbs which will save you money in the long run.
2. Buy Local
Think about how far the food that you are buying has travelled and how that has affected the environment. Taking this into account, buy as much as you can from local producers to help the environment.
3. Water Filter
Buy a water filter jug for your house if you don’t like tap water. This will save you money, but it is more eco-friendly than buying plastic water bottles.
4. Use the Right Size Pot
Make sure to use a smaller pot if possible, as you could be using a larger pot that is not needed, which would use more energy. The time it takes to boil 50mL of water is significantly shorter than boiling 100mL of water. Keep this in mind when you are cooking. It is a very easy way to be less wasteful.
5. Use Appliances that Have the ‘Energy Star Logo’.
The reason for using appliances that have this logo is because you’re saving 10% to 50% more energy over non-approved appliances.
6. Water Saving
With the new water charges it is now important to try and watch the amount of water you are using in the kitchen. Here are some water saving examples
- We would advise putting a full load on when using the dishwasher instead of doing a half load which would waste energy.
- Use one glass for drinking water for the day. This will cut down on the amount of water used washing many separate glasses throughout the day.
- Experiment with the different settings on your dishwasher. Many modern machines offer ‘Eco’ settings that use less water and energy while providing the same quality wash as the normal setting.
7. Use Eco-friendly tableware and kitchen tools
When it comes to a cutting board, wooden-based boards are the way to go. Wooden cutting boards are durable, help your knives stay sharper, and don’t keep bacteria and germs like plastic cutting boards do. Try finding upcycled cutting boards from reclaimed wood, like the butcher blocks.
Newcastle Design is here to help you achieve your kitchen goals, and we are looking forward to discussing how you can reduce your carbon footprint in a design consultation.
