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Filled with the clatter of pots and pans, the beeping of the microwave oven, the rumble of the garbage disposal and the gentle hum of the refrigerator, kitchens are the hearts of our homes—Not literally, the kitchen doesn't pump blood. I meant metaphorically—The kitchen has a lot going on within its walls. That means, there is plenty of room for environmentally savvy improvement. And that improvement can be made on the cheap. Here's how.
- Buy a water filter. A lot of people won't drink tap water. They think that they can catch cooties from tap water. That's not true, but tap water may have a taste that's hard to stomach. A water filter can help people swallow the thought of drinking tap water. It's environmentally friendly because the alternative, bottled water, is so environmentally unfriendly. A filter's filter will have to be replaced periodically, but that's so much less waste when compared to bottled water. Water filters can easily be found for way under 100 dollars.
- Use organic cleansers. What are you doing with all those harsh abrasives and chemicals around your food? That's no way to live. Organic cleansers and dish washing soaps can cleanup your kitchen mess without lowering your air quality or getting gunk into the water supply. The organic dishwashing liquid, the all-purpose organic cleansers, and the organic odor eliminator can all be purchased for less than 100 dollars.
- Switch to waterless cookware. Food made inside waterless cookware cooks faster, therefore, reducing the amount of energy needed to cook. It's also a healthier way to eat. It preserves the vitamins and minerals of the food as well as saves water. The food tastes better and metal from the pan doesn't leach into your food. Most waterless cooking sets are a few hundred dollars, but if you go onto eBay, you can find used individual waterless cookware pieces and full sets for under $100.
- Start a compost heap. Why dump all your old food down the garbage disposal? The garbage disposal isn't magic. Your old food is still out in the world being gross somewhere else. Throw your old nutshells, tea bags, coffee grinds, apple cores, etc into a compost heap. You can build one for substantially less than 100 dollars.
- Turn down the temperature on your dishwasher. If you have a fairly recent dishwasher, you will probably have a temperature gauge on it. You may think that the water has to be scalding hot in order to kill all those germs. The water doesn't have to be that hot, only 120 degrees on Mr. Daniel Fahrenheit's scale. For those of you without an exact temperature gauge, just set the temp in the middle of low and medium. This will save electricity and result in some extra dough. This can be done for free.
More on Kitchens
How to Go Green: In the Kitchen
Should You Cook with a Microwave or Stove?
Stuff Happens Episode: Kitchen
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