Eco Friendly Kitchen Ideas – that aren’t so boring $30 billion: Money saved by Americans using ENERGY STAR appliances, lights, and windows in 2013, saving the energy equivalent to 277 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

Eco- Friendly kitchens go beyond just eating green and recycling materials. Now-a-days you have to think bigger and by bigger we mean lots of small details that make your kitchen a true Green Kitchen. Energy-efficient food preparation and cleaning habits, using equipment made from sustainable materials, and tossing out toxic chemicals are also important if you want to have a truly healthy kitchen. Fortunately, making the right choices for your well-being is also good for the pocket and the planet. Who knew that there could be more that we can do besides buying energy star appliances, and installing better insulated windows and doors could make such a positive impact on the earth!

We have broken down design ideas that go beyond just Energy Star appliances and recycled materials for your Green Kitchen remodel.

So of course buying EPA program’s Energy Star appliances can cut down water and energy use by 10-50%. This you should know by now, as the commercials about this are on every few hours, it feels this way at least.  But did you know that Electric stoves are actually the healthier option when it comes to purchasing Gas vs Electric range? Gas stoves can add 25-40% more NO2 or CO to the indoor air pollution than already being produced. Americans spend an average of 90% of their time indoors, which increases the indoor air pollution compared to being outdoors. No matter if you end up choosing a Gas or Electric range, make sure it is simple and remember that it doesn’t have to have any special features that are unnecessary. Quick tip: Save energy by skipping the “Preheat”, newer ovens heat quickly to their setting and do not need to be sitting for 30 mins “getting hot”.  Want to save more water? Efficient dishwashers can cut down on hot water as compared to you washing the dishes by hand! There is your great reason to stop washing all of your pots and pans and utensils by hand!

Also, purchasing good quality utensils and cookware can actually benefit the earth. If you are wasting fewer things, for instance you have to throw out a plastic spatula because it melted; you will save more materials and have a great impact on the environment. Ditch the Teflon – it has a very limited useful lifetime.  Think of the lifetime that each item you buy for your kitchen has the longer the lifetime the more eco-friendly you are becoming. Waste not, want not! You may have to invest a little bit more when it comes to quality utensils, and cookware – but the longer you have these things, the less has to be produced. Less production = less pollution. Quick tip: Use cloth towels for clean ups and ditch the old fashioned paper towels.

Don’t forget; if you can’t utilize any materials from your old kitchen for your new eco-friendly kitchen remodel, see if you can make a few extra bucks by selling them to someone who can use them. This will ensure that old materials and appliances are recycled and not gone to waste.

Check back for more use tips on remodeling and remodeling green.