Four Sophisticated Ways to Green Your Kitchen

Sustainability and eco-consciousness might be more relevant in the kitchen than any other room in the house. The kitchen is where technology lives side by side with organic elements and together they coexist and do daily duty – feeding both mind and body.

Here’s a list of some products and appliances that perform well, look great, and have the additional benefits of helping your home become more efficient, use less energy and turn your kitchen green.

1. Check Under the Hood

Most homeowners tend to default to whichever hood their local showroom sells them with their range, or whatever hood is already installed in their homes.

Zephyr’s new Next Generation Europa Collection with DCBL Suppression System is not only beautiful, but energy efficient. The DCBL Suppression System uses a direct current (DC) brushless motor rather than an AC motor which is why Zephyr’s hoods consume 77% less energy. This same motor provides 30% more power to the hood, but it’s also 77% quieter. The collection also uses a dimmable LED— an industry first— which is called Bloom HD LED and offers 25,000 hours of life versus 2,000 offered by halogens. And for all those roving hands in the kitchen, it’s cool to the touch.

Bonus: If you are already a Zephyr hood owner – and are interested in showing off your uber-cool hood – Zephyr is running a contest right now called Inspire My Kitchen Design Contest , which awards homeowners prizes. The grand prize is Chef Tom Hurley preparing dinner for up to 16 of your friends in your home.

2. Lighting the Way

Lighting choices is a much more complicated decision these days. LED lights, which at first seemed prohibitively expensive, have come down in price and are better for the environment. LED bulbs are lit solely by the movement of electrons. Unlike incandescent, they have no filament that will burn out; and unlike CFLs, they contain no mercury or other toxic substances. LEDs can last some 60 times longer than incandescents and 10 times longer than CFLs. Creative Systems Lighting offers plenty of LED options, including Orb, which features a rotating aluminum body and LEDs that use at least 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs and last up to 50 times longer.

3. Bamboo It

If you are ready to switch out your countertop and are soooo tired of granite – bamboo is the answer to your green dreams. Teragren’s offers bamboo butcher block countertop and cutting boards. It’s made with a formaldehyde-free and food-safe adhesive perfect for table tops as well as kitchen counters and islands. Available unfinished or prefinished with a food-safe mineral oil/beeswax finish, it’s ideal for cutting surfaces and food prep areas. Durable, end grain parque, which is harder than maple. Teregran also makes flooring and cabinets

4. Open and Shut Case

Cabinets are the first sign of a dated kitchen. The Element Designs Green Series aluminum frames couldn’t be more of the moment. The cabinet doors emit no VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) and they are fully recyclable, maintenance-free and durable. The doors are custom made in 1/16-in. increments from 70-percent post-industrial recycled aluminum and are available with a variety of door inserts.

This post is sponsored by Zephyr.

(Photos: Zephyr, Lighting Showplace, Teregren, Element Design)