Kitchens that were designed and built in the past have created large carbon footprints and were unhealthy for those living in the home.
Today, more and more homeowners are choosing to remodel their kitchens, the most used room in the home, while including many green alternatives to keep both the planet and their families healthy. Building a green kitchen can be a fun experience. The extra work and expense involved will most certainly pay off in the years to come.
More options are quickly becoming available to construct an eco-friendly kitchen. Whether you are just remodeling an older kitchen or designing a new kitchen in an entirely new home, the options are endless. Counter tops, flooring, cabinets, appliances, and many kitchen accessories can be combined together to create an amazing green kitchen that will win the approval of every environmental protector.
Beautiful eco-friendly kitchen countertops and tiled back-splashes are fairly easy to find in the building supply market. IceStone has several different options available, most being constructed from recycled glass. Concrete is also a great option as it is constructed from natural sources like sand and stone.
Kitchen cabinets can be constructed of wood from sustainable forests, as those produced by Neil Kelly Cabinets, or from wheat-board or pressed fiber board. Terra Mai is a manufacturer of beautiful kitchen flooring options such as reclaimed wood, cork, and bamboo. Natural linoleum flooring is also a great option as well as tiles made from recycled rubber.
The paint used on the walls of the kitchen, the drywall used in construction, and the finishes used on the wood surfaces can also be made environmentally friendly. Natural clay plaster creates a beautiful finish and requires no paint where as paperless, mold resistant drywall creates a more traditional surface which can be painted with no-voc paint. Non-toxic biodegradable linseed oil, non-oil based wood stains, and water based finishes can all be used on wood flooring and cabinetry.
Energy Star appliances, home compost bins, multi-bin recycling units, compact fluorescent lighting, skylights, and touch-less water faucets can also be utilized when building a green kitchen. Whatever design you are considering for a new or remodeled kitchen, it is easy to incorporate eco-friendly options today and see the beneficial results in the future.
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Christine Cooney
Christine has over a decade of experience as a house plan and floor plan expert. Outside of providing her expertise to customers to help them find and build their dream homes, her passion and knowledge of the home building industry allows Christine to guide families and builders through all of the important steps from finding plans to building custom homes that meet the expectations of today’s new home owner. Christine’s years of knowledge of the diverse trends and needs of the modern homeowner has made her into an authoritative and trusted voice in the online house plan community..