The kitchen is one of the most important rooms in your home. It’s the one room where you spend hours each day cooking and spending time with family and friends. Incorporate responsible stewardship by:

• Investing in compact fluorescent lights to reduce your power usage and setting up your lighting system so that you’re able to illuminate just the work surfaces or areas you need.
• Buying appliances that are Energy Star rated so that you save on your power usage and expenses.
• Putting in windows to bring in the maximum amount of sunlight so that you don’t have to switch on your tubes and bulbs during the daytime.
• Using wood that is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) as having been cut using sustainable methods for your cabinets and drawers.
• Using paints and adhesives that do not have VOC (volatile organic compounds) that are harmful to you and the environment.
• Using recycled material wherever possible, like your tiling and countertops.
• Investing in cabinets that are formaldehyde-free.
• Looking at bamboo, cork, linoleum or any other wood certified by the FSC for your floor.
• Making sure your ventilation is done well.
• Keeping your refrigerator away from direct sunlight and at some distance from the oven.
• Making sure your faucets do not leak and that they are fitted with flow reducers.
• Setting up a system for recycling your old cans and bottles and disposing of your waste according to what can and cannot be recycled.
• Using compost bins so that your waste is disposed of responsibly.

Besides these constructional ideas and methods for a green kitchen, you could also do your part by not leaving the water running, the lights on, and making sure computers and other electronics are on standby when they are not being used.

This article is written by Kat Sanders, who regularly blogs on the topic of construction management degrees online at her blog The Fixer-Upper Blog. She welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: katsanders25@gmail.com.

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