Five Ways to Make Your Kitchen Environmentally Friendly

1. Choose renewable floor and countertop materials.

Typical floor and countertop materials (wood, granite, marble) are non-renewable, which means, basically, once they're been removed from the earth to be made into a floor or counter, they're gone forever. An environmentally friendly kitchen focuses on renewable sources for floors, cabinets, and countertops. For example, look into bamboo or cork floors for a wood look, or a natural linoleum product for tiles. For countertops, concrete is a great choice, as are products that use crushed, recycled granite to make new granite-look countertops.

2. Be energy efficient.

Look for appliances that have the EnergyStar label, which indicates that they are very energy efficient. Go with convection ovens and induction stovetops, which use less energy to get hot. Replace all of the incandescent lighting with fluorescent. If new windows are in the cards, be sure to buy energy efficient ones. Again, look for the EnergyStar label.

3. Use low VOC paints and stains.

VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) are released as gases from certain solids and liquids, including many mainstream paints and stains. VOCs contain several chemicals, many of which are harmful to both humans and to the environment. There are several low VOC paints and stains available, and they should definitely be a part of any environmentally friendly kitchen.

4. Install a recycling station.

There is no doubt that the more we recycle, the better it is for the environment. Recycling stations can be anything from high-end cabinet units that roll out and give you separate bins for your recyclables, to a spot reserved for a simple bin. Kitchens generate huge amounts of waste that can be recycled. Just think of all of the aluminum cans, plastic containers, and glass bottles and jars that we use in the kitchen in a typical week. Sending it all to a recycling center instead of a landfill is an easy, necessary part of having a green kitchen. Want to be even more green? Save your fruit and veggie scraps, egg shells, and coffee grounds for the compost pile.

5. Use natural cleaners.

Rather than buying a chemical for every cleaning job, think of the natural, everyday things you already have. Lemon juice and vinegar are both wonderful sanitizers. Baking soda can easily be used to replace scouring cleanser. Use a little bit of coarse salt on a half of a lemon, and rub it all over wood cutting boards to sanitize. Clean windows and appliances (other than stainless steel) with a little vinegar in a spray bottle. Use newspapers with your vinegar spray to give windows a streak-free clean.

Do just these five things, and you will have an environmentally friendly, healthy kitchen.