A typical kitchen in North America has several appliances to make our lives easier and more efficient, or so it seems. Here are few thoughts about some kitchen appliances and how you can save energy in your kitchen.

Dishwasher
Dishwashers use a lot of water and a lot of energy to heat the water. To get the most out of your washer make sure you have filled it up as much as possible before running. A dishwasher should be able to handle most small food remains so you shouldn’t have to pre-scrub the dishes before loading. Use the regular or normal setting and you should be good.

Microwave
The only reason to keep your microwave plugged in when you aren’t using it is to read the time and most of us have a wristwatch or other clock near the kitchen anyways. Most mics have converters in them that are constantly draining a bit of electricity so go ahead and unplug your microwave and your going to saving a bunch of useless standby energy.

Stove
No one likes burnt cookies so make sure you cook at suggested temperatures and set a timer so you don’t overcook your food. Another simple trick to save energy is set your timer about five minutes shorter and turn off the stove when it rings. Your food will continue to cook as long as you don’t open the door.
 
Fridge
Keep the temperatures set properly and the coils cleaned regularly and you should be good here.

Ditch landline Phone
I still have a landline but I’m seriously thinking of discarding it. They suck up more energy than a cell phone especially with an answering machine included or separate. It seems that the cell phone technology is pretty solid and if you want to be reached or reach someone else the cell phone makes much more sense.

» CWAC.net

Whether you’re going to grab a drink or trying to cook a dish for dinner you probably spend a considerable amount of time in the kitchen. Since I spend so much time in my kitchen I was trying to figure out how I can green it up a bit and I noticed I have a lot of plastic products from storage containers and salad forks to plastic cups and saran wrap. Should I ditch them all or are some of them an environmental blessing in disguise?

Well, to start with the tools I use to make and eat my meals like the spatulas, cups, ladles and even the handles of some knives seem to be pretty good products with tough to find alternatives. They last a long, long time and probably aren’t leaching out too many chemicals into my foods. So, provided you aren’t treating them like disposable items I’d say they’re pretty good and I think worth keeping.

No kitchen is complete without some storage containers for leftover food. We all grew up with the tupperware brand and it has definitely been around before anyone new about the dangers of BPA’s in plastic. According to several sites I’ve visited the tupperware products are on the high end and very safe but a couple of their product lines may have problems^[1]. The value they provide is simply to keep food fresh longer avoiding waste and are reusable. In order to avoid any risks associated with leaching I’ll choose to mic my food in other dishes.

What about the value of saran wrap and ziploc bags? I know if I reheat some food that has been covered with saran wrap things can look pretty droopy when they come out the other end. Saran wrap has passed federal safety requirements for humans and the environment but why take the risk^[2]. I use a plate to cover my food when reheating to be safe. The other negative here is the fact that saran wrap is tough to reuse. Instead aluminum foil is a good replacement for short term storage and can be reused over and over.

Much like aluminum foil, with the ziploc baggy you can store food in the freezer for months, then thaw it, eat it, wash the bag and reuse it. Seems like a pretty awesome product but I'd say it's very difficult to stay disciplined enough to keep washing them so tupperware is better bet for reuse.

So to sum up my kitchen greenovations I’m going to keep all my plastic kitchen tools but get rid of the wasteful saran wrap and use aluminum foil instead or better yet a tupperware container. Of course, from now on I won’t be microwaving any food in a plastic container to be on the safe side.

» Popular Science

In an average North American home 15 % of its energy will go towards powering the refrigerator. I don’t know what that would work out to if you calculated the consumption across the United States but it’s huge and definitely worth the effort to conserve a bit of energy. Here are some tips on keeping your refrigerator as efficient as possible.

Ideal Temperatures
Fridge = 37 to 40°F ~ 3 to 5°C
Short Term Freezer = 10 to 15°F ~  -10 to -12°C
Long Term Freezer = 0 to 5°F  ~  -15 to -18°C

Clean the Coils
The coils are located on the outside of your fridge, usually on the back or bottom and radiate heat away from the refrigerator using the principle of surface area. In order for the coils to work efficiently they need to be cleaned and the easiest way is to simply vacuum them. If you have pets you should do this up to two or three times a year but if you’ve never done it before cleaning them once would be a good start.

Keep your Fridge Cool
Your fridge is trying to keep your food fresh and cool so don’t put it right next to your stove, dishwasher, and microwave or in direct sunlight. All these little things add up so if you’re redesigning your kitchen keep this in mind.

Keepin’ it Tight
Standing in the kitchen with the fridge door open might be a nice way to cool off in the summer but it’s not helping your produce much. Likewise, if your fridge door isn’t airtight you’re basically holding the door open 24-7. If you can close the door on a piece of paper and pull it out easily you’ve got a leak. Replace the gasket as soon as possible, your money and energy is keeping the floor cool.

Cover Food
Food left uncovered will lose moisture and in turn can increase humidity in the refrigerator requiring increased energy usage.

Extras
If your fridge has an icebox or water dispenser that doesn’t work make sure you shut them off or they could be sapping energy for no good reason.

» Reliant Energy

It’s time we started getting personal with eco-friendly choices. Yeah, that’s right we’re heading into the shower. There are several ways to clean up your carbon footprint during your morning prep.

Low-Flow Showering is the way to go
A typical bath will take 40 gallons of water whereas a 5 minute shower with a low flow showerhead (less than 2.5 gallons per minute) will use between 10 and 15 gallons. That adds up quick over a month or even a year, replacing your old showerhead would use 30% less water than a conventional showerhead . The Kohler Forte 1.75 gpm showerhead is a perfect replacement, seen in the picture above.

Whose soap box are you standing on?
There are tons of alternatives out there when it comes to choosing soaps. Remember that you aren’t just washing dirt down the drain, your also draining soap residues. Some are better than others so do your best to find quality and natural shampoos and soaps.

How dirty are you really?
I’ve been guilty on occasion of having a longer than normal shower but really how dirty have you gotten since yesterday morning when you showered last. Granted there are a few ‘areas’ that deserve a little extra attention but for the most part a quick sweep of the bar of soap and rinse should suffice.

Stay Focused
Cut down on your shower time by being efficient and focused. Don’t do your shaving or tooth brushing in the shower unless you have a showerhead that you can shut off. This goes for both men and women. If you’re really adventurous try showering in cold water, you’ll find that you can be quite efficient and focused on the task and you’ll be saving hot water at the same time.

» Kohler

Fuel is an important aspect of our everyday lives; we need it to keep things running.  But, while our minds may initially scurry to images of coal and oil at the mention of fuel, it’s equally important to think of the materials that fuel our bodies:  food.  When it comes to feeding a world of 6.8 billion people, we’re talking about a lot of loaves of bread. 

No GM Food for Zambia
It seems curious, then, that in 2004 Zambia would reject 27 000 tons of food aid despite having a population struggling with a food crisis and starvation.  The catch?  The food aid consisted of transgenic material.  In other words, it had been genetically modified (GM).  The Zambian President, Levy Mwanawasa, rejected this aid claiming that the food was poisonous.  But where’s his proof?

The reality is that genetically modified foods have been widely accepted in North America.  In the same year as the Zambian controversy the National Academies of Sciences published a report stating: “To date, no adverse health effects attributed to genetic engineering have been documented in the human population.”  If it is a poison, it’s not a very good one.

GM foods have done wonders for the agriculture business.  Genetically modified crops can be made pest resistant and disease resistant, both of which help increase productivity and allow for higher yields.  With the right GM crop a farmer is able to more effectively battle against the many environmental factors that beat, burn, eat, and whither a year’s growth.  This means more food production and more food available for the 15 million children dying of starvation each year.

The Green Revolution
The transformation in agriculture towards a system capable of coping with our planets population growth has been termed the Green Revolution.  Between 1943 and 1964 Mexico was able to ride the Green Revolution from total reliance on other countries for its wheat supply, to exporting half a million tons a year.  By accepting new ways of thinking in their approach to agriculture Mexico was able to greatly increase yields, thereby providing for its rapidly increasing population.

In the 1960s India followed Mexico’s example and utilized the life saving power of the Green Revolution.  By using a new rice variety, made possible through crossbreeding, India was able to prevent mass famine, saving countless lives, and has since become one of the worlds most successful rice producers.

Today technology has advanced, allowing for stronger and more resilient crops to be created through biotechnology.  By directly manipulating the genes of different crops science enables us to enhance the favorable attributes of a crop, or diminish the problematic traits.

Trouble in Africa
The Green Revolution has had a difficult time catching on in Africa.  Because of heavy corruption, difficult environmental conditions, and nay-saying politicians, the implementation of GM crops in Africa has been slow.  But, as with any new idea, education comes before acceptance.  Every bit of food sent as aid has to be cleared by the health authorities of the donor country as fit for human consumption.  The food on our tables every night has to pass these same tests, but, for some reason, forces continue to keep this form of nutrition from hungry mouths.

If genetically modified crops were allowed for not only consumption in African nations, but production as well, these severely malnourished countries could find themselves with the means to effectively feed their populations, and no longer be dependant Western food aid.

» News 24

 At ecollo the search for the truth is never ending and both sides of the story is always valuable. In the past I wrote an article about composite decking that was based off a few sources that were quite negative on the product. Since then I talked to a representative from a company that manufactures and sells the product and got a pile of new information.

Universal Forest Products is one of the largest suppliers of lumber products in North America. They provide several products including wood alternatives to construction markets and DIY home centers. Recently they were awarded the Forest Stewardship Council’s Chain of Custody certification which means they’re manufacturing plants only use lumber from well managed forests around the world. Remember, wood is renewable as long as the forests it comes from are managed properly. As for composite decking or wood alternative decking UFP is one of the major suppliers to Home Depot providing the Veranda line of decking.

Here is quick recap of the composite decking world. The first products were developed back in the 80’s and one of the first big companies was Trex. Widespread use and commercial viability didn’t come until the 90’s and along the way there were problems with early versions of the product, for instance, which ever color you started with they all faded to grey over time. Since then the products have been refined and problems have been ironed out to the point today where you have a very durable and long lasting product.

Most composite decking products are manufactured using wood dust waste left over from other lumber products plus High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) which by the way is a #2 recyclable plastic. So, when using wood alternative products you are getting your environmental value out of the fact that industry by-products are used to build it plus your product is going to last a long time and will not need emission emitting stains or paints to protect it.

As far as maintenance goes there is some involved and this shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that owns a home. Everything around the house needs general maintenance and upkeep to prolong it’s life from roofing to siding to landscaping, and composite decking is no exception. It’s true, they don’t need stains or waterproofing but they can absorb stains if you spill something and don’t clean it within a reasonable time period. There are products on the market that can remove older stains. As for mold, this is rarely a problem with the product but the location. Let’s face it, mold grows on just about any surface if it’s wet, shady and doesn’t ever get a chance to dry out. When composite decking is replaced it’s usually the result of aesthetics not structural integrity, the home has changed hands and the new owner has different ideas.

All in all I’d say things are looking up for composites, I’m definitely going to check out these products for my own deck project next summer.

» Universal Forest Products