What if we were concerned about the environment even in the design of our kitchen? From furniture to the worktop through household appliances, here are keys to tend towards an ever more green kitchen! Ecolo, dream or reality cooking?
Okay, we eat balanced, organic and varied, 5 fruits and vegetables per day, anti-cancer foods and we even abandon take-out dishes for homemade! But are the very elements of the kitchen, the utensils and the way of preparing food improvable from an ecological point of view?
What furniture in ecological cuisine?
100 % ecological cuisine may seem difficult to find. It would be ideal in glass And aluminum or in solid wood varnished with a natural product. By excluding any use of laminate surface, glue, formaldehyde and solvents which are usually mixed with wood, especially in the composition of the boxes and the facade of the furniture of a classic kitchen. The delicate point is the glue used to assemble the elements and the VOC diffusion (volatile organic component) With lacquers and paintings. Today, there are also kitchen models with heat recovery: the oven feeds the refrigerator with energy …!). However, take into account the lifespan of your kitchen is once again here, the criterion to favor. It will necessarily be a compromise: sustainability compensates for ecological damage. Nothing is perfect in this world!
Be aware, however, that:
- Stainless steel comes from 50 % recycled materials and is itself 100 % recyclable.
- Stainless steel sinks are easily recyclable. On the other hand, stainless steel is very energetic to produce. Ceramic sinks are durable.
- The credentials of worktops can be in recycled glass tiles or not.
- The lacquer, very present in contemporary kitchens, emits a lot of VOCs.
What about the worktop on the green kitchen side?
For the worktop or the kitchen table, we recommend the drinkTHE granite or the ceramic. THE recycled plastic And its terrazzo effect is not to be outdone. If your budget allows, you can install the natural stone orslate. For a kitchen rendering (top) chef, also think of thestainless steel !
Equip yourself withClass A household appliances at least, or even A+ or A ++. The classes system, which appeared in 2004, makes it possible to compare the overall cost of a device over the duration of your life. A website, developed by WWF (Guide-topten.com), takes into account the total cost of your device: including the costs of use, that is to say the consumption of water and electricity and the environmental performance of the models.
You also have to think that your kitchen equipment is suitable for the size of your home; There is no point in acquiring a model of size higher than your needs. In any case, do not run your vacuum machines and do not leave your devices on standby.
There gas cooker natural and induction plates are the most environmentally friendly cooking modes (less energetic than an electric stove). We discovered a new material from wood pulp (lignin), which is in fact a waste from the paper industry. This lignin, mixed with natural waxes and other non -toxic materials, becomes a kind of liquid wood, malleable and resembling our current plastics. This product, already from recycling, is also recyclable itself up to at least ten times. The main use envisaged would concern household appliances.
What eco-responsible dishes to choose?
If you have to renew your dishes, choose bamboo (again!), drink (olivier or juniper) for dishes or cutlery and sandstone (which requires less energy than porcelain). There is a type of disposable dishes, in sugar cane fibers, starch, therefore compostable after use.
What ecogestes to adopt in the kitchen?
Avoid wasting too much water, a bowl at the bottom of the sink where you wash your vegetables allows you to recover the water for plants. Install a debit reducer on the valves of the sink tap. Promote tap water. 85 % of consumers trust this water deemed safe thanks to the controls it undergoes. In some regions, however, it may be preferable to equip itself with a carafe with quality filter. In any case, proscribed the bottled water, which is essentially paid for packaging and whose recycling is still and always a problem, whatever you say.
Provide enough places to install compartment bins: Recycle Correctly packaging, glass and organic waste.
If you have a balcony (a garden, it’s better), you can make your compost With the waste from your kitchen in bins called balcony composter where lumbrics are placed (which transform green waste into land for your planters)!
