5 Ways to Make Your Kitchen Eco-Friendly Now: No Remodeling Required

Going green isn't just a cool trend anymore, it's full on social responsibility. You've got recycling down, bring your own bags to the grocery store and you've even dabbled with organic beauty products. If you want to want live as eco-consciously as possible, here are quick, easy things you can do right now to help the environment and reduce your kitchen's carbon footprint.

1. Try Eco-Cookware
Made from made of 100% natural minerals and organic water, the Xtrema ceramic cookware line makes home cooking easy, healthy and energy-efficient. Cermanic holds heat longer than its aluminum or steel counterparts. Remember the whole teflon toxicosis, chemically-treated frying pan scare that turned out to kill birds? No issue with these pots and pans. The patented Nano Glaze non-stick cooking surface is non-reactive, non-toxic and no odors/gases are released while cooking. Plus, these babies are naturally bacterial and stain-resistant, so tonight's homemade free-range chicken noodle soup won't taste like yesterday's organic marinara. Get cookin and check out our discount deal on Xtrema cookware!

For extra eco-goodness, always use the smallest size pot or pan necessary for the cooking task and match the cookware to the right size burner. Cooking with a 6-inch diameter pan on an 8-inch burner wastes over 40% heat energy. For small tasks like melting butter or warming milk, zap it in the microwave.

2. Clean Up Naturally
Traditional household cleaning products aren't exactly safe. Look closely, and you'll see multiple toxicity warnings and Poison Control Hotline line information. Why use stuff that is potentially harmful for you, the kids, the pets on your food-filled kitchen? For quick cleaning, try is a simple, tried-and-true home remedy of Baking Soda, Vinegar and Lemon. For bigger jobs, plant-based cleaners such as Nature's Source (from SC Johnson) has the power of Windex, without irritating your eyes, skin or your delicate kitchen tiles.

When it's time to take out the garbage, use recycled and biodegradable trash bags such as Perf Go Green. These patented heavy-duty bags are specially designed to naturally and more efficiently decompose when discarded in soil, which means less waste takes up precious landfill space.

3. Buy Organic and Local
Check out your neighborhood Whole Foods, Trader Joes or the organic section in your grocery whenever possible, these sustainable food choices are better for human and earth health because they don't use or release toxic chemicals, pesticides, insecticides and herbicides, which may harm soil, water and local wildlife--and ultimately your body. Even better, take eco-shopping to next level and visit your local greenmarkets regularly. Also known as "farmer's markets", these typically open-air markets support small farms and locally grown produce. For New York City residents, visit the Council on the Environment of New York City (CENYC) for a complete listing and detailed location map for all markets, including three Brooklyn markets open year-round.

4. Stash the Scraps
Saving leftovers for lunch the next day is step one, the next eco-level means consistently reusing whenever possible. Whether you save mushroom butts, parsley stems or onion pieces for soups, stir frys or your garden compost pile, try utilize every edible bit before tossing. Got a pile of scraps without a home? Store them in the fridge and look for recipe ideas online. Behind the Burner has several to boot, such as The Perfect Chicken Stock, Chicken Gumbo and Andouille Sausage Gumbo and The Waverly Inn Chicken Pot Pie.

5. Be Energy Efficient
Change those old school incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent (CFL) ones that fit in standard light sockets. They use 75-percent less energy, can last up to nine years, generate less heat and create good light, so you won't have to climb on that rickety ladder quite so often. If your inner Francois Payard only calls occasionally, keep your fancy mixer and food processor unplugged until baking time.

— Written by Mona Buehler

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