When it comes to making your home more eco-friendly, the best place to start is the kitchen!

With all of the hustle and bustle that goes on in this space (as well as the multitude of appliances), this is the ideal area to transform first for maximum effect.

• Invest in Long-Lasting Cookware: Switch your Teflon and low-grade cookware out for stainless steel or cast-iron pots and pans for increased longevity.
• Consider Your Appliances: With everything from coffee makers to toaster ovens to microwaves and dishwashers, the kitchen is a busy place when it comes to appliances. Swapping these out for energy-efficient models will reduce costs and energy usage, while providing the same results.
• Opt for an Energy-Efficient Stove: With a variety of different stoves available on the market, there are plenty of choices when wanting to move to something more energy-efficient! Think gas stoves, induction cooktops, ceramic-glass cooktops or even energy-efficient electric coils.
• Consider Practicing Energy-Efficient Cooking: Want to further maximize your efficiency and energy-usage in the kitchen? Stop preheating! With most ovens today, they heat up almost instantly making pre-heating your oven for 20 minutes a waste of time and energy. Some more tips to improve your energy-efficiency when cooking is to consider pressure cooking, BBQing, eating “raw” food such as salads, chilled soups and more.
• Use Green Cleaners: Finally, if you’re going to put all the effort into improving your appliances and habits in the kitchen for greener results, you might also want to consider switching your kitchen cleaners to green products. There are dozens of options out there for non-toxic, biodegradable and plant-based cleaners that you can choose from. Your kitchen (and yourself!) will thank you.