Eco-friendly designs are among the more requested building practices in modern architecture. Forbes mentions that design experts are looking at eco-friendly designs to bring sustainability into home construction. Eco-friendly kitchens are just the latest in the trend of moving towards more an environmentally friendly building paradigm. Eco-friendly design isn’t about replacing modern building materials. You can still have something environmentally sensitive and include quartz countertops easily enough. What is eco-friendly design then? Here, we’ll look at eco-friendly design in the context of a kitchen.
Reclaim Materials and Recycle Them
Instead of tapping into brand new manufactured materials for cabinets and cupboards, consider using reclaimed materials first. Using reclaimed materials prevents them from going into a landfill while still giving them a purpose. You don’t have to settle for building your own kitchen cabinets either. Several businesses now offer complete cabinets designed and built from reclaimed materials. You don’t have to go full DIY on your reclaimed materials, just by from the right supplier.
Sustainable Materials Come First
As with all green building initiatives, sustainable materials are a crucial component in the overall design. When looking at flooring or wood for cabinets, you should ensure that the material you get is FSC certified. Your cabinets should also incorporate non-chemical adhesives as part of the design. If you don’t want hardwood floors, you can look at resin to simulate the concrete effect. Using local suppliers also has the benefit of keeping the local materials within the environment. There’s no worry about importing materials that may have a negative impact on the local flora and fauna when they degrade.
Use Planet-Saving Technology
Saving the planet is up to all of us, and technology manufacturers have answered the call by producing tech that is (mostly) green. With each new iteration, small appliances get more efficient. New fridges now use less electricity to perform the same job as a fridge from ten years ago. Even electric kettles have become more sensitive, making sure that they only use enough electricity as needed to heat their contents. Energy rating labels can point out to you the ones that have the best energy efficiencies. They might cost a bit more, but they are worth it to save the environment. Additionally, new technology like solar panels can be a consideration for eco-friendly homeowners as well. With a well-designed solar system, you can reduce your impact on the environment and even sell any extra energy you produce back to the grid.
Eco-Friendly is the Future
Today’s kitchens have all the modern conveniences, but how long is this opulence sustainable? Modern eco-friendly kitchens can make for a much more environmentally sensitive design and biodegradable materials and locally sourced elements. Reduction in energy waste can save the planet by causing less consumption of fossil fuels in electricity plants. The eco-friendly kitchen isn’t just a fanciful design anymore. It’s an achievable result that we should aim for. No one will rescue us if we destroy the planet, so we must take the opportunity to keep it as safe as we possibly can.