In this day and age, you hear everyone talking about “going green.” Whether you want to admit it or not, at some point everyone, from designers to homeowners, will be following with the green movement. It makes sense just by looking at the rate we are going for resource consumption. This model is simply not sustainable.
Sustainable design is a general term that describes environmentally conscious design techniques in the field of architecture and interior design. Conceptually, sustainability is allowing present generation to meet its needs without depriving later generations of a way to meet theirs. We need to take efforts to make our residential, commercial and institutional buildings sustainable. In residential buildings, the kitchen and bath are the activities that consume major amount of energy and water so it very important to focus on these activities while designing green homes.
Photo by Tony G
How to Green your Kitchen and Bath
After our visit to Greenbuild this year, we saw hundreds of new ways that design in the home is going greener than ever. There is one room that every culture agrees is the heart of the home: the kitchen. A few tips that will help to save energy in the kitchen include:
– Installation of energy and water efficient appliances (like dishwasher, refrigerator, etc ),
– Installation of censor faucets or foot pedals. We are big fans of the Blanco faucets and their water saving initiatives.
– Setting up a composting system to help transform the edible waste to valuable soil
– Purchasing cookware, such as cutlery, that is eco-friendly and investing in quality glass or other recyclable food storage containers to keep leftovers fresh / reduce food wasted.
Making sure the materials within your home are safe for the environment is key to creating a long term sustainable model. Everything from the cabinetry to the countertop should be researched to see if its manufacturing did more harm than good for the environment. Reinvent your kitchen space to be a force for good by using items that reenforce sustainable practices such as indoor gardens and Cradle to Cradle products.
Bath or toilets use 27% of water consumed in your home. So installation of low-flow toilets, low-flow shower heads and motion sensor faucets will help to conserve water. Also, little things like changing your light bulbs to LED bulbs and switching to an energy efficient vent fan can not only save you big on your utility bill but can also promote a healthier, greener house. Like the kitchen, we recommend using eco-friendly and sustainable bath and cleaning products in order to go green. For more information on where to begin your search, check out the Cradle to Cradle website.
Some people feel that using sustainable products will cost them more money, but that is really a common misconception. While it may cost you a bit more to get started when you are going green, you will be able to save on energy costs because going green also means conserving energy. Sustainable building and design is more an investment than anything else.
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