Eco-friendly practices in the kitchen

As the heart of the home, the kitchen should also be the focus of any effort to go green. Foods and their preparation, packaging and water usage are all eco-issues and a great deal of you energy consumption is probably down to the energy-guzzling appliances in your kitchen. Check this list for tips on greening your kitchen.

Eating green:

• Buy locally-grown fruit and vegetables in season, rather than exotic non-seasonal foods that have to be transported in.
• Organic tends to be more expensive but it does taste better, as well as being kinder to the planet – or grow your own.
• Even if you're not a keen gardener, basic herbs and plants that are no trouble to grow include basil, chives, parsley, mint, rocket, swiss chard and tomatoes.
• For the ultimate fresh baby vegetables, try home-grown sprouts. They need daily rinsing, but a few jars will give you a constant supply of varied greens for crunchy salads, fresh stir-fries and stews or casseroles.
• Cook double the amount and freeze half for future use. Not only will that save you time, reheating food uses a lot less energy than cooking it from scratch.
• Think of leftovers as the basis for future meals, not as rubbish. Apart from the financial waste, rotting food on dumps emits methane. Leftover vegetables can be added to soups for flavour (even if you fish them out before serving) and many cooked foods – especially rice – freeze well.
• Give stale bread and other scraps to the birds, not the bin!

Green cleaning:

• Give those green cleaning products a go! Some of the old-fashioned solutions, like bicarbonate of soda, lemon and vinegar, work brilliantly at a fraction of the price of environmentally-friendly detergents.
• Kitchen cloths and sponges can be soaked, washed and reused for cleaning floors or other mucky corners before being thrown away. As well as saving on paper towels, why not get double the use out of things you're spending good money on?

Green packaging:

• If you have the option of buying your fresh produce loose rather than in fancy packaging, go for it. You can also pick the best of what's available.
• Wrap fruit and vegetables that are going in the refrigerator in brown paper. Unlike plastic wrap, it absorbs moisture and condensation and stops fresh foods spoiling. Greaseproof paper is another wrapping ripe for revival.
• If you must use non-renewable resources, remember that aluminium foil is designed for heating, not as general sandwich wrap. For sandwiches and similar, there are clingfilm varieties that are designed for fast decay and easier recycling.

Green appliances:

• Are your appliances energy friendly? Can you use your fridge/freezer on a lower setting? Can you cut down on washloads or wash at a lower temperature?
• Using the tumble dryers in summer may save time but it's at the planet's expense.
• Don't use a jackhammer to crush a peanut. Do you need to use the blender to whisk an egg when a fork will do the same job?
• Avoid using the garbage disposal and the dishwasher. If you've only got a few dishes it will probably take you less than ten minutes to wash them by hand.
• Replace worn tap washers and don't throw out water that can be used for other purposes (such as watering plants).