From Guest Blogger Ashley Harman: How to Lower Your Kitchen’s Carbon Footprint

Global warming continues to be a growing threat in 2014, despite several years of effort to diminish the effect our energy usage has on the environment. It is vital that each household does as much as possible to reduce its carbon footprint.

There are a number of ways to reduce your energy consumption within the home and the kitchen is probably the best place to start.

Locally sourced produce

Cooking meals with fresh produce is a small change that will make a huge difference to the environment. By sourcing local products to cook with, you will be reducing the amount of packaging you use, as well as your carbon footprint.

Few people realise that it is not only the food you transport that adds to your carbon footprint, but the impact of the products you buy. The journey food goes on before it reaches your home can be detrimental to the environment. By selecting locally grown produce, you can substantially reduce the size of your personal carbon footprint, whilst also contributing to your community.

Pressure cookers and residual heat

Studies indicate that by using a pressure cooker, you will use 70 percent less energy compared to using other, slower methods of cooking. However, if a pressure cooker is not an option for you, there are other ways of saving energy when cooking.

When an appliance is turned off, some heat still remains. This residual heat is an efficient way to finish cooking certain foods and save energy. Some ovens have a built-in meat probe that automatically cuts the energy supply to the appliance when your joint reaches the right temperature. This will not only save you money on your utility bills and reduce your energy emissions, but it will also prevent you from overcooking your roast dinner.

Waste not, want not

There is nothing worse for the planet than avoidable waste. We can reuse and recycle our own waste, but as a global community we still throw away 1.3 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW). This is any solid waste that comes out of the kitchen, whether it is food waste, the disposal of old appliances, crockery or cookware. Each year, a person throws away an average of 1.2kg of waste per day.

These figures are expected to double by 2025; when experts anticipate 2.2 billion tonnes of MSW will be generated annually. To reduce your own MSW, you can buy cookware that is guaranteed to last. By doing so, you do not have to renew your kitchenware as often, which will save you money and substantially reduce the amount of waste you generate.

If you want to further diminish your kitchen waste, why not try composting? Experts tell us that 70 per cent of household waste can be composted; including uncooked organic waste, cardboard and paper. Find a small area in a garden or in a large plastic container near the kitchen to throw away your organic waste, instead of disposing of it with other, general waste. If you personally have no use for your compost, most gardeners and farmers are often prepared to buy compost from the public.

Eco-friendly cleaning

Bleaches and disinfectants are toxic to our environment and our water supplies. If you want a more eco-friendly way of cleaning your home, why don’t you try looking in your food cupboards? Bleach products claim they are the best for cutting through grease, but baking soda was used to eliminate grease from kitchens for years before we began using bleach. It neutralises dirt and grease to break it up and make it easier to clean away. It also neutralises acidic and ammonia-caused smells that can linger if not treated.

Vinegar is another product that can be used for cleaning. Counter tops could be cleaned by cleaning products in spray bottles, but rubbing them down with vinegar has the exact same effect; costing you less, while also saving waste and hassle.

Reducing the size of your carbon footprint may seem like a hard task, but by breaking it down into small steps, it can become a lot easier. Use our suggestions or create some of your own to make your home more eco-friendly, in addition to helping to combat global warming.

Ashleigh Harman is a Digital Content Writer who works with Britannia Living, who supply a range of premium kitchen appliances with various eco-friendly features.