Editor’s note: Chicago has become quite the hot spot for green building, so our friends at GreenBuildingTalk (who are based there) have frequent opportunities to hear from some of the brightest minds in the field. Today’s post share excerpts from a presentation by architect Peter Pfieffer, and was originally published on Monday, April 21, 2008.

ALNO hosted a K/BIS press breakfast on 4/12/08, at their new showroom in the heart of Chicago’s design district. Aside from enjoying a great mimosa and walking through ANLO’s impressive kitchen cabinetry displays, I sat in on renowned green architect Peter Pfeiffer’s presentation he gave that morning focused on “Greening the Kitchen”.

Named “one of the most influential residential architects of the past decade,” by Residential Architect and honored as the “National Green Advocate of the Year,” by the National Association of Home Builders,” Pfeiffer has demonstrated a life-long commitment to mainstreaming green building in North America. He is a founding principal of Barley + Pfeiffer Architects, a firm recognized nationally for its pioneering use of environmentally responsive building design and construction techniques, which has completed 400 green projects nationally since it’s founding in 1987. Pfeiffer’s work has been published both in the United States and abroad, in such diverse venues as the Washington Post, The New York Times, Fine Homebuilding, and Better Homes & Gardens magazine. On multiple occasions he has been a guest on National Public Radio as well as the HGTV network.

Pfeiffer’s expertise includes resource-conserving design, healthy living and work environments, and high-performance construction methods. Pfeiffer’s presentation covered one of his newest green home designs in Austin, Texas which opened for tours on Earth Day, April 22, 2008. This project will be an example of modern design exemplifying that being green can also be stylish, while not compromising the environment and/or atmosphere. Kitchen cabinet systems including ALNOSTYLE and ALNOLOOK were implemented.

For over 80 years, ALNO has been creating innovative kitchen systems that feature wood, glass, gloss, color and overall architecture. Having practiced green manufacturing for decades, all ALNO cabinets are constructed from FSC-certified materials and reflect the company’s devotion to environmentally-responsible practices.

Watch excerpts of the “Greening the Kitchen” presentation in the YouTube clips below. Mr. Pfeiffer discussed many energy-efficient design ideas that will help you succeed with your green building project.

To watch the rest of the excerpts from Pfeiffer’s presentation, please visit GreenBuildingTalk

Read More about Greening Your Kitchen:

• Green Cabinets: When Wood is Good
• KBIS Report: It’s Getting Green in Here
• Low Impact Living: Green Your Kitchen

Photo credit: decor8 at Flickr under a Creative Commons license

Consumers are demanding more energy efficient and environmentally beneficial appliances for their homes. Take a look at how several companies are meeting those demands.

Appliances companies are stepping up to offer us more efficient products, along with more styles and configurations. Green kitchen design was a big theme at the 2008 KBIS show, and I wanted to mention a couple specific products from the show that you may want to check out if you’re shopping for an appliance.

Fisher & Paykel’s Energy Star rated, top-loading EcoSmart, IntuitiveEco and AquaSmart washers, are good choices if you’re looking to save water and energy. The AquaSmart washer earned a MEF (modified energy factor) rating of 2.15, which exceeds the DOE 2007 standard of 1.72 by 25%. It also meets the CEE (Consortium for Energy Efficiency) criteria for Tier 2 efficiency adopted on 1/1/07. This makes it the most energy efficient top loading washing machine in North America. These washers are also eligible for utility rebates. Fisher & Paykel’s DishDrawer dishwasher offers the option of an economical, small load using as little as 1.98 gallons of water compared to 2.6 gallons on average for a normal eco cycle.

Bosch’s product line is Energy Star qualified in the refrigeration, laundry and dishwasher categories. Their stainless steel Integra 800 Series Dishwasher is both Energy Star and NSF Certified, and smartly manages energy and water consumption. For the more frugal buyer Bosch offers their Ascenta dishwashers series. Ascenta diswashers employ Ecosense technology, which examines the soil level in the water and customizes the wash cycle to save up to 20% in energy costs. The Integra Refrigerator and Freezer units come with settings that will allow you to use less energy.

To continue reading the rest of this post, please visit the GreenBuildingTalk blog.

Read More about Energy-Efficient Appliances

• Very Efficient Clothes Washers
• Efficiency in a Clothes Dryer
• Touchless Faucets for the Home

Touchless faucets are also available for kitchens, though consumers will need to do some research to make sure they are getting something that fits their habits.  Kitchen touchless faucets clearly carry the same health and water conservation benefits but most are set at one temperature, which might be inconvenient.  Also, if the faucet does not have an override switch, the homeowner will have to hold his or her hand over the sensor while filling a pot or doing dishes, though perhaps running water while doing dishes is a habit we should reconsider.

Touchless faucets are powered either by a battery or with a/c power, so there is a built in energy cost, but the minds over at TOTO have come up with a way to fix even that problem.  Their EcoPower sensor faucets contain batteries that are recharged by the passage of water through the faucet.  How cool is that?  Granted, to remain fully charged the faucet must be used ten times a day, so it might not be a good idea for very low traffic bathrooms or kitchens.  Check out the EcoPower technology and other sustainable ideas at TOTO’s new TOTOLOGY website. 

 For more ideas on saving water, check out these articles on tub sizes, tankless water heaters, and Elements of Building: Water.

Photo by Vlad Iorga

You may not know it, but your kitchen is one of the biggest resource hogs in your house. You use electricity and natural gas for your appliances. You use water in your sink and dish washer. Your fridge is stocked with foods grown and transported from all over the world that require chemicals, water and fuel to be produced and transported. And then there’s the non-recyclable packaging that goes straight to a landfill.

Here is a list of things you can do in your kitchen to lower your environmental impact, and also to live in a healthier home. We have recommendations for appliances, products and new behaviors.

Any chance you are planning a kitchen remodel? We also have great recommendations for you– wonderful new materials for countertops,cabinets and floors, leads on top-rated green architects and interior designers, and more. Just scroll down if you’re focused on a remodel.

Get Green in the Kitchen

1. Use energy-saving appliances. You can greatly reduce your power and water usage and your greenhouse gas production by using Energy Star appliances. Energy Star appliances can save as much as 50% of your energy and water use, and can cut your carbon footprint by 1000+ pounds, compared to standard appliances. Click here to see Energy Star models.

2. Use compact fluorescent lighting. Compact fluorescent lights use 1/4 the energy and last up to 10 times as long as standard bulbs. And they come in versions that are dimmable, recessed-ready, and daylight spectrum–any version of light type you can think of. Each high-use bulb you replace will save up to $10 and 100 pounds of carbon dioxide per year, and they last for many years. Click here to see our wide range of CF lighting options.

3. Recycle and Re-use. Can you rinse that ziplock and use it again? Can you reuse the containers you got from take-out? And don’t get plastic bags every time you go to the store for groceries– take durable reusable sacks with you. Click here for reusable grocery bags..

4. Eat Organic, Eat Local. Not only is eating organic healthy for you and your family, but it keeps chemicals from running off into our oceans and rivers from non-organic farms. Eating food sourced locally–like from farmers’ markets– means tons of carbon dioxide are not released into the atmosphere in the process of transporting food to you. To learn more about eating organic,see our selection of great books on organic food and cooking. Also, you can find a farmer’s market near you to get delicious, organic, locally-grown foods.

5. Get green cleaners. Each time you spray a standard cleaner on your counter you breathe in a fine mist of harmful chemicals. Use non-toxic, organic dish soap, detergent and cleaners to protect yourself and your family. See our selection of green cleaners.

6. Compost. Don’t throw out those coffee grounds and banana peels– save landfill space and make your own rich potting soil using a composter. It’s easy! And there’s even a model that works right in your kitchen. Find the composter that’s right for you.

7. Only run your dishwasher when you have a full load. It takes the same amount of energy to run a full or a half load– so wait another day and fill up that machine. Also, remember that washing dishes or pots by hand takes more water than doing them in the washer– so go ahead and put them in the machine.

Remodel Your Kitchen the Great Green Way– it’s healthy, sustainable and gorgeous!

If you remodel a kitchen the “normal way” you’d likely use some combination of new woods for cabinets, marble or tile for countertops, and perhaps some new tile or wood flooring. These standard materials consume resources and contain many toxic chemicals. Fortunately there is a very different way to design and build your new dream kitchen– a way that is sustainable, healthy and jaw-dropping gorgeous. We’ll show you how.

First you should find an architect or an interior designer who is skilled in working with sustainable materials and knows how to build in an eco-friendly manner. Use our nationwide listing of green architects and interior designers to find a great one near you.

Now let’s focus on materials you should consider. Let’s talk about countertops.

Terrazzo is so beautiful you will not believe it is sustainable. Terrazzo consists of recycled glass and crushed stone held together by cement or epoxy. It is buffed to give it a smooth finish. Terrazzo is low maintenance, long-lasting, and has high recycled content. Recycled materials can make up as much as 95 percent of the materials in terrazzo. Terrazzo from EnviroGlas(pictured at right) and Icestone are particularly good for their high recycled content.

“Paper Stone” is another great countertop option. Comprised of paper and other fiber suspended in resin, these materials look surprisingly like stone and come in a variety of exciting colors. The material is heat resistant and very durable. It is also easy to maintain with a nonabrasive cleaner and a cloth. PaperStone and Richlite are two of the more well-known brands. Richlite (pictured at below) uses pulp from sustainably managed forests, and PaperStone incorporates up to 100 percent recycled paper pulp.

On to kitchen cabinets.

Everyone automatically thinks “new cabinets” when they start to plan a kitchen remodel. But cabinets are often made from wood harvested unsustainably and saturated with chemicals used in sealing, gluing, and painting. Many of the chemicals used can be cancer-causing and can offgas into your home for years. Fortunately there are some great, safe alternatives.

First, save whatever parts of your existing cabinets that are still servicable. Are the shelves okay but the fronts have to go? Already, you’ve saved a lot of wood and money. For the new cabinet elements, you can use reclaimed wood, or formaldehyde-free pressed fiberboard. Or you can even get cabinets made from compressed plant material (such as wheatboard).

For the best in wood cabinets, you want to find ones that use either reclaimed wood or FSC-certified wood (FSC stands for Forest Stewardship Council–www.fscus.org– and they assure that wood is grown and harvested in a sustainable manner). For reclaimed wood, you can turn to several companies that make cabinets using salvaged wood. CitiLogs uses reclaimed wood and custom milling to produce beautiful products. A company that will sell you reclaimed cabinet-grade wood is Elmwood Reclaimed Lumber.

You can also go the “new but sustainable route” with cabinets. AlterECO manufactures cabinets out of bamboo (a fast-growing grass) and wheat board. (Pictured at right.) Check out AlterECO’s cabinet selection here. Another great supplier is Breathe Easy. Breathe Easy cabinets are made using bamboo, FSC Certified plywood and/or wheatboard (all formaldehyde free). Both companies offer low- or no-VOC finishes. Also check out Kirei board, which makes panels out of the pressed stalks of harvested Chinese sorghum. Visit www.kireiusa.com.

You also have some great flooring options.

Marmoleum is not your grandma’s linoleum. (Pictured at left.) It is made of linseed oil, rosins, and wood flour, affixed to a natural jute backing. It is durable, comfortable to walk on and comes in a mind-blowing array of colors and patterns. To learn more about Marmoleum and find a dealer near you, please click here.

Another great sustainable flooring option is bamboo. Bamboo is a fast-growing grass and is very renewable, durable and attractive. We recommend Teragren bamboo flooring, a company whose mission is to help reduce our dependence on dwindling timber resources by manufacturing flooring, stairs, and panels from bamboo sustainably harvested in the Zhejiang Province of China. Click here to find a Teragren supplier near you.

Also have a look at these amazing tiles made out of recycled rubber– they come in blue, gray, shades of orange, and many other colors. They are both durable and springy, which means they’re easy on your knees. Visit www.ecosurfaces.com to see samples.

Lighting is also critical

Why not use some skylights or solar tubes? Natural light is best for your health and for the environment. If you do need electric lights, there are many great recessed, track and decorative light fixtures that work great with compact fluorescent bulbs. You’ll save a lot of power and money going this route.

Last but not least, don’t forget about appliances. We’ve already mentioned them in the section above, but don’t forget that appliances will consumer energy for as long as they are in your kitchen, so make the right choices from the start and buy Energy Star appliances.

Thanks for learning how to green your kitchen. Please make sure to check out our new Green Products Ratings & Reviews on main site at www.lowimpactliving.com where we’re adding new and exciting features every day!

Scanning the requirements for various green building programs, you seem to have two choices. First, you can try to find cabinets made with Forest Stewardship Council certified wood from companies like Neil Kelly Cabinets. But if the company is not local, the packaging and shipping of these products may cut into their green-ness. Or you could try out agrifiber based cabinets, like Humabuilt Wheatcore Cabinets, which have arisen due to the demand for green cabinets.

Unfortunately, when faced with these choices, many before you have given up on the idea of green cabinets and gone for possibly cheaper, more convenient plain old wood cabinets from their nearby kitchen and bath dealer. If you find yourself in the same boat, chances are there’s a lesser known green option waiting for you there. Many large cabinet manufacturers across the country are certified as members of an extensive green program called KCMA-ESP.

The Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association developed their Environmental Stewardship Program in 2006 to encourage cabinet makers to be more energy efficient and environmentally friendly in their manufacturing process. Included in the program are requirements to increase air quality by lowering the presence of formaldehyde, increasing energy efficiency in the manufacturing process, following recycling practices, and furthering community relations through local programs and charities.

Nearly 100 companies have jumped at the opportunity to join other green-minded companies in the KCMA-ESP program, like Quality Cabinets, which has turned its cabinet manufacturing into a zero-waste process. Quality Cabinets converted 50,000 tons of wood byproduct into fuel for facilities, eliminating 5,000 waste containers and decreasing their reliance on coal and natural gas. Every year, 16,000 tons of sawdust are converted into filler for pet bedding. Most impressively, they’ve reduced CO₂ emissions by 350 tons a year, the equivalent of removing 58 cars from the freeways.

Despite the efforts of companies like Quality, members of the KCMA-ESP often find themselves on the outside looking in when it comes to green building programs. Although they are made from wood, the original renewable resource, the cabinets themselves are not considered green. Green building programs like LEED can only recognize final products, not the process of creating them, as green. Until major cabinet manufacturers remove all added urea-formaldehyde from their cabinets - something that Quality Cabinets has been researching and testing - they will not qualify for LEED credits.

If your goal is to build or remodel green, a cabinet in which the manufacturing process was held to strict green standards may be as important to you as one that is made from recycled materials. These are green cabinets that you don’t need to look very far to find.

What has been your experience with green cabinets or KCMA-ESP?

Photo by Lynn Davis

(Disclosure: Joel is the director of RSI Green for RSI Kitchen & Bath in St. Louis, MO, which sells the above mentioned Humabuilt Wheatcore Cabinets and Quality Cabinets.)

“Hilton San Francisco, the largest hotel on the West Coast, removed all of its garbage disposal units in 2002, and Jo Licata, community projects manager, says it has made a big difference in mechanical and water expense.” (SF Chronicle)

So what are the alternatives? Can a single user without the ability to compost in the traditional pile way still do the ultimate recycling - turn food waste back into food?

There’s a lot of proponents of worm farming, and in temperate climates, I’d have to stand in that camp too. Personally, my wormery dried out in our long, hot summer, and I haven’t got back in that saddle since. Although people say it’s possible to keep wormeries inside…I’m not willing to go that far. So I was pleased to hear Wiggly Wiggler’s podcasts about Effective Microbes and bokashi bucket composting (start with Episode 003).

Bokashi is a Japanese word meaning ‘fermented’, which adequately describes the smell of the finished product, and the grainy powder that starts the process. In daily practice, I keep a plastic bucket with a tap drain in my kitchen. I put in a couple inches of peelings, sprinkle on bokashi, and close the lid tightly. No smell, no bugs, no putting on shoes to go out to the compost heap. Occasionally I drain the tap which yields molassesy water, which is supposed to have terrific results on drain sludge. (Seems those microbes will eat practically anything in the right environment - wet, dark, and low-oxygen.) When the bucket is full (which took a month for the first one, the heavy cooking month of December), it gets set aside for another month. I started a second. The first bucket is just about done, and soon I’ll dig a trench in my garden and enrich my soil with the super-fast-composted mixture of now broken-down scraps and those fabulous microbes still at work.

Where to get bokashi and these buckets? Since I live in the Central Time Zone, I opted for a supplier out of Kansas City, Missouri. If you’re on the East Coast, Wiggly Wigglers may be your best bet. On the West Coast, the amazing Path To Freedom family offers it from their Peddler’s Wagon. Bokashi is apparently easy to make for yourself, if you can consume large quantities.

Can't stand the heat? Don't get out of the kitchen this summer -- cook smarter!

Summer is here -- at least in the Northern Hemisphere -- and with it, high cooling bills.

It's not just your pocketbook that suffers. Every kilowatt hour consumed by your air conditioner leaves behind an environmental footprint in the form of toxins, greenhouse emissions, and wastewater. So it makes sense to take a bite out of your seasonal energy needs.

One good place to start is the kitchen. It's already your home's biggest consumer of resources, and summertime cooking carries with it the double burden of removing heat from the room which escapes from your food and appliances. In a way, you're paying for the same energy twice.

Keeping heat out of the living space (along with the very real risk of cooking fires) was one reason large homes in the American South used to build kitchens detached from the rest of the house. And while that option isn't on the table for most modern residences, there are some things you can do to cool your kitchen -- and your summer energy bills.

Of course, the point of this post isn't to reveal to you my food storage fetish, but to show you that more and more kitchen appliances are hitting the market that allow my two sides to co-exist more peacefully. Take for instance, the new ultra-luxury PRO 48 from Sub-Zero. This massive fridge looks like it needs its own power plant. However, according to the manufacturers (always a trust-worthy source), this steel monsters consumes less energy than a 100 Watt light bulb!