| You want to be green and remodel your kitchen, but | | | | required to produce concrete. Concrete with 30 |
| you want to make the least impact on the Earth as | | | | percent fly ash or more does not contaminate indoor |
| possible -what do you need to know? | | | | air quality and is completely recyclable. Salvaged metal |
| The simplest changes you can make include upgrading | | | | or recycled metal can be used to create sustainable |
| appliances to more energy efficient Energy Star | | | | steel countertops. And, no glue is needed when |
| appliances and replace the lighting with fluorescent or | | | | installing countertops, reducing the resources used and |
| light-emitting diode (LED) lighting. Just these two actions | | | | potential contaminants. Also, these countertops are |
| will save you a bundle of money in the long run. | | | | extremely durable and have a long life span. |
| If you've decided to redo your kitchen from top to | | | | Flooring is also an integral part of green kitchen |
| bottom, there are many sustainable countertops | | | | remodeling. Linoleum flooring and cork are extremely |
| available - from stainless steel to paper composite to | | | | durable and are comprised from natural, renewable |
| terrazzo to wood. Among many construction | | | | resources. Linoleum is derived from linseed oil, pigments |
| companies in Chicago, Taty Construction, can assist | | | | and pine rosins and does not off gas volatile organic |
| you with your green kitchen ideas. | | | | compounds (VOCs). Cork is derived from of the bark |
| When considering a wooden countertop, make sure | | | | of cork-oak trees. Cork flooring sheets are produced |
| the wood comes from sustainable wood or forests. If | | | | from leftover wine bottle corks. |
| you're not sure how to find sustainable woods, visit the | | | | Other natural flooring options include bamboo or |
| Forest Stewardship Council's (FSC). The FSC has | | | | reclaimed or sustainable wood, such as Cane, Mango |
| created standards, which finds solutions for existing | | | | or Maple. This flooring should then be finished with |
| bad forestry standards. | | | | natural oils or sealants. |
| Terrazzo consists of glass, stone and binders. Some | | | | Next is the cabinetry. Reusing your existing cabinetry is |
| companies use up to 100 percent of recycled glass. | | | | always an option. Other options include using low to |
| What makes concrete green? The manufacturing | | | | zero-VOC panel products, FSC-certified plywood, |
| process requires a lot of input, but fly ash can be | | | | rapidly renewable agrifiber boards, such as |
| substituted for cement, which lowers the energy | | | | wheatboard or reclaimed wood. |