The Sustainable Kitchen

• Use 100% natural cleaning products, and avoid toxic chemicals, also generally categorized as VOC's, or "volatile organic compounds" from conventional dish detergents, dishwasher, floor and multi-purpose cleaners.  VOC's from cleaning products contribute not only to poor indoor air quality, but also "green house gasses" and smog. 
  
• Avoid tableware and food storage containers made with lead glazing or varnish, such as older china, some imports, handmade dishes, and decorative dishware. 
  
  
• For cooking equipment, the healthiest options are enamel on cast iron (unless it is chipped or cracked on the inside), stainless steel, and ceramic or glass.  Avoid chemicals and/or heavy metals from non-stick coatings, as well as aluminum and copper, unless the metals are on the exterior, or sandwiched into the exterior of the pot.  Make sure there are no seams on the interior of pots, pans and kettles that could open up and leach toxic copper or aluminum into food and water. Never heat or cook in plastic. 
  
  
• For food storage, avoid plastic as much as possible. Instead, store food in glass. If you're using plastic wrap or bags, minimize use, and buy plastic made only from food grade polyethylene. 
  
  
• To catch drips from leaky plumbing and water filters and prevent mold in cabinetry and walls, place a large cookie sheet or pizza pan with a lip all the way around it on the floor of the cabinet beneath the sink.  For the best insurance, have a custom-sized sheet metal pan with a lip installed to cover the entire bottom of the cabinet, with a "leak detector" that sets off an alarm in the event of leaking or flooding. 
  
  
• Use pure, pollutant-free water.  A note about water filters vs. water purifiers: most water filters are not designed to remove a high enough percentage of certain types of pollutants, such as heavy metals, bacteria, and fluoride, which can only be removed by water purification.  If you use a purifier that eliminates or reduces a high percentage of pollutants found in your particular region's water, then purchase purified water for drinking and cooking.  Because not all purification systems are maintained properly, be sure to ask  management how often the machine is maintained, and the standard of measurement used to determine frequency of maintenance, as well as water purity.   Whether it's bottled or from a water dispensing machine, "purified water" is preferable to "filtered water", and glass containers are preferable to plastic.
  
  
• Store foods away from heat and light.  Keep all oils, foods, spices and herbs away from the heat of the stove and the sun, to insure freshness and minimize rancidity.  The best place to store all non-refrigerated foods is in a cool, dark cupboard.
  
  
• Good ventilation in a kitchen is a must.  An efficient, quiet exhaust fan over the stove reduces toxic combustion by- products from cooking, as well as carbon monoxide from gas stoves. Inadequately vented steam from cooking can contribute to condensation and resulting mold. 
  
  
• If possible, use a stove rather than the microwave.  Microwave cooking may destroy the natural "life force" in food, and possibly the absorption of nutrients.  Environmental experts also have concerns about electromagnetic fields from microwave ovens.  If you're using an older microwave oven, the likelihood of radiation leakage from around the door is quite high, because the seal around the door and the opening can become compromised over time.

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