In my previous article, Ways To 'Go Green' In Your Kitchen - Part I, I concentrated on how to make your kitchen eco friendly with special emphasis on food and cooking. 

However, that is just one aspect of having a 'Green Kitchen' and it does not end there! There are various other things to be considered, such as using all electrical appliances in the most efficient manner, saving water and minimizing the use of toxic chemicals, to name a few. 

So let us go ahead and analyze these and some more tips one by one.

1. Use your appliances in the most energy efficient way

The kitchen uses a lot of electrical appliances, hence we can start with using them in the most energy efficient way possible.

• Washing dishes by hand uses more water than washing them in a dishwasher. It has been estimated that a dishwasher when run on full load uses 37% LESS water. If your dishwasher comes with an 'economy' cycle option, then use it to save both energy and water and instead of using the heat dry option, let your utensils air dry. 

• When buying a dishwasher, look for one which has an 'Energy Star' rating (this applies to all other kitchen appliances which use energy, such as refrigerators, microwaves, freezers, stoves etc). 

• Disposing electrical appliances in the right way is important as most of them contain environmentally harmful chemicals and materials. Look for communities in your area which have take-back programs for such items to make sure that they are disposed properly. 

• Refrigerators consume the maximum amount of energy in any kitchen. Do not place your fridge near a heat source such as an oven, which will make the appliance work harder, and in turn consume more energy. If you are still using an ancient refrigerator from the 1980's, replace it today with an 'Energy Star' model which are certified to use 20% LESS energy and above $100 saving on your utility bills!

• Kitchen lights can be energy hogs as well, so always turn them off when you are not using them. Replace all kitchen bulbs with 'Energy Star' qualified light bulbs (Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs or CFLs). A CFL saves more than $40 in electricity costs, uses 75% less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and lasts up to 10 times longer and produces 75% less heat.

• In order to make maximum use of the natural light during the day, locate your main kitchen work area near the windows.

• If you live in a warmer climate you can save even more energy by installing solar powered appliances such as solar water heaters, solar ovens and solar lights and fans. 

2. Recycle 

The kitchen generates almost 50% of the waste in any home so a recycling bin is a must in any kitchen! Better still, designate separate bins for collecting glass, paper and plastic wastes and then dump them in the bins at your local recycler. 

You could also invest in a kitchen-recycling center, which saves space by neatly concealing recycling bins within modified kitchen cabinets. 

Earth911 is a useful website to locate recycling centers in your city.

3. Homemade cleaners

Most kitchen cleaning agents such as as dishwashing liquids, detergents and floor and surface cleaners contain petrochemicals. When you are at your local store shopping for cleaning agents look for natural products which are non-toxic, biodegradable and plant based. 

The other alternative is to make homemade cleaners. The following ingredients (which are easily available in any house) can be used to make cleaners.

1. White vinegar
2. Baking soda
3. Salt
4. Lime juice
5. Borax

All-purpose cleaner - Add 1/2 cup Borax, 2 tbsp lime juice and 1 cup hot water and use it for cleaning appliances, countertops and tabletops.

Drain opener - Add 1 cup of vinegar and 2 tbsp of baking soda and pour it into the drain. Wait for 5-10 mins and then flush the debris with hot water.

Glass and chrome cleaner - Add 1 part vinegar, 1 part alcohol and 1 part water and use it to clean glass and chrome surfaces.

4. Composting 

Composting kitchen waste is a wonderful way to be eco friendly and you can use your own compost to grow your plants. 

Composting is nature's process of decomposing organic materials through a combination of biological and chemical processes. Biological agents such as worms, insects, bacteria, fungi and other micro organisms eat away waste and chemical processes such as oxidation, reduction and hydrolysis act upon the waste and breaks it down further to create a rich soil known as compost.

Read about how to create a compost bin in your own apartment here.

5. Buy goods with less packaging

The amount of paper that we waste in buying packaged goods could well be cutting down many trees. 

• Buy goods with less packaging, for example, instead of buying smaller juice boxes, buy large cans of juice and fresh fruits and vegetables instead of packaged ones. 

• Bring your own recycled cloth bag to the supermarkets to carry your grocery items so that you are not using their plastic or paper bags. 

Of course, since we cannot do away with packaging completely, always, always recycle.

Green living can come a long way in keeping your house and your family's health at its very best. So what are you waiting for? Start with making your kitchen as green as you can today!