“In Their Expert Opinion” features three bloggers who bring special expertise on living a natural lifestyle to The Clear Conscience Blog. Each month, we’ll share tips and advice on how to live a little greener from a few of our favorite experts.

By Lori Popkewitz Alper, GroovyGreenLivin.com

Photo credit: Used under Creative Commons from Tim Crowe/Flickr

If you’re thinking of going green the kitchen is a great place to begin. Going green doesn’t necessarily mean spending big bucks to replace big ticket items such as the flooring, appliances and lighting.  In fact, the greenest option is to keep your kitchen intact and adopt some new “greener” practices.

1. Save energy by running the dishwasher only when it’s full. The same amount of energy is required for a half and full load in the dishwasher. Resist the urge to rinse your dishes thoroughly before loading them – most dishwashers can get your dishes clean without rinsing them first by hand.


2. Choose healthy pots and pans.  
Despite the ease and convenience of non-stick pots and pans such as Teflon, many health conscious people are tossing their non-stick and replacing them with healthier options such as stainless steel, cast iron, glass and ceramic.


3. Don’t preheat your oven. 
Newer ovens are able to hit the desired temperature very quickly, so pre-heating becomes almost obsolete. I put things in the oven the minute I turn it on. I also turn the oven off 5 or 10 minutes early to let the dish finish cooking in the residual heat.


4. Use non-toxic kitchen cleaners. Scour the ingredient list of cleaning products before you scour your kitchen. Clean your kitchen with products that are safe for you and your family. By choosing safe and healthy alternatives you are choosing to reduce toxic chemicals in your home and help the environment.


5. Reuse glass jars and other containers. Many foods are packaged in glass jars: pasta sauce, olive oil and pickles to name a few. These jars can be reused and repurposed before they hit the recycle container. Try reusing the jars to store crayons, hold spare change, flowers or paint brushes. 

Making these simple changes in your kitchen is good for your well-being, but is also good for your pocketbook and the planet. 

Disclosure: The bloggers featured in the Clear Conscience Blog “In Their Expert Opinion” series have received product samples and compensation from Watkins, Inc.