5 Tips On How To Green Your Kitchen

After reading many articles on how to "green," one's home, I decided to try it out, taking one room at a time, starting with the kitchen. I found that many of these greening techniques were fairly easy to implement and made a lot of sense. So try them out and let me know how it goes!
1. Reduce use of plastic water bottles:
After reading so much about how wasteful plastic water bottles are, I invested in a Brita water filter system, which I had had before but not used recently. This enables me to use water from the tap and pour it out of the Brita, which eliminates many of the contaminants. I have also noticed that several bottling companies have switched to glass, so I'm currently exploring this option as well.
2. Reuse, recycle, and donate plastic bags:
Between farmers's markets, the supermarket, the drugstore, and just about every kind of store, I end up coming home with as many as a dozen plastic bags a day. Of course, on the days I remember to bring a reusable bag to the store, this does not happen, but let's face it, occasionally, we all forget. So I always reuse the bags, as liners for the bathroom garbage, as food protectors for vegetables and fruits, and to help organize coupons and other papers in my purse that I need to set aside. I have also noticed that in my town, the local thrift shop, regular supermarket, and Trader Joes, all collect and resuse the plastic bags, so I have a place to take them when they begin to swallow up my storage drawers.
3. Use eco-friendly dish detergent for the sink and dishwashing machine, and other ecofriendly or homemade cleansers throughout the kitchen:
There are many great brands of eco cleansers out there, that contain none of the harsh ingredients that can cause breathing problems, not to mention a host of other health problems. Many of them cost the same as traditional brands, and last a long time. I also like using natural ingredients such as baking soda and lemon to scrub butcher block, kitchen counters, and sinks.
4. Reuse sponges: Old sponges have great multiple uses. I have found them useful to place into flowers pots, for example, to make creative floral arrangements and help with the placement of stems. They are also a good place to store thumbtacks and keep a ready supply without accidentally prickling your fingers.
5. Limit dishwasher use and replace paper towels with cloths or real towels: I only run the dishwasher when it's full, and I use the Water Saver mode which cuts down on water usage. I cut down on paper towels by keeping a real towel in the kitchen for cleaning spills and wiping counters, or using organic cloths. After a few days, I add them to the laundry. This has saved me at least one roll a week!
Got any other tips? Share them here....