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The Eco-Kitchen Challenge

Renovating to be green takes more time, research and intestinal fortitude than doing it the regular way. Is a 16-month journey to a new kitchen worth it?

I now have a kitchen of the future. My cabinets are crafted from renewable bamboo and the floors made of wood from forests managed for sustainability. There is no formaldehyde lurking in the glue of my shelves, few VOCs (volatile organic compounds, or gaseous pollutants) wafting from the paint on my walls. My major appliances are Energy Star-rated, the walls are insulated with material made from recycled newspapers, and my lights are electricity misers.

Just one thing: It took 484 days to get here.

Time for an eco-reality check. Despite all the green hype, building an environmentally correct kitchen can be a lot of hard work. Unless you hire a green-educated architect or general contractor, some serious homeowner hands-on is still required. During my journey, I pored over sheets of bamboo plywood in Brooklyn, N.Y., hunted down energy-saving accent lights in Illinois by Web and phone, and spent one frigid afternoon cleaning spilled cellulous insulation off the lawn. I also interviewed five cabinet dealers before finding one who would meet my eco-specs. “This is an industry that hasn’t changed a lot, aside from air-conditioning, in the last 100 years,” says Michelle Moore, a senior vice president with the not-for-profit U.S. Green Building Council. “It takes courage on the part of initial homeowners to step into the waters.”

Forget courage, this was a selfish endeavor. A recent study of real-estate listings in Seattle found that certified green homes sold for an 11% premium per square foot and sat on the market for a quarter less time. Next year, California will begin limiting the formaldehyde emissions permitted from composite wood products commonly used in kitchen cabinets; the World Health Organization classifies formaldehyde as a carcinogen, and it’s been linked to respiratory problems like asthma. That is fueling interest in eco-oriented cabinet lines like Neil Kelly and Breathe Easy, and sparking mainstream brands to go greener.

Meantime, as more new-home builders go eco, owners of existing houses must adapt or become edificial dinosaurs. As much as 20% of new construction will be green by 2012, according to a study released this week by McGraw-Hill Construction. So when an ice-maker leak in January 2007 prompted me to gut my damaged kitchen, I decided to rebuild eco-logically. However, I had two rules: I wouldn’t break the bank for trees, nor would I sacrifice design or efficacy.

To read full article by Gwendolyn Bounds, click here. 

May 17, 2008 by Marc Vitorillo. Data is believed to be reliable, but not guaranteed. Login for current updates.