EditorsWith the sustainability movement in full swing, it is only natural that ecological concerns would eventually apply to kitchen renovations. Many holidaymakers want to make ethical choices in this arena, just as they do in other aspects of their lives.
Once upon a time, sustainable holiday lettings were prohibitively expensive. But thanks to the popularity of the movement, the price of eco-friendly items has come down substantially. And that’s opening the market up to the mainstream for eco-friendly renovations.
What’s more, the option that is good for the environment is now also good for how your let looks. You no longer have to make aesthetic compromises.
So what are your options here? How do you make your self-catering vacation more sustainable?
Low-Flow Faucets
Low-flow faucets are all the rage right now because of the fact that they save so much water. In the past, designers created taps that were little more than switches. When they were open, gravity would force water through in a stable stream. When they were closed, nothing would happen.
Engineers, however, saw that there was a better way of doing things that would save water and make the experience of getting it more pleasant. Low-flow faucets aerate the liquid as it comes out of the head, allowing a given volume of water to go further.
Natural Countertop Materials
In the past, people would have chosen laminate or fibreboard countertops without a second thought. But in 2020, we live in a very different world, and now holiday homes are demanding sustainable countertop materials.
Fortunately, the market is responding, and there are now a lot of choices out there. There are dozens of types of quartz countertops as well as granite, stone, tile and even slate. The great thing about these materials is that they’re wholly natural. If somebody does eventually decide to dispose of them in the future, it won’t harm the environment. (It might just fill up the landfill a little faster).
Skylights
The first thing you notice about most modern kitchens is the sheer number of spotlights in the ceiling. The darn things are everywhere. So even if you use LEDs, you still wind up using a significant quantity of electricity.
If you have the option, you can get around this problem by choosing a property with skylights. This feature provides better lighting than artificial alternatives, plus it reduces your carbon dioxide emissions over the long-term. In the summer, you get natural light long into the evening, creating an incredible atmosphere.
Photo: PhotoMIX Company via Pexels
Indoor Herb Growing Station
Instead of buying your plants from the store (and contributing yet more CO2 to the environment), it is better to grow plants yourself using an indoor growing station.
First, buy yourself a kit online containing pots, seeds and planters. Once you have all the gear, plant the seeds according to the instructions and then place it next to a window that gets natural sunlight. Over time, your plants will begin to flourish, negating the need to go to the grocer at all.
Space For Food Preservation
Food production is notoriously seasonal. Farmers harvest millions of tonnes of wheat at the end of August to give hay time to dry in the fields. The same goes for fruiting trees, with most seasons lasting only a few weeks.
Unfortunately, when everything turns ripe at the same time, it can be challenging to know where to put it all. Most holidaymakers wind up tossing a large percentage of it in the trash.
You can, however, avoid this fate by allocating space in advance. Plan for food preservation and make it part of your vacation activities. If fruit is in season, turn any that you can’t use into chutney.
Recycled Flooring
Kitchen flooring has a checkered history. In the early days, people either had tile, stone, wood or dirt – all natural materials. But then along came the twentieth century and everything changed. All of a sudden, people could buy flooring options made of petroleum derivatives, churned out in bulk by big suppliers. Needless to say, these weren’t kind to the environment.
Eco-friendly flooring, however, is making a big comeback in the sustainable tourism industry. All of the traditional options still exist. But you can also now get explicitly ecological options, such as salvaged or reclaimed wood and floor products made of bamboo.
Low VOC Paint
Paint can be toxic if you expose yourself to it for too long. It can lead to dizziness, headaches, and nausea. Any location that you choose should use low-VOC paint (or, preferably, without any volatile organic compounds at all).
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