What Makes This Kitchen Sustainable? Part 2

Thanks for following along with me as we continue our Sustainable Kitchen Project! Last week was the low point for this project, in that we’d had three weeks without a kitchen and nothing but permits and drywall to show for it. But week four was very exciting, because our cabinets arrived! They are now in the appropriate places along the walls and we’re starting to get a feel for how this kitchen is actually going to work in real life. So far, so good.

The cabinets are here! It may not look like much, but last week this was an empty room.

In a recent post, I shared about the sustainable and recycled materials we’re using to make our project environmentally friendly. In this post, I’ll describe the benefits of working with a local and environmentally friendly contracting company, and the processes they are using to make this kitchen project healthier and more sustainable.

With many companies today, the environment is an afterthought — if it’s a thought at all. But we are working with ecobeco, a local company that has a Green Business Certification from my county. We first started working with ecobeco with a home energy audit several years ago, and were very pleased to hear they had branched into home remodeling.

For this project, our contractors have sealed off our kitchen from floor to ceiling with plastic, to prevent dust from entering our home. They also often provide a depressurization system to suck air of the house and keep construction dust contained. As a result of their efforts, we’ve had minimal disruption (except the lack of access to a kitchen, or course) and only a small sawdust mess in the basement (under the kitchen) from the construction process.

The kitchen is completely sealed off to prevent dust and debris from entering the rest of our house.

In demolition, ecobeco removes debris quickly and donates and/or recycles any elements that can be reused. Since volatile organic compounds (present in many paints and sealants) can cause bad smells and health effects, they use low VOC sealants and primers where available. For paint, they use a special brand with no VOCs and no fumes, that also seals against humidity to prevent mold growth.

I’m as much an Amazon addict as the next person, but one of my commitments in this project was to keep our money in the local community. In the process, we discovered the benefits of working with local businesses.

For example, Amicus Green worked hard with us to design a kitchen that met our somewhat complicated needs and within a budget we could afford. This extra effort came from what seemed to me to be a high commitment to quality and satisfaction — as if my project was of specific and individual importance.

Jim. My child’s favorite part of this entire kitchen project.

But I think one of my favorite memories from this time will be the mornings when Jim (our head contractor from ecobeco) arrives in the house and I’m still taking care of my youngest child. My son always welcomes him, “Hi Jim!” and Jim responds by saying “good morning” to him, by name. The other day, when he was curious about the sounds coming from the kitchen, the men took time to show their power tools to him. I found this friendly, human relationship to be one of the best aspects of working with a local small business.

We’re aiming to have the project finished by Thanksgiving, so stay tuned! I’ll share more pictures and updates next week.

*Disclosure Note: I requested and received small discounts from ecobeco and Amicus Green Building Center to promote local businesses I believe in.