Customer Reviews

Good Green Kitchens

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What? Yet another book on kitchens? And what does GREEN mean in terms of a kitchen, certainly not the color?

San Francisco based writer Jennifer Roberts has developed a philosophy that discusses the remodelling of a kitchen in terms of its impact on the world.

Key to her philosophies are reuse, recycle, salvage, and when buying new avoiding old-growth or tropical woods, particleboard or plywood made with urea formaldehyde-based glues (that can out-gas bad things into your house). Green includes appliances that use less energy, less water, and cost little more (if any more) than un-green equipment.

The book is a heavily illustrated study of several green kitchens that clearly illustrate that being green does not have a penalty in design, style or utility. Nor do they have to be cheaply made. Here are green kitchens with professional grade appliances.

... and so is this book. It's packed with beautiful kitchens and guidelines on choosing the greenest items for your reno or build. Green includes considering the manufacture, transport, durability, recyclability and health effects of the materials or appliances.
There are 5 sections: an overview lays down general principles and considerations for affordability. Ch. 2 considers Flooring, Ch 3.is Storage (cabinets etc.), Ch. 4 is Counters and Walls. For each there is a table summarizing the pros and cons of the options, as well as more detailed text that will explain how it's made, if it can be recycled, whether it presents health concerns, etc. I found this text to be quite comprehensive. The final section considers energy use by major appliances (fridge, freezer, cookers, hood ventilation), water use (dishwashers, sinks, water heating, filtration and gray water), and cleaning (recycling, garbage, compost, and cleaners). There are sources listed in each section.
The only annoying thing was that a few brands seemed to be "pushed" -- mentioned with great frequency in picture captions and text. Perhaps that reflects the lack of competing green brands, however.
Bottom line: definitely worth getting if you are doing a kitchen reno or building a new house.

This book is not worth much of a review. Far from being "green" it's what I'd call "greenwash". It's for people with a spare $20,000 - $50,000 who want to feel good by what they BUY, but there is precious little to indicate that the kitchens pictured actually lead to living a green life. You can't buy more stuff to become green - that's an oxymoron. The first thing to DO to have a green kitchen is to reduce your ecological footprint by what you do and then build a kitchen around your genuinely green lifestyle. This book is based on the unstated assumption that you first dream of living a green life, then you drool over plans and then you buy lots of stuff and that somehow makes you green. Sorry - this might fool your friends, it might even fool yoursdelf, but it won't fool the planet. Almost anyone can reduce their ecological footprint by a change in behaviour far more than they could by following the examples here. Any book on green design that features pictures of buildings, rooms and kitchens without people in them living a green lifestyle is - by my reckoning - just another example of greenwash. I give it two stars rather than one because there are a few ideas here that you might be able to adapt to support a green life. But you'll need to go elsewhere to learn about ecological footprint, environmental load and living green. There is one-third of a page on "environmental costs" when such a book should feature this at its core and the rest of the book should be about building a life and a kitchen around this principle.

Planning a kitchen remodel is overwhelming--there are thousands of choices you have to make about every little detail. And on top of that, you have to worry about whether the products you use will destroy forests, contribute to our fuel dependency, pollute, off-gas, etc.

This book does an excellent job of making the decisions simpler. During a time when every company is marketing themselves as green, this book provides a neutral resource for assessing the environmental impact of each of the items you purchase. It also covers the even greener option of re-using and re-purposing items for your kitchen, saving money and reducing your footprint. The pictures of the kitchens prove that a green kitchen can be beautiful and a joy to work in.

A reviewer claimed that this book is "greenwashing" but that word has clearly been misapplied. This book sticks to the subject at hand and doesn't get off topic telling you how to cook and eat and live your life--that's a plus.

If you or anyone you know is in the process of remodeling your kitchen or building a new house, make sure you get this book first. It's filled with beautiful designs and ideas that help you create a working kitchen that is both green and user friendly.

It should be required reading for anyone going to design school or working as an Architect.

I loved reading it and learning of all the latest gadgets that not only help conserve but show me whats capable for when I rebuild my next kitchen

Loved the book!

Thanks
Pat Bonish[...]

I found Good Green Kitchens to be an excellent resource. The information is comprehensive, unbiased, and clearly presented. It's also a great read and beautifully put together. The mix of reference information, case studies, and design tips works very well. I think that the quality of content is far better than most other home design books.

Anyone planning a "green" kitchen remodel will find this book very helpful.