The fact is, global warming / climate weirdness is happening; and it is quite clear recent big changes are caused by us. Independent measurements agree the average temperature of the whole world is steadily going up. Warmer air holds more water vapor given off by warming oceans and lakes. Wetter air causes more powerful storms (tornadoes in Massachusetts! as well as hurricanes and superstorms like Sandy.) In winter, that means heavier snows, even though the average winter weather is not always so cold as it used to be.
You know the rest of the bad news, but don’t get to feeling helpless. You’re not. There is a lot everybody can do.
Last month we discussed saving energy (and money) by not wasting water.
This month we talk about saving energy (and money) at home in your kitchen.
Kitchens contain what in most homes is the biggest electricity hog, the refrigerator, and the cooking stove or range, where food is usually heated by electricity or gas—in either case, responsible for a lot of greenhouse gasses. A few minor changes in habits, therefore, can have a big effect on your “carbon footprint,” your contribution to global warming. Warning: some (like the first) may sound silly at first reading; but please read on and take them seriously, even though any one change makes only a small difference. Little changes cumulate over time to have effects of respectable size, especially if you teach them to your children. If you can find tactful ways to share them with neighbors, spread the good word but not at the cost of coming across as everyone’s nanny. More about that next month!
At the Stove
1. Learn how to boil water. (Seriously, many cooks don’t know!) Measure the amount of water you set to boil, only as much as you need. Then after adding food and bringing to a boil again (or vice versa), turn heat down to a slow boil or even a simmer. Any heat more than that does not cook any faster! though a boil does keep some things from sticking.
2. Keep cooking pot covered to reduce heat loss. With the heat down, it won’t boil over.
3. Don’t leave burners on when you take pots off the stove (a common mistake in our household, no matter who’s cooking.) Especially the broiler or oven; it’s usually hard to tell by looking whether they’re off or on.
4. Use a microwave oven for much cooking; it is more energy efficient as well as faster than a stove or even a toaster oven (which uses less energy than a full-sized one.) Turn off its power when not in use; that also avoids leakage of microwaves in older ones.
5. Crock pots (plus other slow cookers) and pressure cookers are also energy efficient.
6. To cook pasta, put the noodles in the pot first, then just enough cold water to cover, and start checking for doneness when water comes to a boil. (A suggestion from a Truro neighbor, Mark Bittman.)
The Refrigerator
(The ordinary household’s biggest user of electricity, about 25% of it.)
7. Having lots of food and drink in your fridge keeps it from warming up too fast when the door is open, so it doesn't have to work as hard to stay cool.
8. Set the refrigerator temperature between 37°F & 40°F, and the freezer at 5°F unless it contains food to be used months later (then, at 0°F.)
9. Brush the condenser coils clean once a year; that saves electricity.
10. Make sure the rubber seals on doors fit tightly and that doors stay fully closed. You may need to tilt (wedge) the refrigerator back slightly, an easy adjustment.
11. Don’t hold doors open unnecessarily. Decide what you want before opening. Be careful, if you’re talking to someone at the time, not to be distracted into keeping the door open.