Have you ever wondered that an office building requires a green kitchen?

Even if yours is a green office that takes care of environment in a meticulous way but the kitchen is left out then the effectiveness of the efforts of going green lowers down.

Kitchen is a place from which a huge percentage of air pollutants and waste get released.

You may ask the following questions to the concerned departments about the kitchen @your office.

–          Are the appliances that are used in the kitchen BEE 5 – Star rated?

These days, most of the serviced offices in India are using energy-efficient appliances as they now understand the benefits of using such products.

–          Are these appliances checked at regular interval of time?

There is a huge difference between procuring appliances and maintaining them. If they are not maintained properly then their performance level will degrade. Various business centres in India take this seriously but many don’t. An inefficient appliance would consume more energy and release more pollutants further heating up the room and increasing the use of air-conditioners and ultimately leading to high energy bills.

–          Are the raw materials tested as per their specific requirements before they are used? And whether the food is prepared properly or not.

There is a business centre that offers meeting rooms in India in mountain fresh ambience, provides nearly organic and healthy food. They use ground spices and materials that are devoid of preservatives, MSGs and transfats. Water is another important criterion. You must check the quality of water supplied to the kitchen and whether RO water is used for washing vegetables and fruits and preparing food.

–          Which tiles are used inside the kitchen?

These days, you get low VOCs and bacteria free tiles that enhance the green and health quotient. Such tiles are said to reflect heat allowing the temperature inside the rooms to be cooler. In fact one must also check the kind of paints used in the kitchen. Paint and polishing chemicals are likely to emit a good amount of VOCs.

–          Which chemicals are used for the cleaning the kitchen and storage area?

Green seal certified housekeeping chemicals should be used for cleaning as they are not harmful to the environment. Non-toxic, bio-degradable and plant-based detergents are easily available in the market.