Eco-friendly Cookware
In your journey to living the best green life you can live, don’t forget to outfit your kitchen with eco-friendly, sustainable cookware. It’s getting easier to find eco-friendly cookware; more green retailers are cropping up and even retailer mainstays such as Target and Wal-Mart are starting to offer these products. Here is a list of manufacturers that adhere to a code of environmental awareness and safety:
Lodge Manufacturing: provides you with great line of cast iron products. Many pans and skillets in the market today claim they are non-stick pans, but most are coated in a heat-resistant plastic known as Teflon. However, when heated above 600 degrees, Teflon releases a chemical known as Perfluorooctaninoic acid (PFOA) which has been associated with lower birth weight in babies, cancer, and stroke in animals. According to a Time article by Michael D. Lemonick from June 2006:
“No study has proved that cooking with Teflon is harmful to humans. But Dupont paid $107.6 million in 2004 to settle a lawsuit brought by some 50,000 people who lived along the Ohio River near its West Virginia plant. They claimed PFOA contamination had caused birth defects and other health problems. The company admitted no liability but in December 2005 made a settlement with the EPA based on eight violations for failing to disclose its own findings on the safety of PFOA. This April, hearings began in a class action against the company by nonstick-cookware users from 15 states. in January, an EPA advisory board labeled PFOA a likely human carcinogen.”
With Lodge Manufacturing’s cast iron pans you’re guaranteed a pan that is Teflon- and PFOA-free. The benefits of cast iron greatly outweigh traditional nonstick pans coated in these chemicals. Cast iron pans brown more evenly, and over time, a well-seasoned cast iron pan is virtually nonstick.
In 1991 Lodge replaced its melting system with a more eco-friendly process and greatly lessened their production of hazardous waste. In 1996, Lodge partnered with the American Foundry Society and the Environmental Committee of the AFS and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s Division of Solid Waste to plan a policy to use and incorporate non-hazardous foundry sand. The company also encourages and supports the animal and plant life that live in the ponds and streams around the foundry. Fauna and flora that have been introduced to the water sources are examples of ecological success.
If You Care: if you bake, drink coffee, and/or use aluminum foil, take a look at the products from this environmentally conscious manufacturer. All If You Care products are made from either 100% unbleached or 100% recycled materials. By using 100% unbleached paper, you are preventing toxins from reaching lakes, rivers, and eventually the ocean. Most bleaching uses chlorine dioxide and creates lethal dioxins that affect the environment and humans. According to the manufacturer’s website, dioxins “describes a group of highly toxic chemical which are produced by several industrial processes that use or burn products containing chlorine, including incinerators and ‘kreaft’ paper mills. Dioxins are among the most potent chemicals known.” The EPA has reported that dioxins can lead to cancer. Dioxins can also lead to infertility and low birth rate.
If You Care’s products are all made from renewable resources, they use vegetable-based inks on their packaging (which is also made from recycled paper), and offer landfill safe and biodegradable paper products. Their products are also certified kosher Parve. They offer recycled aluminum foil, baking cups, baking paper, cheesecloth, coffee filters, cooking twine, and parchment paper. If You Care products are available from Amazon.com.
Lloyd Industries: dedicated to green manufacturing, Lloyd Industries provides baking equipment, pizza pans and accessories, and cooking pans. Lloyd touts themselves as the only manufacturer in the cookware industry to have developed a water-based, easy-release coating system — PSTK and Dura-Kote. All products are Polytetrafluoroethylene- (PTFE) and Teflon-free. The water-based coating will not rub or flake off. Teflon is a trademark of DuPont regarding their products that are coated in PTFE resin.
Bambu: all Bambu products are derived from 100% certified organic and renewable products. The manufacturer also supports Fair Trade practices and has been awarded with the Co-Op America Seal of Approval for their promotion of healthy and fair treatment of workers and their commitment to providing eco-friendly products. Bamboo, although mistakenly thought of a tree, is actually a grass that can grow between 2 to 6 feet in one day. Since bamboo does not need to be replanted, is high-yielding, and releases 35% more oxygen than trees, bamboo is a smart choice for your kitchen. Bambu offers baskets, cutlery, cutting boards, and utensils. Available at Crate and Barrel and Whole Foods Market.
Find more green home and kitchen products from the following online retailers:
Photo Source:
Bambu cutting board from Green Feet
swedexxx3 says:
cool stuff