The kitchen of your dreams: before our renovate your kitchen, look over these plans for an eco-friendly, vegetarian-friendly place to prepare food - includes list of resources and guide to making a recycling center

Vegetarian Times, March, 1997

Ask a dozen cooks to describe their dream kitchen and you'll get more than a dozen answers. Ask the same question of vegetarian cooks and you'll get amazing consensus:

"Two sinks."

"A place for composting."

"A big pantry."

"A recycling center with lots of bins

that is out of the way but convenient."

"A water purifier."

"A CFC-free refrigerator."

Our needs seem to be simple compared to the lavish, professionally designed, energy-guzzling kitchens that are all the rage these days. Designing even a simple kitchen, however, is anything but easy unless you plan ahead and have a good idea of your "must-haves" and what compromises you win (or won't) make. John Robbins, author of Diet for a New America (Stillpoint Publishing, 1989) and founder of EarthSave, says when he and his wife, Deo, built their home, they incorporated the kitchen into the living space. "To me, cooking, cleaning, eating and living are all one activity," he says. "Sometimes your architecture can generate a feeling of closeness and family." However, an architecturally stunning kitchen might not be the most environmentally friendly one, and a kitchen done on a strict budget has some environmental constraints. Robbins points out that his refrigerator and dishwasher are among the most expensive brands available but that they save on energy costs. In the end, he believes he made the right choices not just for the dollars saved but for the environment. That said, here is a checklist of ideas for a kitchen that combines culinary fantasy with environmental and fiscal responsibility.

FOOD PREPARATION AND CLEANUP

* Consider two separate, deep sinks for vegetable preparation, accommodating two cooks, both of whom are washing and chopping vegetables.

* Remember that one sink needs to be big enough to wash out the compost bucket.

* Install a reverse-osmosis water purifier.

* Design a recycling system larger than you think will be necessary. It should incorporate a number of bins for newspapers, glass bottles, plastic and, of course, composting. These can be located under counters or in a separate area not far from the door you use to take these bins outside. David Goldbeck's book, The Smart Kitchen (Ceres Press, 1994), has loads of good ideas about practical recycling centers.

* You can stop feeling guilty about having a dishwasher. A 1988 study at Ohio University showed the average dishwasher uses 9.9 gallons of water versus 15.7 gallons for an equal amount of dishes washed by hand. Although some cooks love the hydrotherapy of washing dishes in soapy, warm water, most want the dishwashing to be over with as soon as possible. Look for a dishwasher with an eye toward water and electricity savings. Dishwashers with built-in hot water heaters save energy because the household water doesn't have to be heated to 140 degrees, the temperature at which most dishwashers work properly. To save water and energy, we suggest using the air-dry option, running the dishwasher only when it is full and only at off-peak periods of energy use. There's no need to pre-rinse your dishes. Most newer kinds will do all the cleaning for you. If you are buying a new machine, look for brands that are simple to operate. Too many cycles means too many things can go wrong, which means before you know it , the dishwasher will be headed for a landfill.

* Specify lead-free faucets.

REFRIGERATION

* Look for a refrigerator that is energy efficient. The average refrigerator uses over 1,000 kilowatt hours per year. One brand, made by Sunfrost in California, uses only 180 kilowatt hours per year, but the cost of buying one is quite high. It can be an intelligent, cost-effective choice, however, if you use a solar generator or if you are considering going "off the [electric utility] grid. " Less costly but still energy efficient are some brands that were designed under a government-sponsored Super Efficient Refrigerator Program (SERP). These use no CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons, a gas that depletes ozone and contributes to global warming) as either refrigerants or as foam insulation. Those with bottom-mounted freezers seem to be easiest to use. They are larger than top-mounted freezers, and they have sliding trays or baskets, making items easy to spot.

* If you plan on keeping a lot of fresh vegetables and store bulk-bought grains in the refrigerator, side-by-side models may not give you enough room.

* If you have an older refrigerator, consider installing a GreenPlug (from Green Technologies, Boulder, Colo.), which reduces the electricity needed to run the refrigerator.

* Place your pantry or other food storage area near your coldest exterior wall or near shaded or west- and north-facing windows. Keep potatoes, onions or other foods that do not need refrigeration, but like low temperatures, in these cooler spots. Don't forget to use your unheated basement, if you have one, as a keeping room to store grains, root vegetables, canned goods, beans, oil and other cold-loving foods.

COOKING AND

BAKING

Here is where the real cook's debate begins. Most prefer the temperature control of a gas flame. Yet electric cooktops and ranges create less air pollution and fewer carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide fumes. A case can be made for either, and at least one manufacturer offers both in the same appliance: gas burners and an electric oven. Things to think about in either case: