At our booth at the recent Organic Island Festival I was asked what kind of kitchen cabinets would be best from a sustainability perspective. Here was my suggestion:
1. Style is important. Choose kitchen cabinets that are plain rather than ornate, and classic rather than trendy. A good candidate for this is Shaker style: it’s been around for more than 200 years and with its clean lines and simple, uncluttered appearance, works well with many different types of architecture.
2. Have the doors of your kitchen cabinets made from local and sustainably-grown wood sources. In the Pacific Northwest this could mean Douglas fir, larch, broadleaf maple, or alder.
3. Have the cabinet boxes made from plywood with no Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Many less-expensive kitchen cabinets are made from particle board, but this material breaks down readily when exposed to water and use.
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