Although one can certainly turn their not-so-green kitchen into an eco-friendly one via renovation, that is not always an option for the majority of people. So, what easy, inexpensive or free things can you do to make your kitchen more eco-friendly? Here's my short-list of what you can do to immediately see a difference and make a change:

1) Use biodegradable or compost-able kitchen bags - see the example of one of the many brands out there, in the list at the bottom.

2) Compost -
from Gaiam:
What is composting?
Composting is a natural process by which microorganisms break down kitchen and yard waste into humus — a rich, dark material that enriches soil, boosts fertility and retards soil erosion.

What materials can be composted?
Compost ingredients generally fall under one of two categories: "browns" or "greens".
Brown (dry) ingredients include: dried leaves, dry grass, straw, sawdust, cold wood ashes, wood chips, all kinds of tissue paper, shredded newspaper, shredded paper cartons, and shredded egg cartons (the paper kind only).
Green (wet) ingredients include: fruit peels, vegetable peels, coffee grinds and filters, tea bags, egg shells, peanut shells, garden waste, plant trimmings, fresh grass cuttings, and table waste.
Some materials should not be composted. These include: bones, meat, fish, dairy products, sauces, oils, fats, pet waste, diseased plants, seeding weeds, wet grass, and inorganic materials.
It is recommended to have a 50/50 balance of green and brown materials. Green materials are rich in nitrogen and brown materials are rich in carbon. Bacteria thrive in the particular ratio of carbon to nitrogen that is provided by this mix of green and brown materials. This allows for efficient composting.

Here are some Faqs about composting, from Gaiam.

Composting isn't always an option for everyone. For instance, I can compost - but what do I do with the composted mess afterwards? This city doesn't have a compost pick-up like some other do, I don't have a garden or any plants . . . so the only place I have been able to practice this is when i lived in a house. Does any one compost? Any ideas on how I can do so in an apartment? I haven't come across any information about that. I am vegan so almost everything I eat can be composted, so it sucks even more to not be able to do so.

CasaSugar defines composting nicely here

3) Use a cloth instead of a paper towel to wipe counters and clean dishes - Here are a few options: Mabu Cloth , Twist Euro Cloth

4) Install a water-filter - As easy as screwing on a filter to the underside of the tap to installing a larger filter that is less noticeable under your sink, there are a myriad of options.

Gaiam's info:
What contaminants are in your drinking water?
This varies by location. Many water supplies contain contaminants such as chlorine, herbicides, pesticides and other VOCs, lead, trihalomethanes, mercury, MTBE, bacteria and biological contaminants such as giardia and cryptosporidium.
How does one choose a water filter?
The first step is to find out what contaminants are in your water supply. Your local water company should be able to supply this information. If not, water test kits are available. Once you know what is in your water, simply choose a filter that removes the contaminants.

5) Grow Herbs on Your Windowsill Fresh herbs are not only tastier, they also give off a lovely natural scent (because they are natural?!) and you can be certain about where the herbs you use in your cooking have come from: your very own kitchen, how much more local can you get? CasaSugar posted about a few herbs that you can plant, super-easily. I can't find the link at present, but she mentioned growing Oregano, Basil and other herbs most-commonly used in the kitchen. I also grow Rosemary. Rosemary is so fragrant and so delicious in many dishes... easy to grow, too!

6) Use eco-friendly cleaning products - Try an organic, non-toxic kitchen bar soap to scrub your hands before and after handling food. Regular soaps can have chemicals that are unhealthy for the environment. Organic soaps with essential oils are nourishing to the skin, gentle on the planet and last longer than liquid soaps. Use eco-friendly dishwashing soap. Here a few green cleaning links from TeamSugar:
- http://teamsugar.com/group/422515/blog/498860
- http://teamsugar.com/node/523719
- http://fitsugar.com/416630
- http://fitsugar.com/516506

7) Use smaller appliances like counter-top convection ovens rather than the entire built-in oven when possible - counter-top convection ovens can easily be found in stores, or save that, Amazon has hundreds of them in a wide range of prices

8 ) Green your meals - Buy organic, local, or grow your own produce! Reduce the amount of packaging used to encase your food. Use cloth bags when you do purchase food.

9) Use Re-useable containers - This is an especially easy one. Its so easy to find glass, stainless steel or other containers to put your leftovers or packed food in. See my list for a few examples.

A few inexpensive eco-friendly kitchen products:

Extras:

Care2.com had a lot to say about making your kitchen energy-efficient:

A recent article in the New York Times reports on a major new study that details the planet's energy scenario. "Because the world's population is growing and living standards are rising, energy consumption globally is expected to rise by over 50 percent over the next 25 years," it notes, and goes on to explain that finding supplies to match that growth is going to be increasingly difficult. It seems prudent to start trimming our energy needs wherever we can. Household appliances account for about 20 percent of a household's energy consumption, so why not start reducing energy use in the kitchen--and get cool while you're at it?

1. Use the proper size pot for the burner or element. A 6" pan on an 8" burner will waste over 40% of the heat produced by the burner.
2. When using an electric range, turn off the burner before the cooking is finished. The burner will retain enough heat to continue cooking for a short while.
3. Keep stovetop burners and reflectors clean - they will reflect the heat better and save a surprising amount of energy.
4. Cover pots when cooking. Food cooks faster and less heat escapes.
5. When boiling something, turn down the heat once it reaches a boil-it takes less heat to maintain a boil than reaching it.
6. Don’t boil more water than you will be using.
7. If you use boiled water frequently, invest in an electric kettle.
8. Minimize preheating--unless you're baking breads or pastries you may not need to preheat the oven at all. A good rule of thumb is that any food that takes more than 60 minutes to bake can be started in a cold oven.
9. Glass or ceramic pans in the oven retain heat well enough that you can turn down the temperature about 25 degreesF.
10. In a conventional oven, food cooks quicker on the top rack.
11. Check the seal on your oven door to make sure it is working properly.
12. Full-size ovens are not very efficient when cooking small quantities of food. When cooking small- to medium-sized meals, it generally pays to use smaller toaster ovens.
13. Rearrange oven shelves before you turn the oven on. Doing it after the oven is hot not only wastes heat, but is an easy way to burn yourself.
14. Don't lay foil on oven racks to prevent messes. The oven works more quickly and efficiently when air can circulate freely.
15. Try not to open the oven and peek when baking.
16. Pressure cookers reduce cooking time.
17. Thaw foods completely before cooking (thawing in the refrigerator is best because it helps the efficiency of the refrigerator).
18. Cut food into smaller pieces for quicker cooking.
19. Try a solar cooker!
20. Slow cooking in a Crock Pot uses much less energy than simmering on a stove, and emits much less heat.

Jennifer Roberts has a book called Good Green Kitchens -

*Greening your dining room and food serving will be a separate post.