MNN - Mother Nature Network

Environmentalists are de-fridging, reports The New York Times. More people are deciding to get rid of the kitchen’s biggest energy hog in an attempt to reduce their carbon footprint — though quite a few greenies, including myself, still rely on their refrigerators — EnergyStar model refrigerators, that is.

 

 

De-fridgers cope by getting coolers, storing perishables outside in the winter, and when desperate, getting a mini-fridge. Many, as you can imagine, have had to change their cooking and eating habits to adabt — though these new habits, like cooking from scratch more often, sound like healthy ones for the most part.

 

Read the New York Times article to find out about the creative ways people are keeping food fresh. The piece reminded me of an older Wall Street Journal article about Manhattanites getting rid of their kitchens altogether. That article didn’t have an eco-angle to it. It was published in 2001, before going green went mainstream — and instead focused on people who just wanted more space and didn’t care to cook. My favorite quote from one de-kitchened New Yorker: “How much room does it take to store a bottle of vodka?”