Futuristic Eco-Kitchen Makes for Cleaner, Greener Meals

Overall, more household waste is created in the kitchen than any other room. Food preparation generates organic waste, recyclable trash, and grey water, much of which just enters the waste stream currently. It stands to reason that, if you want to reduce household waste, you would start there.

Industrial design group Faltazi saw a problem with modern kitchens: they hang on to 20th century ideals rather than offering a solution to 21st century problems. So the group decided to create a kitchen system that would operate on four principles: waste management, kitchen health, energy reduction and intelligent storage.

The Ekokook concept starts with more efficient food storage. Rather than the traditional two-compartment fridge/freezer combo, the Ekokook features sections to keep fresh fruits and vegetables fresh longer, encouraging the owners to eat more healthy, natural foods while cutting down on the electricity required to refrigerate food items. The steam oven and two-tier dishwasher help to further reduce the energy consumption in the kitchen.

But what really makes the Ekokook shine is its waste management systems. There are separate systems for solid, liquid and organic waste. Waste water from washing fruits and vegetables is recycled to water houseplants, organic waste is routed to an eco-friendly compost system featuring live earth worms, and recyclable wastes are sorted into their appropriate groups.

A few commonly-used household herbs or vegetables could be grown in the overhead ultraponics chambers, presumably using compost and grey water collected from the other components of the kitchen. The rest of the setup is dedicated to intelligent storage, with some overhead and some lower compartments being arranged to maximize space while allowing for freedom of movement in the ultra-modern, planet-friendly kitchen.