Architect Peter Pfeiffer Lectures on "Greening the Kitchen" at the ALNO Press Breakfast During K/BIS 2008

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) April 29, 2008 -- ALNO -- a premiere kitchen cabinet manufacturer -- hosted a press breakfast Saturday, April 12 at their Chicago-based showroom, and building scientist and green architect Peter Pfeiffer spoke on key ways to green the kitchen. Having implemented ALNO kitchen cabinet systems in a green home he designed in Austin, which was recently completed on Earth Day, Pfeiffer choose ALNO for their quality product, but also for their use of incredibly green materials and manufacturing processes.

With over 50 editors, writers and reporters in attendance the ALNO showroom in Chicago's design district was bustling at the early hour of 8:30 a.m. Using a working ALNO kitchen, a chef was on hand to prepare crepes, while Pfeiffer took the foreground to discuss why the kitchen is the most energy-consuming room in the home, and what homeowners can do lessen its load.

Pfeiffer's presentation covered the importance of lighting and choosing low-watt fixtures in the kitchen to reduce energy use, including fluorescent and LED lighting sources. He also relayed that refrigerators are the second highest consumers of electricity (next to air conditioners), stressing the importance of the Energy Star label. As for cooktops, he favors induction cooktops (like the one in the ALNO showroom) as they use the 85% of the energy lost to actually transfer heat to the food. Lastly, he mentioned simple tips including cooking meats on the outdoor grill, lessening the time spent running the dishwasher as boiling water pollutes the home's atmosphere as high indoor humidity levels encourage chemical interactions and dust buildup. On another note, he stated that prefinished cabinets are far less likely to off-gas into the home, making for healthier indoor air. In addition, Pfeiffer's presentation illustrated real life green homes as opposed to homes that were revered for being green, but merely scraped the surface.

"My hope was that the journalists would leave feeling more informed about the importance of incorporating green elements in the kitchen, as this is something designers, architects and homeowners need to know about," said Yael Tamari, President of ALNO USA. "A lot of companies hold press events only to promote their product; we wanted to do something different. Our aim was to give reporters objective, factual information, which will enlighten their audience and serve as a call to action."

For over 80 years, ALNO has been creating innovative and revolutionary kitchen systems, which boast of quality materials, skilled craftsmanship and technical precision. As one of Europe's largest kitchen manufacturers, all systems are imported from the company's base in Pfullendorf, Germany - and feature only the finest wood, glass, gloss, color and overall architecture. Having practiced green manufacturing for decades, all ALNO cabinets are constructed from FSC-certified materials and reflect the company's devotion to environmentally-responsible practices. Constantly at the forefront of innovation, ALNO is always refining and exploring new ways to create the ultimate kitchen from a product and personal usage point of view. With a tagline of "The Kitchen, Perfected," ALNO kitchens are synonymous with high art, detailed in their many innovations including ALNO SoftClose, ALNO AllGlas and ALNO DualGlow. ALNO products are available through a select network of nationwide dealers.

http://www.alnousa.com/pr

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