Most British houses are frankly in need of an eco ASBO. Poorly insulated, chock full of appliances and with lights left on all over the place, they spew out heat and associated carbon emissions to the tune of six tones per year per average house. As most appliances are concentrated in the kitchen, and as this is where the magical transformation from raw produce to cooked food takes place, it's not surprising that this is the room with the biggest carbon footprint. The first thing to stress however is that in energy terms, preparing and cooking your own food from as natural and local a source as possible is highly preferable to buying ready meals which are truly energy intensive. The second thing to make clear, is that it is gratifyingly simple to reduce your kitchen's ecological footprint.