Lisa Mather from Modo Cucine is doing what she can to reduce her carbon footprint and save the planet. Are you? A friend of mine announced a few months back that she was turning her back on supermarket shopping.

She felt the supermarket in question was taking over the world and she was going to do her bit, shop locally and support the small independents. Brave idea. I had to laugh when she updated me on her progress.

She'd tried it, but in the end, the pull of the supermarket club card points and vouchers had just been too strong. She'd been seduced by the offer of a mini-break and discount on her petrol and who can blame her on that one as fuel prices rocket sky high?

The point is that most people want to do their bit, but they can only go so far. The good intentions are there, but when it comes to the crunch, does counting the pennies come first? It's the same when it comes to eco-friendly kitchens really. Or it has been until very recently.

Then you look at bathrooms. Some showers pump out gallons of water, which, ironically, is a selling point. How do we strike a balance between opulent luxury and energy saving?

In kbbreview's February issue, we read that the environment had slipped from its pole position as the main issue facing our industry to number five. The economy was now top of the list. It will be interesting to see how that changes over the next two years. Maybe it's time to start putting the environment back up there on the agenda?

Lots of my clients do ask about a kitchen's green credentials, more so than with bathrooms. Although it might not be their number one priority, it is a concern. They want to know about the kitchen's sustainability. It's an issue that is important to us as well when we decide which collections to offer. How are the items transported? How many are loaded on each truck? What are the policies for carbon off-setting? Maybe the kitchens aren't made entirely of recycled materials, but thought does go into minimising environmental impact during their production and delivery - something we take seriously.

At kbb Birmingham, I was impressed to see the new Eco range from Cosentino. 

Made from recycled raw materials - including mirrors salvaged from houses, buildings and factories and glass from windows and bottles - it was stunning and a commendable effort. The range really stood out with its green credentials. I'm sure we'll start to see more products like this. 

There is no reason why we shouldn't be nudging the environment back up the agenda now. We should be thinking about green issues once again. Small steps can make a difference too, although I recently heard a woman complain that the energy companies had wasted energy by sending her too many energy-saving light bulbs!  

What do you think? Is it time to change?