Archive for June, 2009

As parents the health and safety of our families is a top priority, yet it’s surprising how easy it is to neglect ways to protect them. There are many things to consider if you are planning to remodel, redecorate or even build a new home. One of these should be how to make healthy choices for your family in what you are planning on doing.

Homeowners need to realize how much their homes — carpets, paints, finishes, cleaning supplies, heating and air conditioning systems, fireplaces etc. — can affect their health.

Here are some ideas for making your home green and healthy at the same time.

Clean air helps you breathe easy:

Growing evidence tells us that indoor air can be more seriously polluted than outdoor air. With 90 percent of our time spent indoors, health risks from airborne pollutants inside the home may be much higher than we think.

Some common sources of indoor air pollution include cabinetry and insulation (formaldehyde), improperly vented fireplaces, and poorly installed or maintained heating and cooling systems or home appliances, such as gas ranges, stove hoods or water heaters.

Some things to consider when you are remodeling are installing hard-surface flooring rather than carpeting to protect indoor air for the long term. Think of how it smells after you install new carpeting in your home, is that chemical scent the air you want to breathe? If you decide to go with carpeting, you can now find products that meet air quality standards for low emissions through a Green Label program. And, ask for carpet manufacturers with recycling programs, as an estimated 5 billion pounds of carpet go to landfills annually because its synthetic components prevent easy recycling.

When planning to do some painting shop for paints that do not use volatile organic compounds, known as VOC’s. VOC’s are used in most paints, lacquers and cleaning supplies and emit gases with significant health effects. Low- or no-VOC paints (and cleaning products) are now widely available.

Quality contractors can help you find green and healthy products for you. The U.S. Green Building Council provides up-to-date information on safer and greener products and building techniques.

Conserving Energy:

One of the foundational elements of green building or remodeling should be energy conservation.

If you are building a new home, get your architect to design your house with energy consumption in mind. Maximize the benefits of natural daylight (so you’ll need fewer electric lights). Also consider passive ventilation, which will promote the flow of fresh air throughout your home when you need it. And, of course, install energy- and water-efficient appliances.

Some other easy ways to lower household energy use are replace regular light bulbs with compact fluorescents, programming your thermostat, plugging air leaks and upgrading your appliances to Energy Star products. New, energy-efficient windows can also significantly reduce energy used for heating and cooling older homes or apartment buildings, and there’s some evidence that double-paned windows can also reduce fire damage.

Green and Healthy Remodeling:

If you are updating your home or building a new one, you’ll be astounded at the array of green options available.

For instance there is bamboo flooring. It’s contemporary, durable and comes in a variety of finishes — and it’s not even wood. (Bamboo is actually a member of the grass family and grows like a weed). Cork and eucalyptus flooring have similar eco friendly qualities. Resources abound for other green flooring options, including reclaimed wood from rivers and lakes. Especially for historic homes, reclaimed wood can provide unmatched appeal.

If you prefer traditional wood, you can still go green by purchasing products that are made from woods that are responsibly managed, harvested and manufactured. Flooring, structural lumber, cabinets and a wide range of furnishings are available from suppliers nationwide that are manufactured with woods that are responsibly managed.

Green advantages as well can be found in cabinets, tile, plasters and countertops.
Cabinetry made without toxic glues and formaldehyde is widely available. It can also be finished with low-VOC paints and lacquers.
Tiles that are lead-free are also available, with significant recycled content.
And when it comes to countertops, the options are numerous, from recycled glass, concrete or plastic to finely made white oak butcher block.
Even wallpaper makers have introduced elegant grass cloth products with recycled backing paper.

So as you can see there are many things you can do to make healthy choices for your family when building a new home, remodeling or even redecorating. These are only a few. We will be talking about more things next time.