Creating the Green Home: Balancing

Health and Sustainability

NEXUS Green Building Resource Center, Boston

12.13.08

What is a Green, Healthy Home?

You don’t have to worry about toxins or hidden dangers to your health or your kidsYou can be completely comfortable and knowledgeable about the products you buy, use in your home and live withYou minimize your impact on the earth by engaging in sustainable practicesYou are thinking about what’s best for all of life in the long term

Name That Toxin!

VOC’sPVCPBDEPFOABPAPthalatesChlorine…And more!

Where can I find these chemicals?

PlasticsHousehold cleaning productsCosmeticsFurnitureElectronicsFoodWaterAir

Toxins and Toxicants in the Home: where can they be found?

Mattresses (Flame retardants, formaldehyde)

Under the Kitchen Sink (VOC’s,acute poisons)

Carpets (Solvents, PFOA’s, neurotoxins)

Toys (Plastics, Lead, Hormone Disruptors)

Plastics (BPA, Pthalates, PVC)

Electronics (PBDE’s)

Personal Care Products (allergens, hormone disruptors, carcinogens)

Mold/dust (captures particulates of the above)

How do they behave in our homes?

OffgasWe breathe it in

Affects nervous system, respiratory system, indoor air quality, outdoor smog

ParticulatesFree floating, invisible, attach to dust

We inhale, touch, eatCan stay in our system and affect health of the entire body over time

What happens after we’re done with them? How do they behave in the environment?

From production to emission to exposure to disposal, these chemicals alter and negatively impact life on earth

Plastic…in albatrossPFOA’s…in polar bears

There is no “safe” level of toxins in the body.

Our bodies must juggle many potential health burdensKnown dangers: lead, arsenic, formaldehyde, dioxin… carcinogens, hormone disruptors, allergens, moreUnknown risk factorChemicals found in babies, humans, animals, plants, food- all over the worldDo we want to risk it?

The Body Burden (ewg)

Complex chemical cocktailWhat happens when we put these together?Persistence

Sticking around, in our body and on the earth

BioaccumulationIncreases exponentially

SynthesisCombinations are mysterious and sometimes deadly

PotentiationContact with one can make another more harmful

Other Environmental Dangers in the Home

Electromagnetic Fields/RadiowavesElectronics, Computers/TV’sElectric Appliances- refrigerators, stovesMicrowaveWireless TechnologyCellphones/towers/antennasPortable phonesMold/Dust

Where did they come from?

Industrial revolutionCreated POP’s

(fertilizers, pesticides, chemicals developed for warfare)

molecular approach as opposed to behavioralNo precautionary principle for chemicals

Innocent until proven guilty

The Precautionary Principle…

“When an activity raises threats of harm to human health or the environment, precautionary measures should be taken even if some cause and effect relationships are not fully established scientifically.”

Safer Alternatives for You and for Kids

Choose all green/organic personal care products (soaps, shampoos, makeups)Choose eco-friendly cleaners that are kidsafeReplace plastic with wood or silicone, bottles with glassDon’t renovate with conventional materials, or conventional paint- use area rugs, no-VOC paint, and innovative green building supplies and décorMinimize time near electronics such as computers, tv’s, and routersMinimize cellphone use, especially with children!

Safer Alternatives, cont.

Clean regularly to eliminate dust buildup or moldTry not to bring PVC (polyvinyl chloride) products into the houseUse a water filter in your sink and shower, don’t buy bottled waterAvoid drinking, eating and heating food in plastics as much as possibleEliminate exposure to formaldehyde by not choosing pressed wood or treated wood productsEat whole and organic, locally grown foodsAlways choose the organic, non-synthetic option whenever possible!

How to create sustainable lives?

Sustainability:

Living in such a way that preserves, protects and restores our health, communities and environment, and does not compromise life for future generations.

Questions to ask

What is this item made of?What resources and chemicals are needed?How much energy?How is it grown?How are people employed in the process?Does this item create waste or pollution?Where does the waste for this item go?What impact does that waste have on the environment?Will it be near you, or other people?

What impact will it have on those people?What transportation is required?

Eco Ethics

Could Earth support all the world’s people at my standard of living?Do good things come from each dollar I spend?Do other species or people struggle or suffer as an indirect result of my lifestyle?Should I be allowed to consume more than others?Are wars being fought over resources I use?Do I support corporations or industries that damage the environment or exploit workers?Is my lifestyle in alignment with my values?

Greening your home 101

Change to Compact Flourescents (CFL’s) or LEDGet a programmable thermostatUnplugDrive less- Walk/Bike MoreAvoid turning on the hot water tap (sink, washer, dishwasher, shower)

Buy something used instead of new (or, buy less in general)Use canvas bags at the store- all storesbuy local organic food - “eating is voting!”CompostInvest in renewable energyAvoid plastic packaging- bring your own! use an alternative, or cook at homeHang your clothes to dry instead of using the dryer, Avoid conventional dry cleanersDon’t idle your car

When you make green choices:

Your awareness about issues improvesYour health improvesYou’re setting a good exampleMoney going to a good placeSaving money in long runLeaving some food, goods, services for others in other parts of the worldHelping slow warming, preserving our futureMaking a statement about the value of lifeImproving your quality of lifeReducing demand for harmful exploitative businesses and productsLetting people know what matters to you with your dollar or your voiceLeaving some resources..and hope! for future generations

resources Learn more…www.ewg.orgwww.myfootprint.orgwww.healthandenvironment.orgwww.coopamerica.orgTake action…www.change.orgwww.healthytomorrow.orgwww.safecosmetics.orgWhere to buy…www.greenhome.comwww.gaiam.com