|
|
Safer Building/Green Building
Please be aware of the difference between non-toxic or "safer" materials and those that are considered "green." Green building practices and products are those that are considered to be good for the environment, which we applaud, but are not necessarily good for human health. For example, recycled products such as those made with plastics, rubber, and other petrochemical products help to keep these materials out of landfills, but they may not be healthy in terms of indoor air quality. Increasingly, green building programs are addressing the issue of indoor air quality, with attention to products that emit no or low levels of VOCs into indoor air. VOCs, short for volatile organic compounds, are very small chemical molecules, which disperse into the air, or offgas, over time. Off-gassing is like a process of evaporation from solid surfaces. You can’t see it happening, but when inhaled, those VOCs can be harmful to human health. However, because green builders are more concerned about the environment and are already "thinking outside the box," they are likely to be aware of indoor air quality issues or at least open to considering them. So they are a good place to start. As always, ask for details. We are fortunate to have the following local stores who supply green, non-toxic, and safer products right here in the Austin area. Eco-Wise Sustainable and less/nontoxic products for the home Environmental Depot Local source of many safer home products http://www.environmentaldepot.com City of Austin Green Building program http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/greenbuilder/srcbk_1.htm The Healthy Home Institute John Bower's website about building an MCS friendly home http://www.hhinst.com/index.html Natural Home Magazine Inspiring magazine dedicated to healthy, non-toxic, environmentally sound homes http://www.naturalhomemagazine.com/
CONTACT US INFO@TXEH.ORG
|