air quality

Green walls – more than just painted green.

As the call for action increases to address man-made climate change, one might think ‘what can I do’? There are at least four walls to each house, it may not immediately come to mind, but these walls can be perfect support for living ‘green walls’.

Green walls are landscaped surfaces partially or completely covered with a variety of vegetation that typically include plants, growing media and a water/fertiliser delivery system.

Research has shown that green walls can reduce energy requirements (both heating costs in the winter and cooling costs in the summer); improve air quality (whether inside or out) and increase property and amenity values. These are a few of the benefits of green walls; for an extensive overview of the benefits of indoor plants, click here.

Although traditionally Australia has trailed behind other countries (e.g. Canada, Germany and the U.S.A.) we have vast potential and now some of the world’s largest examples of commercial green walls and an explosion of home-based green wall installations.

Due to the unique demands place upon the vegetation used in green walls, low growing succulents and drought tolerant perennials are often used; this includes many Australian plants. It may seem intimidating when considering a fundamentally different style of wall than you have had previously, however a good start is with Ecospecifier.com.au’s rich and extensive database of sustainable, ‘green’ products; this includes green wall components, installers and much more.

Elmich – Green Roofs & Wall systems is a perfect example of what Ecospecifier has to offer. This product is an effective green roofing and wall system that has been proven to have multiple benefits such as reduced water run-off, reduce demand on cooling and improved air quality.

Whilst there are disadvantages of green walls (primarily the expense and level of maintenance required); green products are the way of the future. They may seem intimidating and mysterious at first, but with Ecospecifier even the greyest areas of understanding can be explained. Green products are the way of the future and what better way to become green than with green walls!

Explore more about the product ranges that have been eco-certified and listed by Ecospecifier, by using the Product Search Engine on Ecospecifier Global: http://www.ecospecifier.com.au

 Join us in more conversations about green products and sustainability issues on our social media pages:

Follow Ecospecifier on Facebook

Follow Ecospecifier on Twitter

Follow Ecospecifier on LinkedIn

Join our Social Media Honour Roll – support the switch to green products

Like, Comment and Share our blogs and posts on your social media pages … and we will send your name out to more than 15,000 subscribers via our monthly Ecospecifier Global Newsletter.

See which stellar individuals, businesses and networks made the latest Honour Roll on Twitter and Facebook HERE We salute you in helping us educate and help more people #MaketheSwitch to #EcoResponsible products.

VOC’s in Carpet

Carpet is an almost omnipresent feature in many homes and while it has its benefits, many ordinary carpets also have some issues. Health and environmental concerns associated with many carpets include indoor air quality (IAQ), chemical emissions from manufacturing and disposal operations, short lifespan of broadloom carpets particularly in rental properties and solid waste impacts due to their difficulty in recycling and most ending up in landfill at the end of their lives.

As far as IAQ is concerned, a variety of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can be emitted from some carpet materials, typically in the backing. Remember that ‘new carpet smell’? That’s them! Although VOC emissions from new carpet seem to fall to low levels within a few weeks after installation when accompanied by good ventilation, this doesn’t mean they are gone, just that you can’t smell them, as they are emitted for quite long periods at progressively lower levels, that can nonetheless keep having an impact on your families health, particularly sensitive children..

Carpet can have a purifying impact on indoor air quality by absorbing and trapping particulates present in indoor air, but then you have to make sure they get removed completely when cleaned, because it can be difficult to get all particulates back out of carpet.

Tretford have a GreenTagCert™ LCARate Silver, GreenRate Level A Certified with low VOC, it is heavy contract cord carpet range with pile made predominantly from goat hair, which is a renewable, durable, low lanolin, inherently anti-static fibre. To achieve a Silver rating the product must not trigger any ‘Red light’ warnings A Silver award indicates a Very Good product in its market category.

Tips for installing new carpet:

  • Buy only carpets that have been certified low VOC by systems like Global GreenTag (all levels and tiers), Cetec, GreenGuard or GreenLabel;
  • The area should be ventilated with fresh air during installation with air-conditioning off to avoid recirculation of air.
  • Vacuum the floor after the old carpet and underlay have been removed
  • Where possible keep ventilating the space for a minimum of 72 hours after installation
  • If carpet adhesives are used, demand a low VOC water-based adhesive
  • If you are sensitive to VOC emissions, leave the premises during and immediately after carpet installation.

 

Explore more about the product ranges that have been eco-certified and listed by Ecospecifier, by using the Product Search Engine on Ecospecifier Global: www.ecospecifier.com.au

Join us in more conversations about green products and sustainability issues on our social media pages:

Follow Ecospecifier on Facebook

Follow Ecospecifier on Twitter

Follow Ecospecifier on LinkedIn

Join our Social Media Honour Roll – support the switch to green products

Like, Comment and Share our blogs and posts on your social media pages … and we will send your name out to more than 15,000 subscribers via our monthly Ecospecifier Global Newsletter.

See which stellar individuals, businesses and networks made the latest Honour Roll on Twitter and Facebook HERE We salute you in helping us educate and help more people #MaketheSwitch to #EcoResponsible products.

The Sick Building Syndrome

Are you breathing toxic air?

A “sick” building is a structure, or room, that has become contaminated with harmful elements or chemicals.

’Sick building syndrome’ (SBS) is a concept that refers to a variety of illnesses that occupants may develop due to exposure to in- building pollution.

Indoor pollution can cause serious health risks although can generally easily be avoided.

A building’s health may be decreased over either a short or prolonged period of time from a variety of causes including:

– External pollution

– Mould and mildew or,

– Product emissions.

Poorly selected finishes in products like fittings and furniture can release gaseous toxins over a period of time, resulting in a prolonged period where a building can be classified as “sick”.

Additionally, certain activities may result in the release of toxins that decrease the health of a building, such as cleaning with products are made with compounds containing volatile toxins.

Health impacts from exposure to a sick building may depend upon a person’s age and health or sensitivity to certain compounds, as well as the level of exposure to a potentially hazardous environment.

The commonly accepted short-term health issues associated to ‘sick building syndrome’ include:

  • Skin, eye and throat irritation
  • Headaches
  • Drowsiness
  • Allergic reactions and asthma

Common long-term health impacts related to the sick building syndrome concept include:

  • Cancer
  • Respiratory disease
  • Heart disease

SICK BUILDING CHECKLIST

A wide variety of factors can reduce the health of a building, below are just a few examples to consider as causes:

  • Biological contaminants such as bacteria, moulds, mildew and house dust mites can cause a range of health effects including hypersensitivity pneumonitis, allergic rhinitis and asthma
  • Stoves, heaters, fireplaces and chimneys can all release carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide, along with a range of other particles, which may impact your health by interfering with the delivery of oxygen throughout the body, irritating the mucous membranes in the eye, nose and throat or cause lung and tissue damage.
  • Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can be released from everyday household products, including carpets and paint, and have the potential to cause a range of health effects including irritation to the eyes, nose and throat, immune deficiency, asthma, headaches, liver and kidney damage and potentially cause cancer
  • Benzene may be present in household products including glues, adhesives, cleaning products and art supplies and may result in a range of health impacts ranging from skin and eye irritation to leukaemia
  • Formaldehyde a toxic chemical present in building materials, clothing and even cosmetics! The health effects of formaldehyde exposure range from nasal and eye irritation to liver and kidney damage
  • Bisphenol A (BPA) is found in plastic products and can act as an endocrine disrupter posing significant health risks especially to the development of young children and babies.

HEALTHY BUILDING ACTION CHECKLIST

Whilst the potential health risks from building products and home fixtures can depend on a wide variety of personal and external factors, there are various steps that can be taken in order to improve the health of a building and reduce any associated health risks:

  • Choose products from a reliable source like the Ecospecifier website (ecospecifier.com.au) which only lists third party certified and verified products that have passed health and eco-toxicity assessments
  • Install weather stripping and caulking to seal the home – this can help to reduce the amount of pollution entering your home and reducing indoor air quality.
  • Prevent and manage issues related to the dampness of a building to avoid the presence of mould in order to decrease the risk of being exposed to hazardous microbes;
  • Eliminate smoking indoors.
  • Ensure adequate indoor ventilation.
  • Avoid products that contain formaldehyde or benzene.
  • Look for Low-VOC paints
  • Buy solid wood, hardboard or exterior grade plywood instead of pressed wood products;
  • Regulate room temperature and humidity to decrease the amount of VOCs emitted;
  • Choose plastic products that are BPA free.
  • Use only third party certified health-safe cleaning products.

Explore more about the product ranges that have been certified and listed by Ecospecifier, by using the Product Search Engine on Ecospecifier Global: http://www.ecospecifier.com.au

Join us in more conversations about green products and sustainability issues on our social media pages:

Follow Ecospecifier on Facebook

Follow Ecospecifier on Twitter

Follow Ecospecifier on LinkedIn

Join our Social Media Honour Roll – support the switch to green products

Like, Comment and Share our blogs and posts on your social media pages … and we will send your name out to more than 15,000 subscribers via our monthly Ecospecifier Global Newsletter.

See which stellar individuals, businesses and networks made the latest Honour Roll on Twitter and Facebook HERE We salute you in helping us educate and help more people #MaketheSwitch to #EcoResponsible products.