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Health & Fitness

What's MORE Green?

There are 45 reasons that a manufacturer can call a product green, but you can boil them down to three categories: Human Health, Sustainability, Environment. Which is the most important to you?

Is it possible for our homes to be friendly to the outdoor environment as well as being healthier for the human occupants? Yes, but its a matter of understanding the Degree of Green® of the products you choose.

Example #1 – VOC’s. The Environmental Protection Agency started regulating the VOC – volatatile organic compounds – content of paints, coatings, adhesives, flooring materials, etc., in the effort to reduce outdoor air pollution. That's right, OUTDOOR air pollution. See, the definition of a VOC is any carbon based molecule that is readily vaporized at room temperature, that could react with nitrogen and ultraviolet rays and create low-level smog. So, manufacturers were forced to reduce the VOC content of their products.

In doing so, they are allowed to use “un-regulated” solvents such as ammonia, acetone, butyl acetate, as well as hundreds of untested chemicals and solvents that fly under the radar. All because, the EPA is not the HUMAN Protection Agency. That's what the FDA is supposed to be. Now, there were some excellent products that used to be available before the regs started. Products that contained VOC’s, but were actually completely non-toxic to humans. But because the EPA paints all VOC’s with the same brush, they are no longer available.

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VOC’s are not all harmful to humans. Peel the skin off an orange and you’ve technically released 850 grams per liter of VOC’s into the air. On the flip side, not all toxins are VOC’s. The point is, the hypersensitivity our industry has to VOC’s is only directed towards global environmental concerns, not human health.

Example #2 – Carpet. What is better? Pure wool carpet made without pesticides and chemical dyes OR recycled nylon carpeting, which keeps tons of plastic out of the landfills. The answer is, it depends on the Degree of Green® you are trying to achieve.

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Pure wool carpet made by Natures Carpet is the only carpet we’d recommend to someone with chemical sensitivity. I’m not a fan of carpet in general, since all carpet can be a haven for dust and dust mites, but if someone really wants carpet and they are sensitive to synthetic chemicals, thats the only brand we’d use. That said, wool carpet is made from virgin materials, sheared from animals and most likely comes from New Zealand.

Carpet made from either recycled nylon or recycled PET (plastic soda bottles) is a novel idea and a great way to divert plastics from the waste stream. Most of these carpets are made right here in the US. However, it has been estimated that the average synthetic carpet product has between 600-1200 chemicals in the fiber and backing. A recycled carpet would be no different. If its a recycled PET carpet, you should also know that the chemist that invented PET stated in his original report that PET should never come in contact with human skin. Yet, its used for carpeting, as well as jackets and hats in the form of “Eco-Fleece”.

There are many more examples, but i think you get the point. Environmentally friendly and human friendly are not the same and most often, will oppose one another. There are many good examples of products that walk the fine line in the middle, but there is no perfect product. One must always choose their own Degree of Green®

before embarking on a remodeling or building project. At some point along the way, you’ll have to make a choice on a product that meets your Degree better. Just know that by doing so, it’ll have down sides. There are 45 reasons a product or service can be called “green”. By determining your personal Degree of Green®, we can choose products that fit your needs.

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