Building Green Homes
Pressing issues such as global warming and rising energy costs has seen that there’s been a big shift in recent years towards “green” thinking and practices. In this context “green” can be defined as conducting ourselves in a manner that has no adverse affects on our environment. The process of building a home is one that consumes a number of resources and we have a choice as consumers to use resources which will have no long term detrimental effect on the health of the planet, and indeed our own health. On this page we will look at some of the things that should be considered when building green homes. Sustainability is one of the key tenets of green building practices. You can now purchase building materials and furnishings made from sustainably harvested wood. In order to be absolutely sure that the materials you are purchasing have been sustainable harvested, you can check to see that they’ve been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The FSC are the only true 3rd party, non-biased rating agency on the world that certifies forests as sustainable or not. This is particularly pertinent because there are a lot of manufactures who will say that their materials are sustainable certified, but they don’t have any certification – a process known as “greenwashing.” Bamboo has become popular as a green building material but it really does need to be checked for its hardness before proceeding with it for flooring. Your best bet would be to talk to a green builder or hardwood flooring installer who has installed it before. Flooring isn’t the only area where you can use sustainable materials. You can also purchase linoleum that has been produced from renewable materials like linseed oil, rosins, wood flour and jute or tiles that have been made from flax. There are also many companies who are selling carpeting from natural wool fibers, recycled materials and natural fabrics. Another important aspect of green building is that it uses non-toxics paints and finishes. The chief benefit of using these products is that they’re designed to reduce “offgassing”- or the emissions of toxins into the environment. These toxins are frequently referred to as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) which will cause outdoor pollution. Companies such as AFM Safecoat will even go a step further and eliminate ingredients such as formaldehyde, ammonia, acetone and odor masking agents that cause indoor air pollution. On the same topic, green builders are now increasingly choosing plywood that is not manufactured with formaldehyde. Of course, a large part of green building is about the design phase, with an emphasis on being placed on energy efficiency as well as using natural and sustainable materials. Measures such as designing a home that maximizes natural daylighting and using solar power to generate hot water and electricity; as well as ensuring that the home is fitted with energy efficient equipment and appliances are all things that can both save money and cut down on environmental pollution – thus ensuring that your space is green.
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