"To waste, to destroy our natural resources, to skin and exhaust the land instead of using it to increase its usefulness, will result in undermining the days of our children the very prosperity which we ought by right to hand down to them amplified and developed" Theodore Roosevelt, seventh annual message, Dec 3rd 1907
What should we consider when creating a greener design?
In the previous post, I have shown how beneficial it is to live in a green interior. When we want to create a green scheme, there are three questions we should always ask:
Where does it come from?
What does it contain?
Where does it go?
These questions relate to the materials used in the products, furnishing, furniture etc we want to utilise for our decor. They should be at the same time green (i.e. protect people’s health and well being) and sustainable (i.e. protect Earth’s health and well being).
1. Where does it come from?
Is it from sustainable resources? It is important not to participate to the depletion of the earth’s resources and, for example always use wood coming from a certified source, or use easily renewable products.
Is it produce locally or does it come from far away? We should always source local products or locally made products in order to reduce the transport factor and so the carbon footprint of our design.
2. Where does it go?
It is important to know where the product will eventually finish, will it participate to fill up landfills? Could it be used for the making of another product and therefore be recycled? Can it degrade by itself, and be used as food for other organisms to grow? The product’s life cycle has to be considered as a whole.
As W.McDonough and M Braungart said:
"Think about it: you may be referred to as a consumer, but there is very little that you actually consume - some food, some liquids. Everything else is designed for you to throw away when you are finished with it. But where is "away"? Of course "away" doesn’t exist. "Away" has gone away (1).
More and more products are now designed to be dismantled at the end of their life and re-used as raw material to make a brand new product. M Braungart and W. McDonough have brought to life this extraordinary new way to produce things, following the "cradle to cradle" concept (see 1)
3. What does it contain?
It is important to check the different components of the product, the presence of any harmful molecule that could be released in the air, and spoil our indoor air quality.
See in Annexe 1 the 20 top hazardous substance list. It is amazing to see how many of these toxic molecules are present in materials used throughout the house, as also are many more including formaldehyde (see link about formaldehyde for more information). This is why we must check the components of any new products to go into the house. Not only these materials can directly affect our health, they can also participate to the contamination of the ground when finishing in a landfill, and therefore jeopardize water resources.
A material safety data sheet (MSDS) can be asked to the manufacturer, and will show the general composition of the product, as well as a wide variety of data such as the known health effects, proper handling, and recommended storage of the material.
We can also answer other questions when designing our home, such as:
Will this item make the house more energy efficient, more comfortable? Is it durable? Does it contain recycled element? Is it produced in an environment friendly way? What is not sustainable about this product?
By creating a better environment in our homes, for ourselves, we take into consideration our planet, and participate to its protection and this is our children’s heritage.
Footpage notes and annexe:
1. Michael Braungart and William McDonough - Cradle to Cradle - Vintage
What you should know about formaldehyde: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/drywall/docs/WhatYouShouldKnowaboutFormaldehyde.pdf
Annexe1
Top 20 Hazardous Substance list
Source: Agency for toxic substances and disease registry (ATDSR)
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/cercla/07list.html
Substance
Examples of some common products
1 ARSENIC
Wood preservatives
2 LEAD
Batteries, metal products
3 MERCURY
Light bulbs
4 VINYL CHLORIDE (PVC)
PVC piping, PVC siding, packaging
5 POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS (PCB)
Coolants, insulation for electrical equipment
6 BENZENE
Dyes, rubber, detergents
7 CADMIUM
Batteries, pigments, plastics, metal coating
8 POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
Dyes, plastics, roofing tar
9 BENZO(A)PYRENE (PAH)
Incomplete combustion from coal, oil and wood-burning stoves and furnaces
10 BENZO(B)FLUORANTHENE (PAH
11 CHLOROFORM
Swimming pools, plant growth chemicals
12 DDT, P,P'
Pesticides
13 AROCLOR 1254
Rubber and synthetic resin plastecizers, adhesives, sealant, caulks
14 AROCLOR 1260
PCB waste materials and products in ladfills
15 DIBENZO(A,H)ANTHRACENE (DbahA)
Product of incomplete combustion
16 TRICHLOROETHYLENE (TCE)
Adhesives, paints, paint removers
17 DIELDRIN
Insecticides
18 CHROMIUM, HEXAVALENT
Leather tanning, wood preserving, dyes, pigment
19 PHOSPHORUS, WHITE
Pesticides, fireworks
20 CHLORDANE
Pesticides
What should we consider when creating a greener design?
In the previous post, I have shown how beneficial it is to live in a green interior. When we want to create a green scheme, there are three questions we should always ask:
Where does it come from?
What does it contain?
Where does it go?
These questions relate to the materials used in the products, furnishing, furniture etc we want to utilise for our decor. They should be at the same time green (i.e. protect people’s health and well being) and sustainable (i.e. protect Earth’s health and well being).
1. Where does it come from?
Is it from sustainable resources? It is important not to participate to the depletion of the earth’s resources and, for example always use wood coming from a certified source, or use easily renewable products.
Is it produce locally or does it come from far away? We should always source local products or locally made products in order to reduce the transport factor and so the carbon footprint of our design.
2. Where does it go?
It is important to know where the product will eventually finish, will it participate to fill up landfills? Could it be used for the making of another product and therefore be recycled? Can it degrade by itself, and be used as food for other organisms to grow? The product’s life cycle has to be considered as a whole.
As W.McDonough and M Braungart said:
"Think about it: you may be referred to as a consumer, but there is very little that you actually consume - some food, some liquids. Everything else is designed for you to throw away when you are finished with it. But where is "away"? Of course "away" doesn’t exist. "Away" has gone away (1).
More and more products are now designed to be dismantled at the end of their life and re-used as raw material to make a brand new product. M Braungart and W. McDonough have brought to life this extraordinary new way to produce things, following the "cradle to cradle" concept (see 1)
3. What does it contain?
It is important to check the different components of the product, the presence of any harmful molecule that could be released in the air, and spoil our indoor air quality.
See in Annexe 1 the 20 top hazardous substance list. It is amazing to see how many of these toxic molecules are present in materials used throughout the house, as also are many more including formaldehyde (see link about formaldehyde for more information). This is why we must check the components of any new products to go into the house. Not only these materials can directly affect our health, they can also participate to the contamination of the ground when finishing in a landfill, and therefore jeopardize water resources.
A material safety data sheet (MSDS) can be asked to the manufacturer, and will show the general composition of the product, as well as a wide variety of data such as the known health effects, proper handling, and recommended storage of the material.
We can also answer other questions when designing our home, such as:
Will this item make the house more energy efficient, more comfortable? Is it durable? Does it contain recycled element? Is it produced in an environment friendly way? What is not sustainable about this product?
By creating a better environment in our homes, for ourselves, we take into consideration our planet, and participate to its protection and this is our children’s heritage.
Footpage notes and annexe:
1. Michael Braungart and William McDonough - Cradle to Cradle - Vintage
What you should know about formaldehyde: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/drywall/docs/WhatYouShouldKnowaboutFormaldehyde.pdf
Annexe1
Top 20 Hazardous Substance list
Source: Agency for toxic substances and disease registry (ATDSR)
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/cercla/07list.html
Substance
Examples of some common products
1 ARSENIC
Wood preservatives
2 LEAD
Batteries, metal products
3 MERCURY
Light bulbs
4 VINYL CHLORIDE (PVC)
PVC piping, PVC siding, packaging
5 POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS (PCB)
Coolants, insulation for electrical equipment
6 BENZENE
Dyes, rubber, detergents
7 CADMIUM
Batteries, pigments, plastics, metal coating
8 POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
Dyes, plastics, roofing tar
9 BENZO(A)PYRENE (PAH)
Incomplete combustion from coal, oil and wood-burning stoves and furnaces
10 BENZO(B)FLUORANTHENE (PAH
11 CHLOROFORM
Swimming pools, plant growth chemicals
12 DDT, P,P'
Pesticides
13 AROCLOR 1254
Rubber and synthetic resin plastecizers, adhesives, sealant, caulks
14 AROCLOR 1260
PCB waste materials and products in ladfills
15 DIBENZO(A,H)ANTHRACENE (DbahA)
Product of incomplete combustion
16 TRICHLOROETHYLENE (TCE)
Adhesives, paints, paint removers
17 DIELDRIN
Insecticides
18 CHROMIUM, HEXAVALENT
Leather tanning, wood preserving, dyes, pigment
19 PHOSPHORUS, WHITE
Pesticides, fireworks
20 CHLORDANE
Pesticides
Written by Emmanuelle Lemoine
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