When it comes time to do a home renovation, it’s often easy to get swept up in creating the new design and choosing all the products. But, have you ever thought about what types of dust and contaminants you could be exposed to during demolition? Or, what types of chemicals might be released from the new products?
With the climate crisis accelerating, we must minimize the carbon load of our buildings. This means reducing the embodied carbon that is used to create the materials that go into our buildings as well as the emissions of the buildings in operation.
You have probably heard of the phrase ‘farm to table’, but what about ‘farm to walls’? Meet Havelock Wool. Their natural wool insulation comes from sheep farms in New Zealand rather than from fossil fuels. Their raw material is both sustainable and renewable, recyclable and compostable and outperforms fiberglass, cellulose, cotton, mineral wool and foam. Their wool isn’t only good for the environment, it’s also good for your family’s health: serving as a source of air filtration, sound absorption and moisture management.
Our homes are—in a very real sense—our primary environment. Americans spend 87 percent of their time indoors; nearly 70 percent of that time is spent at home. So, in addition to worrying about smokestacks and waste pipes, we should focus on the chemicals that lurk in our carpet, paints, and drywall. Today, a wealth of new resources make it easier for everyone—consumers and building professionals alike—to identify and avoid exposure to toxic chemicals.
VOCs became an issue several years ago when studies showed that smog and air pollution were not exclusively caused by cars and factories, but to a large extent by chemicals off-gassing from homes. This became particularly relevant when EPA studies showed that levels of VOCs in the home were 3-5 times higher than even outdoor air in a polluted city.
Even your drywall can be safer and more sustainable. National Gypsum works to reduce their ecological footprint, and practices transparency regarding the chemicals they use.
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