www.naturalpresence.ca ECO CONSCIOUS LIVING LOW IMPACT BUILDING MATERIALS NON-TOXIC PAINTS + WALLCOVERINGS RECYCLED COUNTERTOPS + SURFACES NATURAL + EFFECTIVE CLEANERS ETHICALLY SOURCED FLOORING HEALTHY KITCHEN + BATH ORGANIC SLEEP SYSTEMS living | rooms ECOLOGICAL LIVING + BUILDING NOW OPEN! 2
Healthy or Harmful? The Impact of Building Materials on People and Planet By: John and Michael Sinclair Living Rooms :: EcoLogical Living + Building We often think of our homes as being the four main walls that surround us and protect us from the elements. But in fact, we all exist in a living system of “homes”, where our bodies, our dwellings, and our planet are all functionally interconnected, and where the health of one has a direct impact on the health of the others. For this reason, our housekeeping, so to speak, must take this larger view into consideration. The materials used to build our homes and to make our consumer goods go largely unregulated, and other than some cursory information, manufacturers are not generally accountable to tell us what is in many of their products; this is especially true of building products. The more harmful of these ingredients are thought to contribute to a massive decline in the health of our lived environments. For instance, it is not widely known that formaldehyde, now recognized by Health Canada as contributing to ill health and even cancer, is found in many building products used in homes, along with other culprits such as arsenic, VOCs, heavy metals, phthalates, and radon. These nasties find their way to people via building materials and consumer goods, and they can take years to fully off-gas. Disorders like Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) and Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS) are now understood as, largely, stemming from, and made worse by, toxic indoor environments. Since Canadians now spend more than 90% of their time indoors, and since aspects of our indoor environment can be up to 10 times more polluted than outside, people are starting to pay attention to how they are affected by the buildings they inhabit, indeed questioning the conventional wisdom of sealing off air flow in the name of energy efficiency. Another major element covered by this more holistic building approach is the effect that our built environments have on the natural environment. It is estimated that one third of all landfill waste in Canada is generated by the construction industry, and this goes largely unsorted and unrecycled. When construction waste ends up in the landfill, it can take decades and even centuries to www.naturalpresence.ca decompose. Responsibly managing waste on the construction site is an important component of sustainable building. The Institute for Bau-Biologie & Ecology, the German system of healthy building science, was developed in response to the emerging problem of indoor environmental illnesses that arose after the post-war reconstruction in that country more than 50 years ago. Bau-Biologie translates to “Building Biology” or “Building for Life” and is the study of how buildings affect our health. More recently in Canada, we have seen the emergence of the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) with their Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program to encourage and accelerate the adoption of sustainable green building and development practices. There are also organizations like Habitat for Humanity and Leftover.ca, which collect used building materials and make them available for reuse – at least extending their life cycle. Plus, there are alternatives to toxic building materials and consumer goods – many of which apply new technological approaches (a “re-cycling” of sorts) to practices that are traditional and time-tested throughout the world and that are regionally appropriate. However, these organizations are not regulatory bodies, and they are often up against strong lobbying efforts on the part of some building material and chemical manufacturers whose products are currently permissible in standard building codes. This leaves the average renter, homeowner, or property owner to arm themselves with relevant information and to make the final decision regarding the health of their lived environments. The good news for empowering people is that options in low impact building materials, non-toxic paints and wallcoverings, ethically sourced flooring, recycled countertops and surfaces, healthy kitchen and bath products, and organic sleep systems are all becoming more readily available – they do exist. These measures are not at all complicated or overly expensive, especially in light of the hidden health costs of conventional building options, and they represent a tangible way for us to begin to regain control of the health of our bodies, our homes, and our planet. Brothers John and Michael Sinclair are owners of Living Rooms, a new building supply company selling eco-friendly products. You may visit their store at 12 Cataraqui Street in Kingston or their site at www.livingrooms.ws. 3
Change language