Is Your Home Renovation Green Enough?
by Harvey Bond
(Chicago, USA)
If you’re thinking about building or renovating your home, you might want to consider some green options. No – I don’t meant having a green color scheme (although you certainly can if it suits you), I’m talking about making eco friendly choices for your new design.
Certainly one of the first things that comes to mind is using “green” products. Low VOC carpets and floors and cabinetry made from sustainable materials like cork and bamboo should be high on your choice list.
In the kitchen and bathrooms, you could opt for recycled glass countertops that add a unique touch to the kitchen and are a great way to put old glass to use. These countertops come in many color combinations and resemble artful mosaics which lend a classy air to your room.
Another thing to consider is recycling your old items or, using items from someone else’s home. These days, wood floors are very popular and if you are considering them for your home you might look around at older homes that are being torn down to see if you can salvage the flooring.
Every item that you reuse from your old design or from someone else’s home is one less item that will end up in the landfill.
If you are redoing your heating, then look into solar or wind power. Wind power might not be practical for all homes since you need to have quite a bit of land and a high area for the turbine.
Solar power, on the other hand, can be adapted to almost anywhere.
If putting in a solar system is not within your reach, you should at least make sure that you insulate properly and use triple pane windows and tight fitting seals on your doors to minimize loss of energy from your home.
Avoiding use of paints and glues that produce air pollution is another consideration. This is not only important for the environment, but for your health as well.
Toxic fumes can build up in your home and are bad for your health. In fact, the EPA estimates that the pollution inside your home can be up to 100 times worse than that outside the home!
In order to have cleaner air inside, use water based paints instead of oil based and avoid products that have a lot of adhesives. When you do need to use adhesive, try to make sure they are as “green” as possible.
Luckily, there are plenty of exciting options in eco-friendly materials and you don’t have to sacrifice beauty or function to go green. When choosing the new materials and items for your home, be sure you do your homework and look for eco-friendly options – I think you will find plenty of items that fit in your new design!
Click here to read more about energy efficient recycling tips
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