IDS Green: Recycling Toxic Things Does Not Make Them Green!!!

Making it Easier to be Green

Green design includes energy conservation, but that's not what it's all about. It's about having good air quality both indoors and outdoors, making the environments in which we work, live, study and play healthier and more comfortable and conserving all of our natural resources.

This site will provide a balanced, holistic view that includes advice about saving energy, water and other natural resources, improving indoor air quality, using environmentally responsible design and construction techniques and minimizing waste.

I will be focusing on interiors for three reasons:

We spend about 90% of our time indoors.
Buildings in the United States annually consume about 30% of our total energy and 75% of our electricity.
As a New York State Certified Interior Designer and a LEED Accredited Professional, I want to share my knowledge and expertise with you.

Sustainable design and construction can be done in many different styles and using a wide variety of materials. There are examples of healthy, sustainable, comfortable and inviting interiors for commercial, not-for-profit and residential clients on the web site for Interior Design Solutions.

You can use the labels on the sidebar to locate entries that you want to read. For instance, most people might want to look at the entries for "Green Homes," but "Green Finance" would be of more interest to professionals involved in the design, construction, management, financing and marketing of buildings.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Recycling Toxic Things Does Not Make Them Green!!!

I just received yet another email for a "green" product that does much more harm than good. Those of us who practice sustainable design share a concern with what we call "greenwashing." But the only way to make this particular product truly green would be with a heavy coat of paint.

The company recycles billboards to make products for interiors --- floor coverings, furniture, and even placemats. But their web site proudly points out that the products are very durable because the billboards they use are vinyl.

Vinyl products are very, very bad for people's health. And it's not just because the manufacture of vinyl releases carcinogens into our water and air. Products made with vinyl can be harmful to your reproductive health and your endocrine system. And the harmful substances that continue to release into the air from vinyl products also can affect even your unborn children.