In-Home Materials
Plants To Improve Indoor Air Quality
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Plants have always been a beautiful and comforting element in the interior design of one's home or office. |
Recent studies have shown that particular plants can serve to improve indoor air quality. |
Window Coverings
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Vinyl or other synthetic, dust-catching blinds and curtains |
Natural material, heat reflecting window solutions |
Low Flow Fixtures
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Standard flow (3.5-8 gallon) toilets, and water-wasting fixtures |
Low flow (1.6 gallon) and dual flush toilets, and high performance low flow fixtures |
Household Waste
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Throw everything into the trash |
Recycle, reuse and compost |
Water Heaters
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Large capacity, poorly insulated water heaters, far from use site |
Solar water systems, tankless, on-demand water heaters, close to use site |
Mattresses
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Mattresses filled with flame retardants and other toxic chemicals |
Naturally flame retardant wool and cotton mattresses and futons used with organic linens |
Lighting
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Energy-wasting fixtures and Incandescent bulbs |
Increasing natural light, using compact florescent bulbs and energy star fixtures |
Furniture
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Furniture of plastic, glued laminates, particleboard, with toxic finishes |
Sustainably-grown solid wood furniture, with non- toxic finishes, organic fabrics, natural cushioning materials |
Fragranced Products
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Asthma and allergy triggering air fresheners and fragranced products that add numerous pollutants into your air |
Good ventilation, natural oils and essences, fresh flowers, potted plants, fragrance-free products |
Flooring
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Wall to wall, chemical-laden, contaminant/mold-catching carpet |
Natural fiber area rugs used in combination with non-toxic flooring materials |
Appliances
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Inefficient, Energy-wasting appliances |
Energy & water saving appliances that are Energy Star Rated |
Cleaning Products
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| Chemical and fragrance-loaded household cleaning & laundry products | Non-toxic, fragrance-free products, and/or food- grade homemade methods |
Spotlight on the Experts
Peter L. Pfeiffer
HCHW Green Educational Consultants Jenny Brady and Rebecca Foster had the pleasure of getting to know Green Architect Peter L. Pfeiffer this Spring in his home town of Austin, Texas.
Peter Pfeiffer specializes in what we call "Sustainable/green" design and he likes to call “High-performance” commercial and residential building practices. He has been nationally recognized as being instrumental in "mainstreaming" the concept of … Read More »
