April 19th-25th, 2010
Indoor Air Quality MY INNER
How to make your home a healthy
GREEN
Blog by Jennifer Schwab
place
Smog in urban areas often makes Fight the Foam:
the news. But truth be told, air
quality is often much worse inside Join the Packaging
our homes than outside. That‘s Police
because tens of thousands of
chemicals, some synthetic and The large box looked
some found in nature, are used to too heavy for my 115 pound frame to carry.
make products commonly found ―Jennifer Schwab, Sierra Club Green Home‖
in buildings. Many of these on the label, yep, it was for me, but I hadn‘t
chemicals are benign, some are ordered anything large like this??
highly toxic, and most fall in that
wide gray area in between. It depends on the nature of the After cutting open the yards of plastic packing
When it comes to indoor air pollutant, your general health, the
tape, I was appalled to find acres of bubble
contamination, the biggest culprit level of exposure and length of time
in our homes is VOCs, a large you‘re exposed, whether that wrap, then those absolutely impossible
class of chemicals that can pollutant might combine with other Styrofoam ―peanuts‖ which will still be in the
evaporate, or offgas, from stuff pollutants in your home or in your landfill 200 years from now.
that‘s all around us, like particle body to create a more dangerous After all this, a nice glass vase from a relative
board, carpet, paint, cleaning compound, and other who shall remain unnamed. She means well,
products, and materials treated environmental and genetic factors. and this lovely object d‘art did survive the trip,
with stain-resistant and wrinkle- Without clear answers, health but what do I do with this pile of
resistant chemicals. VOCs can experts say it‘s prudent to take unsustainable, non-green, mostly not
aggravate respiratory ailments commonsense steps to limit your recyclable, plastic and Styrofoam packing
like asthma, and have been linked exposure to polluting chemicals.
materials?
to cancer and damage to nervous You might want to take extra
and reproductive systems. precautions if there are people in And so it goes for millions and millions of
your household who are at higher packages, not to mention one of the biggest
risk of being harmed by indoor air culprits in this assault on the environment,
pollutants. These include infants electronics products. Think about all those big,
and children and people with
dense pieces of Styrofoam that are used...
Will exposure to VOCs and other asthma, other respiratory
indoor air pollutants, such as conditions, compromised immune Click here to continue with blog
mold or wood smoke, make you systems, or chemical sensitivities...
sick? This may sound like a cop- In this issue:
out, but the answer is–it depends. Continues Page 2
5 Quick Ways to Green 1
Your Home PG 3
Preaching What You 1
Are you a sustainable business with eco-friendly products or services? Practice PG 4
Learn more about our GreenCheck and Advertising Opportunities. Check out our featured 2
GreenCheck Providers
PG 5
April 19th-25th, 2010
Home Health Quiz
Just by answering a few simple questions, you can learn
what things impact your indoor air quality and therefore
keep your family from living in a healthy home. We even
offer many quick tips you can implement immedi-
ately. After all, a healthy home is a happy home.
Start Here
Indoor Air Quality Continues...
What to do?
Don‘t bring pollutants inside. It‘s easier to keep pollutants out in the first place than to
get rid of them once they‘re in your home. Protect your home by choosing low-VOC paints,
furnishings, composite-wood materials, personal care products, and household cleaners.
Be a good housekeeper. Good housekeeping and maintenance practices go a long
way toward healthy air quality. Don‘t use pesticides in or around your home. Make sure
there are doormats inside and outside all exterior doors, and adopt a no-shoes-inside rule:
much of the dirt and dust in our homes gets tracked in on our shoes. Dust and vacuum
regularly. Take care of leaks and mold before they get out of hand.
Trust your nose. If a product smells bad, don‘t bring it into your house. (Unfortunately, the opposite isn‘t always true: just
because your nose doesn‘t pick up a strong whiff of chemicals doesn‘t mean the product is good for you.) Beware of products
that are heavily perfumed–fragrances are often used to mask chemical odors.
Filter the little stuff. Air filters can help with some air quality problems, but they are by no means a cure-all. They do trap
secondhand smoke, dust, and small particles called microparticulates. The most effective filters are the ones that trap the
tiniest particles, because these do the most damage. So be to check at the machines‘ ratings. An ultra high-efficiency model
can trap particles as small as 0.3 microns. Beware of filters that generate ozone, which may actually aggravate breathing prob-
lems.
Dilution is the solution to pollution. Improving indoor air quality can often be as simple as opening a window to let in fresh
air. Ventilation is especially important when using noxious paints, cleaning products, or other chemicals inside the home.
When cooking with gas, always use the exhaust fan to get rid of combustion byproducts like carbon monoxide. And run the
bathroom exhaust fan during and after showers and baths: mold thrives on excess humidity.
Ready to learn more? Check out our article, ―9 Home Health Hazards―: it covers radon; VOCs; toxic chemicals in plastics
such as BPA, phthalates, and PFOA; pesticides; mold; other biological contaminants such as pet dander, pollen, and dust
mites; energy-related risks such as carbon monoxide, other combustion byproducts, and electromagnetic fields; banned build-
ing materials such as asbestos, lead-based paint, and wood preservatives; and emerging healthy-home issues.
Learn More Library
April 19th-25th, 2010
GreenCheck is a great source of credibility for your company and ensures to
your clients, old and new, that you are taking the extra steps towards environ-
mental responsibility. Learn more about our GreenCheck.
5 Quick Ways to Green Your Home
Eco-friendly basics
Many associate a sustainable home with solar panels, expensive floor renovations, various purchases of
Energy Star appliances, and other costly investments. But greening your home doesn‘t have to be costly
and time consuming. Even though pricey investments, like going off the grid, can have great ecological and
economics benefits, it‘s important to accomplish the basics of going green first. Here are 5 quick and
cheap steps you can take to make your home more energy efficient while helping you save money.
1. Insulate and save. According to the Consumer Energy Center, 31% of air leaks occur in floors,
walls, and ceilings. Poor insulation can cause significant indoor heat loss. Sealing air leaks in your home
can save you 20% or more on your heating and cooling bill. Learn how to seal and locate leaks in your
home by reading our Air Sealing and Weatherization article.
2. Got light? Get CFLs. By replacing incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent lights you can
save energy and money. CFLs use 75% less energy and can last 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs.
When shopping, remember to purchase Energy Start labeled CFLs. Energy Star CFLs have passed the fed-
eral government‘s criteria for lamp life, light output, energy use, and other performance characteristics. To
get more tips and info visit our Fluorescent Lights article.
3. Solar drying. The simplest way to cut down on your energy use is to install a clothesline to dry your laundry. This old-
school way of drying your dripping jeans and t-shirts can save significant money on electric and/or gas bills. If you‘re limited on
outdoor space purchase an inexpensive free-standing drying rack that can be used indoors.
4. Green cleaning. Cleaning harsh stains and messes doesn‘t have to be harsh on the environment. There are various
natural and homemade techniques that can be implemented to clean your home. But if you are interested in commercially-
bought merchandise, look for warning labels that indicate the presence of harmful chemicals, and avoid purchasing such prod-
ucts. An ideal cleaning agent will be marked as ―contains no phthalates,‖ ―phosphate free,‖ and ―biodegradable.‖ To learn what
to avoid and shop for visit our Green Cleaning Supplies article.
5. Goodbye tech vampires. What is vampire energy? Vampire energy is the energy used by your appliances when in pas-
sive mode (the clock on your cable box) or standby mode (your turned off TV). Annually, this accounts for 5-8% of your home‘s
total electricity usage, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. This energy accounts for 25% of the total energy used by ap-
pliances. Once power strips are turned off, electrical currents do not flow to these devices. In addition, you can unplug appliances
(not your refrigerator of course!) from outlets to save money and energy.
Regina Stepanov, Supervisor and Writer
rstepanov@[Link]
Do you have suggestions for content topics?
See all partners
Climate Crossroads
Student Coalition
Sierra Trails
April 19th-25th, 2010
Abi Wright, Advertising Coordinator for SCGH
awright@[Link]
Preaching What You Practice: Green Marketing
I‘ve come across an interesting concept in green online advertising. We all certainly know, or are at least familiar
with, the term ―greenwashing‖. This is basically spinning or disguising a company‘s products or services as being eco-
friendly, when in fact it‘s just a very deceptive use of Green Marketing.
I come across this all the time when listening to the radio and watching television. In radio, you have a well thought-
out, 30 to 60 second commercial that is strategically written to catch your attention—but as soon as you‘ve heard it, it‘s
over—it‘s gone. The advertiser doesn‘t know how effective the commercial was and really, if the audience even paid atten-
tion to it at all. In television, not only is there a great expense to produce the commercial (and one must think about the car-
bon footprint involved in that process alone) but you‘re again looking at a 30 to 60 second television ad that costs additional
money just to air. You really can‘t be sure these days about the saturation or effect it truly has on the viewing audience and
this isn‘t even mentioning the validity of how sustainable the product or service actually is! With radio and television, seeing
and hearing about a product doesn‘t make it green—the proof is in the pudding, so to speak, and until you actually purchase
the product or service do you honestly find out for sure. Online advertising, however, is different.
According to Internet World Stats (Aug. 09), 76% of the population (appprox 227,719,000 people) are internet us-
ers. Just knowing this little bit of information tells us one thing: The internet is the future! It‘s way more affordable to adver-
tise online than with TV or print, and radio/outdoor advertising is becoming a thing of the past due to its inability to engage
the consumer. With online advertising you can:
target your specific market offer a visual and sometimes audio aid for your ads
measure your results hyperlink to your company‘s website
change your creative as quickly and often as needed offer additional discounts with just the click of a finger.
With online advertising, you have greater opportunity to reach more people, more frequently.
When it seems that every company is offering a ‗green product‘ it‘s even more important to advertise your credibility
behind what you have, how it makes a difference, and why it‘s more sustainable or environmentally friendly than your com-
petition. Have you ever heard the phrase, ‗Practice what you Preach?‘ It‘s true, but what about, ‗Preaching what you Prac-
tice?‘ In order to avoid being labeled a Greenwasher you need to align your company with reputable organizations that pro-
mote parallel platforms. That‘s why we created Sierra Club Green Home‘s GreenCheck™. This is a verification process for our
visitors and users to know that each GreenCheck™ provider listed in our database has taken the time to enforce their com-
pany‘s steps towards greater environmental sustainability. The SCGH GreenCheck™ is specifically designed to address a
company‘s product or services in one or more of the following fields:
1. Indoor air quality impact 5. Waste
2. Energy usage 6. Customer education
3. Water usage 7. Provider health
4. Material usage 8. Provider business practices
Sierra Club is a major competitive advantage in a field where authenticity is crucial! When you become an SCGH
GreenCheck™ provider, you will receive our official SCGH GreenCheck™ logo which can be placed on your site, your ad, even
your other marketing materials! You can align your company with a 118 year-old, nationally recognized environmental organi-
zation—talk about true Green Marketing! And that‘s not all Sierra Club Green Home can offer you! We also have skyscraper
ad space available, article sponsorships, and additional advertising opportunities to learn more about! Let the world know
that you are truly green! Advertise with SCGH and you‘ll be advertising directly to your target
audience, effectively and efficiently! Preach what you Practice! In this issue:
Quiz: Home Health PG 2
Want to join the Sierra Club Green Home community? 5 Quick Ways to Green Your
Home PG 3
Make a username or a provider account on
[Link]. Check out our featured
GreenChecked Providers PG 5
2
April 19th-25th, 2010
Sierra Club Green Home is proud to present our featured GreenCheck providers
Thank you for your support!
Featured Premium GreenCheck Providers:
Featured GreenCheck Providers:
R.A. NIELSEN & SONS [Link] Inc.
Laura Birns Design Planet Orange
Green Dream Group LLC Weiss Building & Development
What is the GreenCheck? Green Girl Gift Wrap LLC
eZing Inc Feelgoodz LLC
The GreenCheck review is an annual process
for all providers as new information and issues Pure Eco Environmental Solutions Project Coordinating Services
occur constantly within the environmental Dropwise Essentials TrashCo Inc.
sector. We want to make sure that our provid- Pinnacle Custom Builders, Inc. ZeroEnergy Design
ers are keeping their promises to offer Rainfilters of Texas, LLC Ten Directions Design
greener, safer, and more responsible practices Simmons Natural Bodycare Sage in Design
than what is generally available. Sierra Club is Access Green Building Performance By Design
a major competitive advantage as it brings in- Energy Rated Homes West GreenSavers USA
stant credibility in a space where authenticity Flowers Johnson Inc. IHS Home Building
is crucial. GreenCheck is a great source of Natural Baby
credibility for a company and it assures clients, Corcoran Heating and Air Conditioning
old and new, that a company is taking the ex- [Link] and Associates In this issue:
tra steps towards environmental responsibil-
Quiz: Home Health PG 2
ity. For more information please visit our
5 Quick Ways to Green Your
GreenCheck webpage. Home PG 3
Preaching What You 2
Practice PG 4
