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Luxury Spa Finder Magazine July/August, 2007
Green Parenting Resource Guide April, 2007
How Green Is It? March, 2007
RADIO SHOW--Green Building meets Green Living: Your Eco-Friendly Home Wednesday, February 7th, 2007
Your Home: Is 'going green' worth the cost? January, 2007
Knock On Wood, November 2006
Tips for Creating a Green Nursery, September 2006
Stylish Green Furniture: New York Expert's Top Picks, August 2006
Outfitting—and Maintaining—a Healthy Nursery, May, 2006
Live Green, Live Healthy, April 2006
High Design: Hamptonites Seek the Trendiest Interior Design, June 2006
Bring Long Island Home
by Betsy Davidson, LI Pulse Magazine
March 2007
JUST WHAT DOES “THINK GREEN” MEAN? I THINK most people will agree that “green” means “ecoconscious.” It is considered “green” to recycle and plant trees, to keep your thermostat set at 68°, to purchase energy-efficient, longer lasting light bulbs and unbleached paper towels. I could go on and on. We are in the midst of a global environmental crisis due to the depletion of natural resources, damage to worldwide ecosystems and loss of biodiversity. Out of this growing crisis has evolved the Green design train of thought.
Green design (also referred to as “sustainable design” or “eco-design”) is a catchall phrase that defines a growing trend within the fields of interior design, industrial design, architecture and landscape architecture. Green design is design that goes beyond being energy efficient and attractive. It embraces comfort, health, well-being, resource efficiency and environmental protection. Green design takes into consideration the effects that buildings (our homes and office places) have on people and the environment. The essential aim of green design is to produce places, products and services in a way that reduces the use of non-renewable resources, minimizes environmental impact, and helps people relate with their natural environment. Before long, it will be the standard by which all other design will be measured. To put it simply, good green design reduces waste of both energy and materials.
The goal here is to throw some green ideas out there in hopes of promoting design and lifestyle changes that benefit our environment…or at least don’t harm it as much.
Energy Efficiency For many years now, we have been hearing about replacing our old incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs, which will reduce the monthly electric bill by 5%. I have always been repelled by the ugly glow of lower-end fluorescent bulbs. Fortunately, there are now higher-end fluorescent bulbs on the market, which will cast a pure white or a buttery glow, yet still reduce electricity consumption. These bulbs can be screwed in, just like incandescent bulbs, and they last 10 times longer. Or try halogen light bulbs— they produce more light and use less electricity. They cost more, but on the flip side, each halogen bulb lasts about 2-3 years.
Consider a new low-flow toilet. Manufacturers have come up with new models that deliver big flush power using far less water (trims an average of about $90 from annual water bills). How about replacing old showerheads and faucets with low water use fixtures? Consider this: There are even ways to recycle “gray water” or waste water from sources such as dishwashers or washing machines that can be treated and used to flush toilets, water lawns and wash cars. Rainwater collectors can be used for similar purposes.
As for appliances, keep in mind when purchasing new refrigerators, air conditioners, furnaces and the like that each new appliance has two “price tags” (what you pay to take it home and what you pay for the water and energy it uses). Look for appliances that have earned the “Energy Star.” Energy Star is a joint program of the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Energy. There are over 50 categories of products—from washing machines to programmable thermostats to televisions—that are eligible for the Energy Star rating. Visit their website www.energystar.gov for more information.
Paints If repainting a room in your home is on the agenda this spring and the fumes from latex-based paints make you feel a bit woozy, investigate paint products that are low in volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. Recent improvements in quality and designer colors are making these water-based paints comparative to standard paints, plus they benefit your health as well as the health of the planet. Both Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore now manufacture low VOC paints.
Flooring There is a wealth of options available to the homeowner with regards to flooring and floor coverings. Bamboo is one of the most abundant renewable resources. It grows rapidly and freely (my backyard can attest to this), and is amazingly durable and strong. Hard woods harvested by growers that have been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) are another option. The FSC, by means of strict environmental and socio-economic standards, promotes healthy forestry practices worldwide. Another responsible source for quality hardwoods is reclaiming or salvaging wood from buildings that have been demolished or remodeled. Very often these woods have a luster and patina that is rarely found in recently harvested wood. Other flooring options to consider are linoleum, cork, concrete, rubber (think of all those discarded tires) and ceramic tile.
As far as floor coverings go, the environmental options are just as vast. A visit to any carpeting store will reveal some rather interesting natural floor coverings in jute, hemp, sisal, seagrass, wool and cotton.
Textiles Drapes, curtains, bed coverings, slipcovers and so on can be both attractive and eco-friendly. Organic cotton is grown without chemical pesticides or fertilizers. Other textile options include wool, linen, hemp, ramie and jute—all of which are incredibly strong and durable. For those craving a more luxurious look, it might be worth looking into nonviolent silk. Traditionally, when silk is processed, the moth cocoons are steamed or boiled open to reveal the precious filament inside. Nonviolent silk processing allows the moths to emerge from their cocoons unharmed and then the cocoons are processed. This silk tends to be a bit stronger, not as lustrous as cultivated silk and quite a bit kinder to the moths. The Garnet Hill catalog (www.garnethill.com) is a wonderful source for natural fiber products for the home (clothing, too).
Furniture There is a vast selection of furniture made today using bamboo and responsibly harvested hardwoods. An often-overlooked eco-friendly way to furniture shop is to go antiquing or yard sailing (visit the archives at www.lipulse.com, July 2006). Why create new furniture when there are so many wonderful tables and chairs available on the antiques market? Antiques possess a certain warmth and patina that cannot be duplicated today.
Designers There are a number of interior designers passionate about thinking green including Maggie Wood of Maggie Wood Design, LLC, in Jamesport. Maggie runs a design and consulting firm focused exclusively on green residential and commercial design. Her passion for elegant design and commitment to sustainable principles is her trademark. Explore her website at www.maggiewood.com for more information.
This March, instead of simply wearing green, I suggest that we all dig down deep and find the tree hugger within: Think Green!
Home Healthy Home
Green designer Maggie Wood marries interior aesthetics and green guidelines to create
by Diana Murphy | March 2007
Maggie Wood, a self-proclaimed “green designer” has made her life’s work helping people realize just how simple—and important—it is to integrate ecologically sound design principles into the home.
Wood, who attended Smith College and University of Massachusetts for her degrees in architecture and interior design, says she knew she wanted to somehow marry her passion for design with her concern for environmental issues; yet at the time there was no formal series of coursework available in the United States that could guide her in those endeavors.
Not one to let that stop her, Wood forged her own way, discovering the world of green design via continual research on sustainable products. She also studied at various schools in Denmark where strict regulations are imposed on the building industry.
She says it’s possible to design a home in any visual aesthetic and still achieve a healthier, more ecologically sound interior.
“It’s not what [the home] looks like,” Wood says. “It’s what you can’t see that makes it green.”
At her firm, Maggie Wood Designs in Jamesport, she offers a broad range of services, including consulting on interior design, eco-lifestyle coaching about how to restock homes with healthier alternatives to conventional products, and overseeing entire building projects where she works with architects, engineers and landscape designers to take a whole-house approach to creating an ecologically friendly environment.
“Designers have an obligation to create spaces that are inherently healthy,” she says. “It doesn’t make sense to design toxic buildings, yet America has been slow on the uptake compared to European countries that follow far more rigorous guidelines when it comes to energy efficiency, toxicity and the use of reclaimed materials.”
Wood bases her practice on three basic concepts: energy efficiency, materials and health. “A lot of architects understand how to build efficiently, but the other two components are usually missing,” she claims. “That’s where I come in. I focus a lot of time on finding the right materials.”
In addition to her own research, Wood relies on what she calls “peer-reviewed research,” as well as working with non-profit organizations and experts across the nation who are trailblazers in green lawn care, and indoor air and water quality. She is also working on the nation’s first green designer show house geared toward interiors and educating consumers about green renovations, which will be open from May 27 to July 1 in Cutchogue. (For details visit onthegreenshowhouse.com).
“I help homeowners make decisions on what products to choose. People want to do the right thing, but don’t know where to start,” Wood says. “They have so many questions on which products are the best on the market, and I’m an expert on a lot of them. I wade through all the ‘green muck’ as I like to call it, and find the best of what’s out there to recommend.”
Among the options for non-toxic and energy-efficient products are solid wood rather than particleboard furniture and cabinetry, which contain the volatile organic compound (VOC) formaldehyde, a carcinogen that is released into the air by off-gassing. Off-gassing is a process in which volatile chemicals are released into the air through evaporation.
Another option is using organic fabrics, bedding and personal care products to protect the Earth on a larger level, and yourself and your loved ones at home. Conventional cotton, for example, makes use of more chemical pesticides than any other crop, which gets funneled back into the Earth. And, in the production of commercial fabrics, chemicals dyes, sizing and anti-wrinkle agents become embedded in the fabric and potentially transferred to your skin through direct contact.
You can also protect your home’s water by installing a whole-house water filtration system, and a separate structured matrix-type or a reverse osmosis-type filter on your tap water. Conventional filters only remove chlorine and sediments, but a structured-matrix filter removes harmful chemicals.
Lastly, selecting indigenous plants and grasses that support local ecosystems, and maintaining the lawn and garden organically is another way to continue the ecologically sound planning out of doors.
Learn more about Maggie Wood Design at maggiewood.com
How Green Is It?
By Ernest Beck, Metropolitan Home Magazine
March 2007
Green home furnishings not only promise a healthier home and planet, but they also tend to appeal to modern tastes, with their frequently austere, Zen-like lines and natural finishes. But the choices can be very confusing. Not only are there cost, quality and aesthetic issues to consider, but an avalanche of claims about a product's environmental virtues can make buying for the home seem like a science exam. Shopping may now require homework...
Maggie Wood, a green design consultant in Jamesport, New York, says that greening a home is all about striking a balance between sustainable materials and production methods, and, of course, design. After all, Wood says, "furniture that harms the environment is not good design."
Your Home: Is 'going green' worth the cost?
By Sarah Max, Money Magazine contributing writer
January 3 2007
(Money Magazine) -- Jason and Kelly Joseph don't drive a hybrid car. They don't shop exclusively in the natural foods aisle. And they don't lose sleep worrying about global warming.
But their house, a 2,800-square-foot Craftsman near Grand Rapids, would make the Environmental Defense Fund proud. The walls are insulated with draft-stopping foam; the floors are covered in wood from a sustainable forest; and the rooms are decked out with nontoxic paint, just to name a few of its earth-friendly features.
The Josephs weren't planning to go green. But when their builder described the benefits - lower heating and cooling bills and better indoor-air quality - they agreed that it was worth adding $10,000 to their total tab.
"If you're building a house as a lifelong investment, it just seems like the right thing to do," says Jason, 32. And only a year after the house was completed, many of the upgrades are already beginning to pay for themselves, he notes. "Our friends' energy bills were almost double ours last winter."
A decade ago most people associated environmentally-sound home building with unsightly solar panels and bad water pressure. That's no longer a worry. Today the majority of houses that meet the U.S. Green Building Council definition of a "green" home - one that uses less energy, less natural resources and fewer toxic chemicals - are indistinguishable from their traditionally constructed neighbors. And any counter cultural philosophical baggage is long gone as well.
As with hybrid cars and organic food, interest in eco-friendly building and renovating has spilled over to the mainstream. "We're seeing a lot of demand, particularly on the high end of the market," says Jerry Howard, CEO of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).
And some 90 percent of people surveyed by the American Institute of Architects in 2006 said they'd be willing to pay $5,000 more to build or buy a house that would use less energy or protect the earth.
"Green is the new black," quips Maggie Wood, an environmental designer in Jamesport, N.Y.
Of course, environmental consciousness comes at a premium. Green construction techniques and sustainable building materials can add anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a few hundred thousand dollars. Whether that extra cost makes sense for you in the long run depends in large part on what you hope to get out of a green home in the first place.
Why go green?
Homeowners and buyers have all kinds of reasons, although these, alone and in combination, tend to be the most common:
You can save energy - and money Given the astronomical rise in fuel prices in the past few years, it's no surprise that energy efficiency is the top reason consumers choose green building these days.
Traditionally constructed homes, while far more energy-efficient than those built in past decades, can still squander a mind-boggling amount of fossil fuel. The typical house loses 15 percent to 20 percent of its heat or air-conditioning leakage from ducts alone, according to Energy Star, a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.
Energy-conscious construction can significantly reduce that waste. Some of the savings come from materials that provide extra thermal resistance, such as straw-bale construction and insulated concrete forms. More can come from designs that maximize exposure to winter sun and minimize summer heat.
Green builders and remodelers also favor energy-efficient appliances and water-conserving fixtures. Energy savings from all these techniques usually pay for their higher up-front costs in two to seven years, says Elliot Johnson, an Austin architect specializing in this type of design.
Solar power is a different story. Alex Wilson, author of "Your Green Home," explains that panels are expensive to install and take years to recoup their costs in electricity savings. "If you've done everything else you can to conserve energy, then it makes sense to look into generating your own power."
You can save your lungs Compared with outdoor air, indoor air can be two to five times more polluted, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
A major cause: volatile organic compounds (VOCs) commonly found in paints, stains and glues. When these products dry, they release chemicals and continue to do so for years. This can exacerbate allergies and asthma, and cause headaches and nausea.
As a preventive measure, some homeowners opt for "low VOC" paint, natural stains and formaldehyde-free glue, which generally cost a few dollars more per container.
Providing adequate ventilation can also improve air quality. "Years ago the air would turn over naturally because houses were so poorly insulated, but today houses are so tightly sealed that you need to circulate fresh air," says Jeff Wassenaar, president of Legacy Homes, which built the Josephs' house.
One solution: adding a mechanical ventilation system, which can run between $500 and $2,000.
You can help save the planet The final reason you might choose this type of construction is less practical and more philosophical: You want to leave the smallest footprint you can on the planet.
That means planning construction to minimize the waste of building materials; reducing water consumption by adding low-volume toilets or rainwater filtration systems; and working with products that are sustainable (wool carpeting, bamboo flooring, cotton insulation) or recycled (salvaged wood, steel made with reused rebar, insulation made from paper products).
Will it pay off?
If you were to build a house as green as you possibly could, it might cost you 20 percent to 30 percent more than traditional construction. But that would imply an extreme sense of environmental duty.
"Most of our projects cost between 2 percent and 4 percent more than standard construction," says Wassenaar.
There are also some significant tax credits available on the state and federal level that may help pay for improvements. You can claim a credit of up to $500 on your 1040 for installing energy-efficient windows, insulation, doors, roofs, boilers and air conditioners, for example. (Log on to ase.org and click on Consumers for more on this.)
Before you invest in these, however, you might want to consider whether your monthly utility savings and any tax breaks will pay for the added cost in a reasonable amount of time. Assuming a $400,000 house with a 6.5 percent, 30-year fixed-rate loan and $80,000 down, your monthly payment would be $2,022. Add $10,000 of energy-efficient features to that and your payment goes to $2,085.
For you to cover the higher mortgage payment and recoup the up-front costs in seven years, your monthly energy savings would have to be $182. Add $20,000 and your payment goes to $2,149 - and you'd need to save $365 monthly.
In terms of resale value, green homes have come a long way. These days most do not telegraph their eco-friendly features; from the outside they look like any other house on the block. You won't necessarily get a huge premium for your abode's environmentalism, says John Bredemeyer, president of appraisal company Realcorp in Omaha, "but it will likely sell at the upper end of the range and quicker," as it will have something more going for it than an equivalent traditional construction.
Where to go for more information
"There are many contractors who say they do green but don't know what they're doing," says Johnson. To make sure that you're not getting a builder who's "green" on the concept:
Contact a local or regional green building group These organizations can be found at usgbc.org/leed/homes. They can connect you with environmental architects and builders and inform you about techniques that work well in your climate, as well as tax credits offered in your area.
Ask contractors about the criteria the follow. Then request a copy of the guidelines to make sure you know what you're in for. The U.S. Green Building Council, whose LEED rating is the gold standard for commercial green building, plans to launch a residential rating program this summer.
Meanwhile, the NAHB publishes guidelines (available at nahb.org, under Publications) that cover everything from lot preparation to water conservation; many local organizations also rate homes on a checklist of practices. Ask to see examples of their work And talk to the homeowners to see how happy they are with the results. Most are eager to show off their home's earth-friendly features. Jason Joseph certainly is: "When friends and family come to our house for the first time, I take them to the basement to show them the insulation and ventilation," he says. "A lot of people don't even know this stuff exists."
Improving their air quality
Maggie Wood Design clients Bob and Madalina Blanton
Maplewood, N.J.
The Blantons bought a 1912 Victorian last May. It had detailed woodwork and a giant backyard, but it also came with a dated kitchen, a tiny (single) bathroom and drafty windows. As they contemplated fixing these flaws, the couple looked for a green designer.
"Health was a big factor," says Madalina. She and Bob wanted to stay away from chemicals emitted by paints, stains and carpets, both for the sake of Bob's asthma and for the health of their two-year-old daughter Lara. Today they have a new kitchen with Energy Star appliances, cabinets made with formaldehyde-free wood and countertops made from recycled paper coated in nontoxic sealant. All the walls are painted in zero-VOC paint (no volatile organic compounds), and the original oak floors are refinished with nontoxic stain.
How much extra it cost: Over a high-end remodel, there was very little premium. The cabinets, for instance, cost no more than upper-tier nongreen varieties, while the countertops were 5% more than Corian (but still less than granite).
"Knock on Wood" November, 2006
by Jon Luoma
That dining room table you’re lusting after has a dirty secret: It was once a perch for macaws. Here’s how to have the look you want—and a clear conscience.
Some furnishings at ABC Carpet & Home are made from sustainably harvested woods and salvaged fabrics. This daybed is upholstered with vintage tapestries from Central Asia. Furniture craftsman Stephen Staples calls this place “The Big House.” Located behind his shop and showroom in Plainville, Massachusetts, it is a capacious old warehouse, high-ceilinged and filled with derelict lumber salvaged from demolished houses and collapsing barns, or scavenged after windstorms. Other apparent junk is scattered about: hundreds of old windows, a copper washtub long turned green, hinges, doorknobs, old iron windshield frames from a pair of Model-Ts. Staples points to an ancient two-panel wooden door, circa 1750, more than half its yellowish paint flaked off.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” he asks, beaming. It’s maybe the twentieth time he’s applied that term—beautiful—to a slab of worn pine ripped from a century-old barn floor, or a hunk of walnut deadfall from a 1930s hurricane, or a piece of copper scrap that looks like it should be, well, scrapped. To Staples all of this trash is hidden treasure. The old door, he says, “is just calling out to become part of a cabinet.” A slab of salvaged barn floor is “just begging to become a desk.”
Staples is part of a budding industry that aims to provide consumers with more sound alternatives to conventional home furniture made from trees logged unsustainably in tropical rainforests. This “green” furniture includes not only handcrafted salvage but also secondhand pieces, antiques, and an array of new products featuring organic cotton upholstery, frames made from wood certified as having been grown responsibly, and finishes that won’t pollute indoor air.
Maggie Wood, a Jamesport, New York–based interior designer and green building consultant, sees environmentally sound furniture as part of a larger lifestyle change that’s on a par with choosing organic produce, Energy Star appliances, and hybrid cars. And yet, she suggests, green furniture is only beginning to gain traction. “I don’t know why it is, but for some reason this has been the last segment of the green building industry to catch on,” she says. “I work with people all the time who want solar energy, energy-efficient windows, and healthier paints for their walls. But people don’t tend to think about their furniture—even when they’re sitting on it.”
While it’s easy for consumers to weigh the environmental pros and cons of goods like automobiles and dishwashers, no one seems to have conducted anything approaching a comprehensive study of a furniture industry that, in the United States alone, generates sales of $79 billion—representing uncounted and uncatalogued tons of wood, fabric, foam, steel, and plastic.
...Green design experts acknowledge that IKEA offers options for buyers on a tight budget, but they also have some mixed feelings. Corser suggests that many of its products seem as if they’re not made for durable, long-term use, and that consumers still might do better shopping for longer-lived used goods. Wood notes that even though the company uses large amounts of cheaper materials such as particleboard, IKEA offers one big plus: The company strives to meet some of the world’s strictest regulations for off-gassing. For example, its suppliers must meet Germany’s formaldehyde air-quality standard of 0.1 parts per million. “It’s not perfection,” says Wood. “But buying furniture like IKEA’s can be a good start. And that’s what I encourage people to do—get a start. Any step you take is a good step.”
A scattering of small U.S.-based furniture manufacturers have very recently begun to take an important new step themselves. In the autumn of 2005 the Rainforest Alliance joined with South Cone’s Gerry Cooklin to organize a first-ever meeting in High Point, North Carolina, a traditional center for U.S. furniture making and wholesaling, aimed at establishing a green furniture manufacturer’s advocacy group. By early 2006, 17 small furniture manufacturers had formed the new Sustainable Furniture Council. The group is so new that it still had neither its formal nonprofit status nor a staff as this article went to press. “This is an industry in crisis,” says South Cone executive vice-president Einar Elsner, who was serving as the group’s de facto staff. “There’s been a rush to China, and that’s led to massive price deflation. In other areas, sustainability seems to be on everyone’s mind, and I think members of our group recognize that this could be the way to go if they want to stay in business.”
However, he adds, anyone promoting sustainable furniture faces a huge hurdle. “Right now,” he says, “most customers only want to know two things:Do I like the way a piece looks, and how much does it cost? We need to get people to start asking another question: Do I want to eat dinner on a table made of wood ripped out of the rainforest and built by someone making 20 cents an hour?”
When you sit at a table made from sustainable hardwood with tight grain and clean, graceful lines, its beauty should put you in closer touch with the forest it came from. “We need to realize,” says Rainforest Alliance forestry division project manager Daphne Hewitt, “that there’s an additional kind of beauty in the environmental integrity of the product itself.”
"Tips for Creating a Green Nursery" September, 2006
by Rachele Kanigel
When you're expecting a baby, you want a nursery that's beautiful, welcoming and soothing. But you also want to create a place that's safe for your child to breathe and play. Many building supplies and home furnishings contain chemicals that can be harmful when ingested or inhaled.
"Children are like canaries in the coal mine," says Maggie Wood of Maggie Wood Design, a New York-based design and consulting firm focused exclusively on green residential and commercial design. "They're the ones who will be affected by much lower levels of toxins and chemicals. If you make one room in the house green, make it your children's room."
Wood recommends planning a baby's room early - even before the mother is pregnant. "The last thing you want is to be renovating or remodeling when you're pregnant, especially if the job involves taking out walls, pulling up carpeting and painting. Those are exposures you want to avoid."
PAINT
It's natural to want to paint the walls of your child's nursery, but most conventional paints emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can be dangerous for pregnant women and babies. Many big paint companies have come out with low-VOC products, such as Benjamin Moore's Eco Spec and Sherwin Williams' HealthSpec, but Wood recommends spending a little extra for zero-VOC paint products made by such green paint companies as Yolo Colorhouse, Bioshield, and Milkpaint. "If you're going to splurge on something, splurge on paint," Wood says. "It's important to get the best."
MATTRESSES
Most conventional crib mattresses are made of synthetic materials, including polyurethane foam, and contain potentially toxic chemicals, such as polyvinyl chloride, boric acid and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Some doctors and health officials have begun to question the effect such chemicals have on babies, who may breathe them in for 10 to 14 hours per day as they sleep.
Fortunately, there are alternatives. A few companies, including Lifekind, NaturePedic, the Organic Mattress Store and the Natural Sleep Store, now sell non-toxic mattresses made of cotton and other natural materials.
BEDDING
There are plenty of crib sheets and blankets out there with cute designs, but many of them also use potentially harmful chemicals and dyes. For environmentally sensitive products, look for 100 percent organic cotton. Two yards (about one blanket set) of organically grown fabric saves about one pound of pesticides from polluting the earth, according to Little Merry Fellows, a Connecticut-based company that makes organic cotton blankets, crib sheets, receiving blankets, and other products. Other manufacturers of organic cotton bedding include Cotton Monkey and Nature's Crib.
FURNITURE
Steer clear of furniture made from laminated wood, pressed wood, chipboard or particle board, which are made with formaldehyde, a known carcinogen. Instead, choose furniture made from solid hard wood painted with eco-friendly paint or finishers. Or buy unfinished furniture and coat it yourself with a water-based polyurethane sealer.
"I always tell people to go to garage sales for baby furniture," says Wood. "Those are the best places to find hard wood furniture at a good price." Keep in mind, though, that antique furniture -- including that beloved crib or bassinet that's been in the family for generations - may be finished with lead-based paint or may not meet current safety standards. For more information about cribs consult the Consumer Product Safety Commission's Crib Safety Tips
FLOORS
The backing on new wall-to-wall carpeting may also emit formaldehyde and many carpeting materials are treated with stain-proofing chemicals, moth-proofing pesticides and other potentially toxic substances.
"A lot of carpeting and upholstered furniture is treated with Teflon and Scotchguard, which sounds like a good idea when you have kids," says Wood. "But they're neurotoxins. You want to stay away from anything that says ‘stain-resistant' or ‘stainproof.'" Instead of wall-to-wall carpeting, choose washable area rugs made of natural fibers like cotton, jute or wool.
Wood floors can be refinished with a product low in volatile organic compounds, such as AFM Safecoat's Polyureseal BP. True linoleum, which is made of all-natural materials, including sawdust, linseed oils, pigments, pine rosin and pine flour, may be a good choice for a nursery because it's soft and easy to clean and can be found in a wide variety of colors. Cork, available in tiles and planks, is another eco-friendly choice.
For manufacturers of other eco-friendly furniture and baby products consult the National Green Pages, a directory of green businesses screened and approved by Co-op America, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating a socially just and environmentally sustainable society.
"Stylish Green Furniture: Our New York Expert's Top Picks " August, 2006
Finding environmentally sound home furnishings can be a challenge—and it can be even harder if you’re looking for pieces with high style. Fortunately, GreenHomeGuide’s New York–based subject editor Maggie Wood has done the shopping, and her three picks below were judged particularly exemplary at a recent subject editors’ meeting. Maggie, a LEED Accredited Professional, is founder of Maggie Wood Design, a full-service firm specializing in green residential design.
Greenway Cabinetry’s Breathe Easy Cabinets
At last, a New York–based cabinet manufacturer dedicated to high-end green cabinetry! The Breathe Easy line from Greenway Cabinetry offers a range of green options to suit any budget. These custom cabinets are durable and moisture resistant, so they are suitable for kitchens and bathrooms. Breathe Easy cabinets are constructed of nontoxic, environmentally friendly products and contain no formaldehyde. Greenway uses only nontoxic, water-based glues and finishes, many of which are Green Seal certified. Cabinet boxes are made of solid wood, FSC-certified “green plywood,” or an agricultural wheatboard. The doors are solid bamboo or FSC-certified wood. Door finishes are available in a range of standard low- or no-VOC formulations, and Greenway can do custom work, such as milk paint finishes. All manufacturing takes place at the company’s facility on the Long Island/Queens border—centrally located for projects within the tri-state area, which keeps transportation (and therefore environmental) costs down.
OFFI & Company’s Zumi Stool
The Zumi Stool is one of several pieces from OFFI & Company that packs resource-efficient construction and nontoxic materials into one stylish little package. Perfect for children’s rooms, this stool is made from molded plywood and birch veneer with formaldehyde-free adhesives and finishes. Designed in Japan, engineered in the United States and made in Europe, the Zumi Stool is formed by three identical interlocking parts—it’s as much origami as furniture. Also check out OFFI’s other hip and healthy children’s furniture, like the Snap Chair and Snap Stool. Please note, however, that not all OFFI products are green (their vinyl-top table, for example), so be sure to read the product descriptions carefully.
Cha Table by redstr/collective
An innovative design team based in Brooklyn, redstr/collective produces eye-catching furniture with a strong environmental sensibility. Take the team’s Cha table, for example. Made from solid Plyboo (low-VOC plywood made from hand-harvested bamboo), the table ships flat and is assembled on site. Each of the eight pieces that make up the tabletop are slotted together and bolted to the legs, making assembly and disassembly quite easy. It’s worth a trip to the redstr/collective website to see some of their other work—all varying shades of green, all very cool.
"Outfitting—and Maintaining—a Healthy Nursery" May, 2006
“Probably the biggest challenge and most important aspect of greening the nursery is to plan and renovate in advance,” says green designer Maggie Wood of Jamesport, New York. “Why? Even green renovations come with their share of potential toxic exposures for both pregnant women and babies. Removing lead paint and old carpeting and dealing with mold or moisture problems are just a few of the things you’ll want to do well in advance of bringing the baby home.”
“I recommend machine-washable curtains for every room of the house, but nowhere are they more important than in the nursery,” says Wood. “Heavy drapes that are dry-clean only usually sit and collect dust for months, and the dry cleaning process leaves them laden with a chlorinated chemical solvent called perchlorethylene, or perc. Perc enters the body through the respiratory system or skin and can cause nervous system damage, liver and kidney damage, several types of cancer and reproductive harm. It passes easily from the mother to the fetus.”
"Live Green, Live Healthy" April 27, 2006
We've heard it before: Eat a balanced diet, exercise, quit smoking, have an annul checkup. Good advice healthier life. But in a world where contaminated air, water, food and even contaminated clothes threaten our well-being and that of our children, is this advice enough? Can people do anything more to become healthy?
Absolute, say the experts. Maggie Wood, president of Maggie Wood Design in Jamesport, say she's made it her business - literally her livelihood- to help people make smarter choices for their health. An architect by training, Ms. Wood specializes in crafting healthy environments for home or business, working to prevent problems before the occur.
"Sick-building syndrome" is how the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency refers to structures that cause respiratory, gastrointestinal or allergic distress. The diagnostic process is complex, but essentially there's stuff in the building that causes people to get sick, sometimes very sick. Most people associate sick-building syndrome with big office complexes. But a sick building can be the cutest cottage in Southold, the newest McMansion in South Jamesport, or your neighborhood school or daycare center. According to Ms. Wood, "60% of my clients have had health problems; that's why they called me." She identified some potential in-home hazards: formaldehyde, a carcinogen found in fiberglass insulation, carpet padding and furniture; polyurethane floor finishes and latex paints, which are high in volatile organic compounds (VOC's); and anything made of vinyl. Rugs, drapes and even clothes are treated with harmful chemicals to prevent staining.
"When it comes to medicine, most remedies have to be extensively tested and approved by federal regulators," Ms. Wood said, "But when it comes to the chemicals applied to the things we wear or walk on, or the materials we use to build our homes, no testing is required." She notes further that the burden of proving these products unsafe lies with the consumer. "In other words," said Ms. Wood, "our children are our lab bunnies."
There are alternatives, however. Riverhead Building Supply carries formaldehyde-free fiberglass insulation, or you can ask your supplier for insulation made of cotton batting or even recycled blue jeans. For floor finishes, use Bioshield or AFM instead of polyurethane. There are water-based and low-VOC paints to replace latex. Banish vinyl and use alternatives. Carpeting made of untreated, naturally dyed wool or sisal can be found in such places as the Rug Galleria in Southampton. Finally, Ikea products are free of the PBDE's (polybrominated diphenyl ethers), which are used as flame retardants in the U.S. but outlawed in all European countries.Is this more work? "Yes," says Ms. Wood. "But what better to spend time on?" Does it cost more money? "No; living a more holistic life means saving money in the long run - less for doctors and medicine."
The two main sources of indoor air pollution are kitchens and bathrooms. Cleaning supplies and personal-care products are big trouble for many people, especially those with multiple chemical sensitivity, a serious condition. One of the major offenders is chlorine, found in drinking water and many cleaning agents. Ms. Woods's solutions: Filter water for drinking and use effective replacement cleaners such as Seventh Generation, Ecover or Shaklee. For the bathroom, chlorine shower filters are inexpensive and easy to install...."
