General Guidelines for “Going Green”

An excerpt from “The World at Home: A Household Guide to Building”
By Laura McCarthy, Program Associate
Citizens’ Environmental Coalition, 2007 www.cectoxic.org

The suggestions found in CEC’s green building guide center around a few simple principles. Understanding these will allow you to make common sense decisions not only with home construction, but throughout your entire life!

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.  The 3 R’s will always apply! Cut down on landfill use and incineration by planning carefully to minimize waste, getting more than just one use from a product and always recycling the waste that is generated. Using salvaged lumber is an example of reusing what may otherwise be sent to a landfill.

Save energy.  Building an energy and water-efficient home will allow you to reduce carbon emissions while also cutting down on utility expenses.

Choose “simple” products.  Reduce green-house gas emissions by choosing products that demand less energy to process and transport; those that have low “embodied energy.”  For example, the cement used in making concrete is extremely energy intensive to produce. Natural building materials, like adobe and straw bales, have much less embodied energy than other manufactured building supplies.

Buy Socially Responsible Products.  Fair-trade or sustainably-harvested materials help the environment and the people who depend on it. By giving local people the means by which to make a living, as through sustainable farming, people have an incentive to take care of the environment, and consumers have access to products that encourage that cycle. FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified lumber comes only from forests where the rights of indigenous people are protected.

Avoid PVC.  Polyvinyl Chloride, commonly known as vinyl, is energy intensive and highly polluting during production, and extremely dangerous to humans through use and disposal. There are many alternatives to this toxic plastic, but it is still found in many consumer products.

Avoid VOCs.  Products that off-gas toxic VOCs – Volatile Organic Compounds – are harmful not only to the environment, but to your family. VOCs include a wide variety of chemicals and are linked to range health effects including asthma and cancer. If it’s toxic, don’t bring it into your home! VOC-free paints and stains are now widely available from many manufacturers.

Buy local. Green builders generally agree that if you can buy your construction supplies from within 500 miles of your home, you’re greatly reducing the carbon emissions that result from materials transportation. Is a product really “green” if you’ve had it shipped around the globe? Buying from local sources also often means you’re supporting small-scale, sustainable operations with management that is able to closely monitor working conditions, energy usage, and pollution.