EPA's Lead Program Solution. Is it really though?

The EPA is starting a program April 22nd that will force all renovators and remodelers that work in homes pre 1978 to have their company and their selves certified through the EPA. I took their certification class this last Thursday. There was some good information to take away from it, but what I don’t understand is that you go through a real technical way to collect all dust during the project then turn around and throw it in the landfill. That’s right if it is less than 220 lbs (which most projects will be) you can just go throw it in the landfill. Does this make a lot of sense to you? On top of that they are really pushing to use tons of plastic to cover everything, and you can’t recycle it. That’s government for you. Yes we have increased the indoor air quality, but what will the side effects of this program be in 5 or 10 years. When will man become the solution and not the problem?

Natural Air Purifiers

The flowers to the right are some I put together for my office building. I love having a creative outlet a few times a month, but more than that I love seeing them! Plants bring natural beauty to our living spaces. By creating texture and balance, a room or patio can be transformed into an environment that comforts and welcomes. They can brighten our day in an instance simply by their presence. We give them for every occasion of life; birth, death, etc. But, just like most things in life, plants have a much wider role than just looking pretty. They’ve been proven to reduce stress so well that one glance at a plant lowers your heart rate. They also help clean the air we breathe by absorbing toxins and acting as little oxygen factories. Plants simply make us feel better. In this blog I'd like to inform you about the simple benefits of addings flowers and plants to your living environment.

Most of us are aware by this point in our lives that our physical state can often be a result of our emotional and mental state of being. One doesn't stand alone, but they all work together to make up who we are. So with that, we have to keep in mind that the beauty, smell, structure and balance of our home and where we spend such a large quantity of our time will play a large role on our physical bodies.

In the late 1980s, a study by NASA and the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA) resulted in excellent news for homeowners and office workers everywhere. The study concluded that common houseplants such as bamboo palms and spider plants not only make indoor spaces more attractive, they also help to purify the air!


Newer homes and buildings, designed for energy efficiency, are often tightly sealed to avoid energy loss from heating and air conditioning systems. Moreover, synthetic building materials used in modern construction have been found to produce potential pollutants that remain trapped in these unventilated buildings.

The trapped pollutants result in what is often called the Sick Building Syndrome. With our ultra modern homes and offices that are virtually sealed off from the outside environment, this study is just as important now as when it was first published.

While it’s a well known fact that plants convert carbon dioxide into oxygen through photosynthesis, the NASA/ALCA study showed that many houseplants also remove harmful elements such as trichloroethylene, benzene, and formaldehyde from the air.

NASA and ALCA spent two years testing 19 different common houseplants for their ability to remove these common pollutants from the air. Of the 19 plants they studied, 17 are considered true houseplants, and two, gerbera daisies and chrysanthemums, are more commonly used indoors as seasonal decorations.

The advantage that houseplants have over other plants is that they are adapted to tropical areas where they grow beneath dense tropical canopies and must survive in areas of low light. These plants are thus ultra-efficient at capturing light, which also means that they must be very efficient in processing the gasses necessary for photosynthesis. Because of this fact, they have greater potential to absorb other gases, including potentially harmful ones.

In the study NASA and ALCA tested primarily for three chemicals: Formaldehyde, Benzene, and Trichloroethylene. Formaldehyde is used in many building materials including particle board and foam insulations. Additionally, many cleaning products contain this chemical. Benzene is a common solvent found in oils and paints. Trichloroethylene is used in paints, adhesives, inks, and varnishes.

While NASA found that some of the plants were better than others for absorbing these common pollutants, all of the plants had properties that were useful in improving overall indoor air quality. NASA also noted that some plants are better than others in treating certain chemicals. For example, English ivy, gerbera daisies, pot mums, peace lily, bamboo palm, and Mother-in-law's Tongue were found to be the best plants for treating air contaminated with Benzene. The peace lily, gerbera daisy, and bamboo palm were very effective in treating Trichloroethylene. Additionally, NASA found that the bamboo palm, Mother-in-law's tongue, dracaena warneckei, peace lily, dracaena marginata, golden pathos, and green spider plant worked well for filtering Formaldehyde.

After conducting the study, NASA and ALCA came up with a list of the most effective plants for treating indoor air pollution. The recommended plants can be found below. Note that all the plants in the list are easily available from your local nursery.


1. Philodendron scandens `oxycardium', heartleaf philodendron
2. Philodendron domesticum, elephant ear philodendron
3. Dracaena fragrans `Massangeana', cornstalk dracaena
4. Hedera helix, English ivy
5. Chlorophytum comosum, spider plant
6. Dracaena deremensis `Janet Craig', Janet Craig dracaena
7. Dracaena deremensis `Warneckii', Warneck dracaena
8. Ficus benjamina, weeping fig
9. Epipiremnum aureum, golden pothos
10. Spathiphyllum `Mauna Loa', peace lily
11. Philodendron selloum, selloum philodendron
12. Aglaonema modestum, Chinese evergreen
13. Chamaedorea sefritzii, bamboo or reed palm
14. Sansevieria trifasciata, snake plant
15. Dracaena marginata , red-edged dracaena

For an average home of under 2,000 square feet, the study recommends using at least fifteen samples of a good variety of these common houseplants to help improve air quality. They also recommend that the plants be grown in six inch containers or larger.


Here is a list of resources for more information on this important study:

PDF files of the NASA studies related to plants and air quality: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/ssctrs.ssc.nasa.gov/foliage_air/foliage_air.pdf

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/ssctrs.ssc.nasa.gov/journal_mas/journal_mas.pdf

List of NASA studies related to treating a variety of air and waterborne pollutants with plants:

http://www.ssc.nasa.gov/environmental/docforms/water_research/water_research.html


(Sources: Cleanairgardening.com and freshhome.com)

"Gray" Water

The average household of four uses up to 400 gallons of water every day, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. That is a staggering amount to think about when you realize most of it is simply used for washing your hands, dishes, taking a shower and wasted while brushing your teeth.

Now I'm probably as bad as the next person when it comes to leaving the water running while brushing my teeth, but when I stop and think about the millions of people that don't even have access to clean water I am hit with a hard slap in the face of the reality of my wastefullness.


It's amazing to me how often in this tough economy we complain about needing more and not having enough, but waste the small things on a daily basis. So the more I've thought about this I wanted to pass along some helpful information on not wasting water.

It's been called "Going Gray" and is a form of recyling the water that you normally waste and using it for other things. The wastewater generated by your sink, shower, washing machine and dishwater can cut utility bills while reducing a household's water footprint.

Gray water projects target the biggest water-wasters in the house-particularly bathroom showers and sinks, where a lot of gray water is generated (toilet water, known as "black water" is never to be reused). Some of that water can be recycled via an ingenious contraption called SinkPositive, a hand-washing station that sits atop the toilet tank. Soapy water, falls into the tank, whre it waits until the next time someone flushes the toilet. Then it does double duty, carrying away soap and toilet waste. The SinkPositive sells for $110 plus shipping.

One-third of a household's water, over 120 gallons per day, is used on lawns and gardens. To trim that figure, gardeners often use gray water on their lawnas and ornamental gardens (Young plans usually need fresh water, but once they mature, many can thrive on doses of gray water. Also don't use gray water on edible plants, due to bacteria that could be in it)

Also gray water irrigation can be as simple as placing a pitcher next to the sink and whenever someone doesn't finish a glass of water or cup of tea, dump it in the pitcher. By the end of the day, you'll have enough "leftover" water to keep the houseplants happy.




BY JENAE TANKERSLEY
(Resources: emagazine.com)

Money in the Bank-Efficiency Upgrading

In one of our recent blogs we touched on how you can find a few more tax deductions, thanks to Uncle Sam and last year's Recovery and Reinvestment Act (AKA: The Stimulus Bill). Today we'd like to touch on a few more things to think about.

Qualifications for the 30% deduction guidelines are much tougher than in the 2006-2007 program. First, all improvements must have taken place after February 17, 2009. Second, be sure, as we mentioned before, that when you are buying products (windows, skylights, insulation, etc.) that you either see a label with the Energy Star label or you request a Maufacturer Certification Statement that the product or component qualifies for the tax credit.

Another great idea is that consumers who want to generate their own power are eligible for renewable energy tax credits on projects completed through 2016 (including alternative-energy equipment connected to your house, such as solar water heaters, geothermal heat pumps, small wind turbines, and other similar projects).

Be sure and check out the following resources:

To review guidelines for qualifying purchases visit the IRS website.
To find guidelines on what qualifies for both tax credits visit Energy Star.
To find state and local energy efficiency assistance available visit U.S. Department of Energy

How Green Have We Come?

Here's a snapshot of those green measures tha have been embraced and those that still have a ways to go.

Turn the Lights Out!

I remember growing up and not understanding why my parents made such a big deal about us leaving one or even two lights on in the house when we left. Some part of me thought that maybe a light bulb could explode and start a fire or something ridiculous like that.

It wasn't until I got my own apartment and realized how outrageous an electricity bill can be (for a one bedroom) that I began to understand. It's the little things in life that add up. Like when one person doesn't put their dishes in the dishwasher or one person doesn't wipe off the counter after making a mess. That one leads to another that leads to another and before long you have entirely filled up sink of dirty dishes and a countertop covered in ants and roaches. Ok, ok, so that's a bit extreme, but hopefully you get the point.

Between lights, electronics and appliances, electricity accounts for almost 40 percent of the average home's energy use! But there are ways to cut back in each category without sacrificing and turning into an extremely anal live-by-candelight home owner.

By changing 10 bulbs and replacing three major appliances with energy-efficient models, you can save hundreds of dollars per year!

A survey in Consumer Reports reported "that many Americans are already taking advantage of those savings. Almost two-thirds have replaced incandescent lightbulbs with a CFL or LED. As for appliances, 34% have upgraded to an energy-efficient model. It doesn't make sense to pitch a perfectly good appliance or electronic item, but if you're in the market for a new one, the type you choose can make a big difference. (For example, side-by-side refrigerators use more energy than top-or-bottom-mounts, top loading washers use more electiricyt and water than front-loaders, and plasma TVs use more lectricity than LCD sets)

Easy, low-cost solutions: Plug electronics into power strips with built-in senors that automatically shut off devices that aren't in use. Set your computer to hibernate. Use LED or CFL lights in place of your old regular bulbs (More about this in our next blog). Turn off lights when you leave a room."

BY JENAE TANKERSLEY