Is your house healthy?

My father grew up in Libby, Montana, the home of one of the largest superfund sites in the nation. He got out in time to avoid asbestos poisoning, but a number of my relatives stayed and are suffering from lung ailments. For that reason, I was especially interested in the following information.

Healthy Home Tips and Green Alternatives for Homeowners

The home buying process is an exciting time, but one that may bring additional responsibilities into your life. Many homes may need renovations or inspections, especially in areas that are susceptible to natural disasters. Having the assistance of an experienced and honest real estate agent will make this process smooth and stress free.

Some older homes may still contain obsolete building materials. Citizens of this great state are striving to move to a green lifestyle, advocating environmentally sustainable methods to be used throughout the state. Building or remodeling your homes with eco-friendly materials can lower utility and water bills, higher real estate value, purer air quality, reduced waste sent to landfills and conservation of natural resources.

Asbestos + Healthy Tips

Asbestos is a fibrous mineral that was used in construction applications for the greater part of the 20th century. Often appearing as insulation, piping, roofing and flooring, homes and buildings could still contain asbestos materials if they were built prior to 1980.

If you locate any suspected asbestos in the home, most experts suggest leaving it un-disturbed until a home inspector can examine your property, take evaluations and determine the safest course of action. Sometimes the best action is no action at all. Disturbing asbestos in good condition may cause its fibers to be released into the air. The removal of asbestos must be undertaken by a professional abatement contractor who is trained in handling dangerous materials.

Exposure to this material can lead to the development of mesothelioma, a lung ailment associated with asbestos exposure. Though a cure does not exist, mesothelioma treatment options such as radiation, chemotherapy and surgery may be available to patients to battle the disease.  Compensation for mesothelomia has become tough to predict for victims and their families because diagnosis can take 20-50 years. For this reason, many people refer to it as a silent killer.

Removal of asbestos in public facilities, workplaces and homes should be performed by licensed abatement contractors as long as the National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) are not violated. They must wear protective equipment such as masks and gloves to avoid any exposure. The materials should be removed in as large pieces as possible and places in disposable bags.

Green Building Benefits

Each and every human being would like clean air to breathe and crisp water to drink. It takes a lot of effort and political advocacy to achieve this on a macro level. The implementation of eco-construction, green energy solutions will play an important role in the transformation to a healthier and sustainable world. Many locations throughout Alabama are swiftly changing their construction practices to suit the environment and the health of human beings.

There are many green, eco-friendly materials that replace the need for asbestos and can reduce energy costs annually. These include the use of cotton fiber, lcynene foam and cellulose. Cotton fiber is quickly becoming a favorite for home builders and renovators. Made from recycled batted material, it is also treated to be fireproof.  Research has demonstrated that the use of eco-friendly insulation alternatives can reduce annual energy costs by 25 percent.

Implementing green methods of building can have positive environmental, health and economic benefits. These include: Conservation of natural resources, enhancement of air quality, energy sustainability, increase property value, improve quality of life, improvement of pulmonary/cardiac health and reduction of waste.

For more information, contact Jesse Herman.

Building green

There is buzz on Bainbridge about green building, not surprising in an area so concerned with the environment. The following article is instructive.

By CHARLES LOCKWOOD, for the Wall Street Journal

High-performance green, or "sustainable," buildings can be found across the U.S. Offices, schools, stores, factories, hospitals and, increasingly, homes. Even green police and fire stations, convents, pet shelters and car dealerships.
Green buildings aren’t just a U.S. phenomenon. In the U.K., over 95,000 buildings have received "green" certification from the BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) program, and over 670,000 buildings have been registered for a BREEAM rating What is a high-performance green building? Is it much more than just energy-efficient?"


Green buildings incorporate design, technology and construction practices that significantly lessen their negative impact on the environment through reduced use of natural resources, lower energy and water consumption, and fewer greenhouse gas emissions. They also provide healthier indoor environments for their occupants-you, your family, your co-workers-compared to conventional buildings.
A Fundamental Change
In 2002, only 38 buildings had received a LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). LEED is a voluntary green building rating system that measures and verifies the environmental performance of a building. It has four award levels: Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum.
Just five years later, as of October 1, 2007, 1,326 residential and non-residential buildings had earned LEED ratings, and 16,047 projects had been registered for LEED ratings.
"Looking three to five years ahead, and based on the current trajectory of growth, we should see a 50" increase every year in the number of new-construction buildings that apply for LEED certification," says S. Richard Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair of the USGBC. "By 2010, I expect to see 100,000 commercial buildings involved with LEED . . . and over 1 million homes."
Leading the way toward higher-performance green buildings are corporate and government offices (from the local to the federal level), and schools and universities. Playing a rapid game of catch-up are single and multi-family residences, along with hotels, manufacturing facilities and retail outlets.
"We are in the middle of a major transformation in the real estate market," says Brenna S. Walraven, chairman of BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association) International. "In no more than 5 years, and maybe in as little as 24 to 36 months, building owners will be at a competitive disadvantage if they aren’t operating green buildings."
Green Drivers
The proliferation of high-performance green buildings is gaining momentum because of several powerful forces.
The most significant driver is the documented financial benefits of green buildings, from lower operating costs, including a 20" to 50" or more reduction in energy consumption, to improved workforce productivity, reduced employee absenteeism, and skilled-worker attraction and retention.
Second, green buildings offer increased profits for real estate owners and investors. According to McGraw-Hill Construction’s "2006 Green Building SmartMarket Report," compared to conventional buildings, green buildings generate 3.5" higher occupancy rates, 3" higher rent rates, an average increase of 7.5" in building values and improved ROI. Many buildings are doing even better.
Upon its early 2006 completion, the 40-story LEED-Silver One South Dearborn Street building was already 93" leased in downtown Chicago’s soft market, which had a 14.3" vacancy rate. One Crescent Drive, a four-story LEED-Platinum office building in the Philadelphia Navy Yard Corporate Center, has rental rates that are 25" to 50" above the market average.
Some green buildings are selling at impressive prices. In 2006, Hines sold the One South Dearborn Street tower to the Olen Properties Group for $344 million, a profit of $144 million over construction cost.
A third driver is the growing concern about both global climate change and rising energy prices to heat and cool our buildings. Green buildings address both issues.
Fourth, the formation of the U.S. Green Building Council in 1993 and the launch of its LEED green building rating program in 2000 gave the U.S. a national green building definition and rigorous standards that have assured buyers and renters that a building is really high-performance and sustainable, not just tagged with a "greenwashed" marketing label.
Fifth, cities, states and utility companies have been offering a wide variety of incentives-from tax credits to density bonuses and expedited approvals-to encourage energy-efficient and green building development and renovations.
Finally, a growing number of building regulations have been mandating green development, first in the public sector and now, increasingly, in the private sector.
Debunking the "Green Costs More" Myth
Most people still believe that it costs substantially more to construct a green building than a standard building. That was true 10 years ago, when green buildings in the U.S. were still experimental, but not any longer.
As recent studies have shown, LEED-Certified, LEED-Silver and, increasingly, LEED-Gold buildings cost no more-and sometimes less-than comparable conventional buildings. PNC Financial Group and Wachovia have both embarked on major green bank branch construction programs. Each of these LEED-Certified branches cost Wachovia $80,000 less and PNC $100,000 less to build than comparable conventional bank branches.
"Green premium" no longer means higher-cost green buildings. Today it means higher property values, lower operating costs, and health benefits for building owners and tenants.