Selecting Energy Efficient Windows for your New Home
Friday, 28 March 2014
For folks building a new home, the job of selecting the Energy Efficient windows can be daunting. Based on the nature of the contract, the architect may or may not be involved in the window selection. Their contract may end with assisting the home owner with obtaining the permit. In such cases the homeowners may rely
- Published in Green Building Consulting
Healthy Building Science Joins the Building Health Initiative
Wednesday, 12 March 2014
We are excited to announce that we are new members of the U.S. Green Building Council – Northern California Chapter’s Building Health Initiative! The Building Health Initiative is a two-year program in which Northern California industry leaders from multiple sectors have pledged to promote health and wellness. Members have made commitments to take simple but
- Published in Business, Green Building Consulting
Watch a Funny Video About Healthy Building Science!
Monday, 10 March 2014
We decided to lighten the mood at Healthy Building Science by creating a funny building science video about what we do. What started off as a standard informational video soon turned into something very different. We hope you enjoy the results of this building science video. In October 2013, we assembled a team consisting of
- Published in Green Building Consulting
Safer Sofa Foam Exchange Announced for Bay Area
Wednesday, 19 February 2014
You may have heard about the problem with flame retardants in polyurethane furniture foams. If you haven’t, and you want a safer sofa, I highly recommend reading the Chicago Tribune’s exposé on the flame retardant industry: Playing With Fire. The California flammability standard, known as TB117, in effect required manufacturers to use toxic flame retardant chemicals
- Published in Green Building Consulting
Is PVC Toxic?
Friday, 13 December 2013
Is PVC Toxic to Humans? We are often asked, “Is PVC Toxic?” Is polyvinyl chloride (PVC or “vinyl”) is toxic to humans when it is used as a building product. Or, is it only problematic during manufacturing and/or disposal? The answer is that PVC is toxic to humans throughout its life cycle. In production, carcinogens and endocrine disruptors
- Published in Green Building Consulting
Nanotechnology and Coatings
Wednesday, 27 November 2013
In helping our clients choose healthy building materials, I tend to be weary of coatings in general, but nanocoatings are of particular concern. In building materials, manufacturers advertise nanocoatings on carpets, upholstery, photovoltaics, and even toilets. I’ve seen these coatings used as stain repellants, waterproofing coatings or as finishes that create a smooth and easily
- Published in Green Building Consulting
Safe Cookware
Friday, 22 November 2013
Does Stainless Steel Leach Chemicals? There is a lot of information in the blogosphere about health and safety in cookware, but when a client asked whether stainless steel leached dangerous chemicals, I was unable to find a quick answer to her question. I decided to look into the issue of safe cookware myself. In one 2013
- Published in Environmental Testing, Green Building Consulting