THE GREEN GLOSSARY

Biodegradable: Capable of decomposing rapidly into elements found in nature, such as water, carbon dioxide and organic matter, when exposed to sunlight, air, water and microorganisms. 

Bio-fuel: Fuel derived from renewable biological material, including plant-derived fuels like ethanol and biodiesel, as well as methane, which is emitted from landfills and livestock manure management systems during the anaerobic (without oxygen) decomposition of organic material. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas when released to the environment, so recovery and combustion of methane to produce energy can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Carbon footprint: The total amount of carbon dioxide, the principal greenhouse gas, emitted over the full life cycle of a product or service. Also, stands for an individual’s or family’s total carbon dioxide contribution resulting from their activities, including energy use and vehicle driving habits.

Carbon neutral: An entity or process that achieves a net zero carbon footprint by obviating or offsetting more carbon emissions than it produces.

Carbon offset: A carbon emissions reduction credit that represents investment in a project that reduces greenhouse gas emissions by funding clean energy projects, such as wind farms, which displace energy produced from polluting fossil fuels. Carbon offset credits are a way for individuals and businesses to offset the carbon emissions produced through daily activities.

Carbon sequestration: A natural or engineered process that captures and stores carbon emissions to prevent their release into the atmosphere and help mitigate global warming. Natural sequestration occurs when forests, soil and oceans absorb CO₂, release the oxygen and store the carbon. Non-natural processes involve capturing carbon emissions from industrial processes and pumping them deep underground for long-term storage.

CFL: Stands for compact fluorescent lamp. A screw-based CFL is an energy-efficient alternative to a standard incandescent bulb. CFLs use about one quarter of the energy of a standard bulb while producing the same light (lumens) and lasting up to ten times as long.

Compostable: Organic matter that will decompose into a nutrient-rich material under aerobic (with oxygen) conditions.

Energy-efficient: A system or product that uses a reduced amount of energy compared to one of comparable size and quality by using advanced technology and/or special design features.

Energy Star: A joint program through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy that sets energy efficiency guidelines for products, homes and businesses. (See EnergyStar.gov.)

Food miles: The distance food travels between its place of origin and consumption.

Fossil fuels: Solid, liquid or gaseous fuels formed underground millions of years ago, by the decay and fossilization of dead organisms. The resulting fossil fuels, including coal, oil and natural gas, are nonrenewable because they take millions of years to form. Burning fossil fuels releases pollutants into the atmosphere, including greenhouse gases that are altering the Earth’s carbon cycle and destabilizing the climate.

Global warming: An increase in the average global temperature brought on by the gradual and steady increase in greenhouse gases that trap the sunlight’s heat in the atmosphere.

Green building: An approach to site selection, building orientation, design and construction that minimizes a structure’s impact on the environment. Green building considerations include minimizing site disturbance and construction waste; employing renewable technologies for heating, cooling and electrical systems; and incorporating sustainable, recycled, low-water and energy-efficient materials and products.

Greenhouse gases: Gases that allow solar radiation to enter the Earth’s atmosphere and warm its surface, but prevent thermal radiation from escaping from the atmosphere, thereby contributing to global warming. Greenhouse gas emissions come primarily from the combustion of fossil fuels to produce energy.

Greenwashing: A deliberate attempt by a business or entity to mislead the public into believing a product, service, company or practice is environmentally sensitive when in fact, it is not.

Hybrid (vehicle): A vehicle that combines two energy sources to power a car—the most popular being hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) in which a gas-powered engine and a battery-powered electric motor work in tandem to decrease fuel consumption.

LED: An acronym for light-emitting diode: An extremely energy-efficient, long-life light source.

LEED: An acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design; a green building certification program developed by the U.S. Green Building Council. This nationwide program provides guidelines for residential and commercial construction projects aimed at improving energy savings, water efficiency and indoor environmental quality, reducing CO₂ emissions and heightening stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts. (Visit usgbc.org.)

Locavore: A person who eats only locally grown and raised food in order to support local economies, sustainable agriculture and independent farms.

Organic: In the United States, a product that has been produced in accordance with the Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program, which sets national standards for the production, handling, and processing of organically grown agricultural products. Organic growing methods and inputs serve to enhance the ecological balance of natural systems. For example organic producers conserve soil and water, use renewable resources and grow food without the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers. (See ams.usda.gov/NOP.)

Passive cooling: The use of building and design strategies to cool structures with no refrigeration systems and little or no mechanical assistance. Passive cooling strategies include low or high thermal mass materials (depending on nighttime temperatures), shading, reflecting, natural ventilation and evaporative cooling.

Plug-in hybrid: A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), like an HEV, has both an electric and gas-powered motor. Unlike HEVs, the PHEV will run entirely in electric mode until the electric charge expires, at which time a gas backup engine is started. Once returned to the garage, a PHEV can be plugged into a standard electrical outlet and recharged.

Recycle: The act of diverting objects from the waste stream for the purpose of turning them into useful raw material that can be used to create new products and materials. Recycling is a closed loop process; materials that are diverted from the waste stream must be bought back by consumers in a successive product form.

Reduce: The act of making deliberate reductions in consumption levels in several areas (e.g. energy, water, packaging, consumer goods, etc.) to conserve resources, reduce pollution and avoid waste.

Reuse: The act of finding continuous uses for objects and materials in order to extend their useful life or substituting pre-owned durable goods for newly manufactured items.

Renewable energy: Energy generated from renewable resources is unlimited or rapidly replenished and therefore, cannot be exhausted. Includes power generated from wind, sunlight, water flow, biomass and geothermal heat.

Smart growth: Thoughtful land development designed to achieve a number of environmental and quality-of-life goals such as reducing auto dependence; preserving wilderness areas and farmland; and restoring community through pedestrian-oriented, mixed-used developments.

Sustainable: A way of doing something that maintains resource renewability and environmental health over time to meet both present and future needs.

Tree free: Paper products made from non-wood fibers, including plants (hemp, kenaf, cotton), agricultural waste (wheat straw, bagassee, flax, pinzote, coffee leaves) and recycled materials (old money, textile scraps).

VOC: Volatile organic compounds; found in many paints, finishes, synthetic foams, adhesives and stains; readily evaporate to the atmosphere, where they contribute to air pollution and can be hazardous to human health.

Sources: U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Green Building Council.

Pollution Hits Home

Warning: Indoor pollution can be hazardous to health and hard to avoid

 by Crissy Trask

 While most people are aware of outdoor pollution, they may know little about harmful air pollutants inside their home. That ignorance can have grave consequences.

 Indoor pollutants can come from faulty combustion appliances, trapped moisture, household products and home furnishings. Even the mattress we sleep on could, through a process called off-gassing, be a source of chemicals known as volatile organic compounds (VOC), making for much worse than a poor night’s sleep. The cumulative effects of exposure to indoor pollutants range from the sniffles to serious illness and death.

 "Children are especially vulnerable to poor indoor air quality due to their smaller and developing lungs,” says Bernadette V. Upton, owner of EcoDecor Inc. in North Palm Beach, Florida. “A child's lungs continue to develop until they’re 18 years old. That's a long stretch of time for children to be exposed to toxic pollutants.”

 It’s one of many reasons why Upton’s become expert in green interiors. As a noted accredited professional with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and the American Society of Interior Designers, she’s in the forefront of her industry.

"When it comes to decorating our homes,” she says, “we focus too much on how rooms look—such as the color of the walls and the pattern in the sofa (the visible)—forgetting to pay attention to what's in products that can turn indoor air into a toxic soup (the invisible)."

Draw a Breath of Fresh Air

To begin, experts agree that every home and business should have proper ventilation to prevent the buildup of indoor pollutants. New buildings are made more airtight these days to keep out drafts and hold in warm or cool air, even though this puts occupants at risk for health problems.

To ensure that an adequate amount of outdoor air enters a home, open windows as often as possible during good weather. Also ask an HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) professional to see if the building could benefit from a mechanical system to remove pollutants. At a minimum, “Heating and cooling systems should have high-quality filters to capture fine particles and should be changed monthly," says Glenn Fellman, executive director of the Indoor Air Quality Association. But filters alone won’t solve serious air problems.

“If you’re concerned about your air quality, a portable high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) room air cleaner in your main living area or bedroom may protect you further,” says Fellman, “but the key is eliminating the contamination source.”

Be Aware of Five Pollutants

CARBON MONOXIDE

Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless, colorless and tasteless toxic gas that’s produced when fossil fuels burn incompletely. At lower levels of exposure, CO causes flu-like symptoms. At high levels, it can cause unconsciousness and even death.

Sources include natural gas stoves, cook tops, ovens, water heaters and furnaces, wood-burning stoves and fireplaces, kerosene space heaters, charcoal grills and gasoline motors. These sources present a danger to indoor air quality when the CO they produce leaks within a building, instead of being vented outdoors.

Prevention and Remediation

• Do not use kerosene and gas heaters without proper ventilation.
• Use an exhaust fan vented to the outdoors when operating a gas stove.
• Do not use a wood-burning fireplace if the smoke can be smelled indoors. It could be back-drafting and need inspecting.
• Have a professional annually inspect combustion appliances for maintenance and cleanliness.
• Never let a car sit idling in an attached garage or outside open windows.

It helps to install a detector that will sound an alarm if unsafe levels of CO are detected. The Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends units that meet the requirements of the current UL standard 2034 or the IAS 6-96 standard. Detectors, however, are no substitute for the proper use and maintenance of CO-producing appliances.

RADON

Radon is a radioactive gas formed when naturally occurring uranium decays in rock, soil and water. Odorless, colorless and tasteless, radon’s a proven carcinogen. The National Research Council estimates that indoor radon exposure is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, responsible for 15,000 to 21,000 deaths each year.

Radon enters homes from the ground through cracks and holes in the foundation, then works its way through gaps in walls and floors and around service pipes. The greatest exposure to this gas occurs in rooms that are below grade and in contact with the ground, but even second-story rooms can have elevated levels of this toxin.

Prevention and Remediation

New structures can be built to resist radon infiltration.

• Build a sub-slab that creates a vacuum beneath the structure to hold soil gases, which are then piped outside.
• Use mechanical barriers to stop the gas from entering the building.
• Install an air exchange system that constantly replaces indoor air with fresh outdoor air.

Existing structures have a 1 in 15 chance of having elevated levels of radon, according to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates. A simple home test can reveal whether or not a building suffers from this problem. Discount testing kits are available from the National Safety Council online at NSC.org/issues/radon/.

Radon levels that exceed 4 pCi/L (pico curies per liter) are considered hazardous and call for remediation by a professional. The National Environmental Health Association maintains a directory of qualified radon professionals at NEHA-nrpp.org.

MOLD

Molds, part of the fungus family, thrive in wet environments. They reproduce via tiny spores that become loose and float around in the air. Both mold-allergic and non-allergic people can experience hay-fever like symptoms when inhaling mold or mold spores. In some cases, molds produce potentially toxic substances called mycotoxins.

“Wherever you have moisture, eliminate it immediately,” cautions Fellman. “Otherwise, there’s a real possibility of having a mold issue develop within 72 hours.”

Prevention & Remediation

It helps to be diligent about finding and eliminating moisture problems.

• Wipe water off of surfaces within 24 to 48 hours.
• Run bathroom exhaust fans, vented to the outside, during and following a shower, or open a window to help remove moisture quickly and completely.
• Fix leaky roofs and plumbing. Water from such leaks is often trapped inside building cavities and cabinets, inhibiting evaporation.
• Fix a leaky basement.
• Control roof water and surface drainage to divert water away from the foundation.
• Maintain a relative humidity of 30 to 50 percent indoors, using a humidity meter (available at hardware stores).
• Vent moisture-producing appliances to the outside (such as dryers and combustion appliances) and use dehumidifiers as necessary.

If you find mold, the EPA recommends using detergent and warm water to scrub it from nonporous, hard surfaces. Mold growing on porous materials, such as wood, ceiling tiles, upholstery and carpet, may be difficult or impossible to remove completely, and the contaminated section may have to be removed and replaced.

Avoid touching or inhaling any mold. The EPA recommends wearing an N-95 respirator (available at many hardware and paint stores), with goggles and gloves, during cleanup and reminds us that the job’s not complete until the water or moisture problem is fixed.

If the mold has spread to a large area or a difficult spot, such as inside ductwork, or if occupants suspect hidden mold, call in a professional mold specialist.

VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS

VOCs are a class of gases that can cause eye, skin, and respiratory tract irritation, dizziness, nausea and allergic reactions, as well as damage to the liver, kidneys and central nervous system. Some are suspected or known human carcinogens.

VOCs are present in thousands of consumer products, including household cleaners, air fresheners, aerosol sprays, pesticides, paints, wood stains and sealers, solvents, drycleaned garments and stain-treated carpets.

Prevention and Remediation

• Look for low- and zero-VOC products, such as paints that carry the Green Seal label. Manufacturers say that these paints perform as well as conventional brands, while emitting far fewer toxic chemicals.

• Use only as much of a household product as recommend by the manufacturer, and increase ventilation when using VOC-emitting products.
• Store products far from living and work spaces. VOCs can escape from sealed containers.

FORMALDEHYDE

Formaldehyde, a type of VOC, is primarily used in the production of resins. Formaldehyde can be released into the air from materials by off-gassing. Unlike air pollutants like radon and CO, formaldehyde has a strong smell. Negative health effects include eye, nose and throat irritation, coughing, fatigue, rashes and allergic reactions. This toxin causes cancer in animals and may cause cancer in humans.

Urea-formaldehyde (UF) and phenol formaldehyde (PF) resins are used in pressed wood products such as particle board, plywood and fiberboard, often applied as sub-flooring and for shelving in cabinetry and furniture. Other sources include adhesives, UF foam insulation, fiberglass insulation and permanent press textiles.

Prevention and Remediation

• Purchase pressed wood products that meet or exceed the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s standard for lower formaldehyde emissions.
• Look for a high percentage of laminated or coated surfaces and edges when buying cabinets and furniture.
• Avoid foamed-in-place insulation containing formaldehyde. Choose blown-in, recycled cellulose, recycled cotton batting or formaldehyde-free fiberglass insulation instead.
• Use exterior-grade pressed wood products containing PF resins, which emit formaldehyde at a lower rate than UF resins.
• Avoid medium density fiberboard (MDF) in construction projects. It contains the highest resin-to-wood ratio of any UF-pressed wood product.

When using PF- or UF-containing products, pick a solution that either slows formaldehyde release over time or accelerates its release prior to installation.

• In humid conditions, dehumidifiers can slow down out-gassing.
• Increase the flow of outdoor air indoors where these products are present. In new construction, ventilate the building with outside air for four weeks prior to occupancy.
• Set pressed wood products out in the sun for up to four weeks before installing, in order to bake off gases. Allow for ventilation between each board.

Creating a healthy indoor environment can prevent many health problems and discomfort from sneaking up on us, making home the safe refuge it was always meant to be.

Symptoms Related to Poor Indoor Air Quality

Headaches

Dizziness

Poor concentration

Fatigue

Nausea

Vomiting

Scratchy throat

Coughing

Running nose

Sneezing

Irritated, itchy eyes

Skin irritation

Resources:

EPA Indoor Air Quality Information Clearinghouse: 800-438-4318

Indoor Air Quality Association: IAQA.org

National Safety Council: 800-SOS-RADON

National Environmental Health Association: NEHA-nrpp.org

Green Seal: GreenSeal.org

Crissy Trask is a green lifestyle consultant and the author of It’s Easy Being Green: A Handbook for Earth-Friendly Living. She can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Source: Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Indoor Air Quality

Sanctuaries for Sleep

Toxin-free Mattresses Promote the Sweetest, Safest Dreams

 By Linda Sechrist

If children are to close their eyes, dream their dreams and let their imaginations take them on adventures never before told, as the poet Rebecca J. Burns suggests in Dream Your Dreams, they need a sanctuary of their own for sleeping. One of its keyelements should be a toxin-free mattress that provides a safe place for restorative rest.

 Wynken, Blynken and Nod were probably sleeping on organic mattresses and wrapped in organic cotton sheets when they dreamed of sailing amongst the stars. While no poisonous chemicals lurk within mattresses in the fantasy world of nursery rhymes, the real world is a different story:  Traditional mattresses may contain about a pound of boric acid, a flame-retardant pesticide used to kill roaches. While it may be hard to believe that we spend one-third of our lives sleeping on the 30 or more chemicals typically found in traditional mattresses, it’s equally as challenging to comprehend the numerous other toxins that our bodies have to tolerate in food, clothing, cleaning products and even the mattresses we sleep on. Unfortunately, the majority of individuals today don’t discover this until they begin experiencing health issues, such as allergies. Only when they begin to investigate some of the invisible causes, such as chemical sensitivities, which generally build up over a period of time, do they discover the chemicals used to manufacture mattresses.

 The pure wool used in certified organic mattresses is naturally flame-retardant and the natural rubber is anti-microbial and mold- and mildew-resistant. Neither rubber nor wool attracts dust mites, an added benefit for anyone suffering from allergies.

 Although many bedding products may be referred to as organic, consumers need to look for proper certification to ensure that a purchase is not organically produced in one place and artificially processed in another. In an industry where ‘greenwashing’ occurs, third-party certification is essential. The only assurances we have that the stringent standards for organic certification have been upheld in the production of a mattress or any bedding products are the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), Oeko-Tex Standard 100, and GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI) certification for low VOC emissions. Certificates of Sustainable Textiles specify that no pesticides be allowed in fields where cotton grows or sheep graze.

 A night spent enjoying the support and softness of a natural rubber mattress topped with natural wool and cotton is the next best thing to sleeping on a cloud—a healthy, heavenly rest that even Wynken, Blynken and Nod could dream on.

 Linda Sechrist is a managing editor for Natural Awakenings Magazine, a freelance writer, and the Director of the Upstate Green Central Station.

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Upstate Green Central Station will help to build a sustainable and resilient local community by uniting a network of individuals, businesses and organizations, which offer products, services and technology that maximize efficiency and minimize the consumption of the Upstate’s precious resources.

An integral part of ECO Realty International, the Upstate Green Central Station (UGCS) is a hub of activity for a community-wide network of people, businesses and organizations, which offer sustainable/green products, services and technology in the Upstate’s flourishing marketplaces and vibrant communities.

Our website and portal showcases our members—visionaries, entrepreneurs, sustainable educators and collaborators—who are finding ways to think outside the box and implement smart green residential and business practices that forge the path to a more sustainable future.

These courageous and creative explorers in sustainability are taking actions that enhance and preserve the area’s quality of life, while reducing the consumption of its finite resources.