Green Building Materials

The materials used to build a green home must meet certain criteria. Green and sustainable homes not only use minimal energy, they also provide the owners with high indoor air quality. Occupants in homes built with standard building materials are exposed to hundreds of chemicals. Many of these chemicals are toxic and can have a short or long term negative impact on your health.

It is especially important to use green materials for interior finishes, flooring, paints, and cabinetry. We all have entered rooms where a new wall-to-wall carpet was just laid down. Some of us can barely breathe in these rooms. Our bodies give us an immediate signal to get out.

Some toxic materials are more subtle. Formaldehyde used in cabinetry and countertops for example is odorless, yet very toxic. Did you know that PVC, used for plumbing piping, releases dioxin, a deadly gas, when burned? Those are just two examples. You can get a wealth of information at the Healthy Building Network

All materials used in the construction of a green home, should fulfill the following criteria to the largest extent possible:

- Lead free
- Low or non-toxic
- Low or no off-gassing of volatile organic compounds (VOC)
- Resistant to moisture or inhibit the formation of mold and mildew
- Cleanable with healthy, environmentally friendly, non-toxic cleaners
- Made with recycled materials
- Made of recyclable materials
- Require minimal amount of energy for production
- Require minimal amount of water for production
- Are made locally
- Made from organically grown and sustainably harvested wood or plants
- Salvaged materials
- Durable
- Are affordable

The order in the above list is random. Your particular project and your geographical location will have an influence on how much of the above list is feasible.

Lead-Free

Lead-containing paint has been banned for many years. Some older homes however can still have lead paint on trims and windows. You can take paint chip samples and have them tested for lead. When you paint trims and windows, it is important to remove the existing lead- paint in an environmentally safe way and dispose of it in accordance with your local laws and regulations.

Low Or Non-Toxic

These materials emit few or no toxins, carcinogens, or irritants, neither during production nor when they are installed. The material must be labeled as such.

No Or Low Off-Gassing Of VOCs

Volatile Organic Compounds, VOCs, are present in hundreds of materials used in standard construction: paints, lacquers, particle boards, carpeting, etc. These VOCs can have considerable long or short term negative effects on occupants.

Green homes use materials that are labeled as containing no or low VOCs. It is also important to ensure that the glues used in the construction do not contain VOCs. Read more about VOCs at the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) site on indoor air quality

Mold consists of spores that love to grow on just about anything damp or moist. Meldew is mold growing on fabric. Please read all about mold on the EPA’s Mold Section.

The architecture of green homes, and the high quality of green construction, help eliminate most situations where moisture can build up. One of the keys is to eliminate the infiltration of water and moisture in the first place. Sometimes, maybe during an unusually heavy rain storm, some wetness can form on basement walls. It is then critical to dry this area up as quickly as possible.

Consult a specialist if you have any concerns about mold in your home.

Cleanable With Healthy, Environmentally Friendly, Non-Toxic Cleaners

It would be counter-productive to have wonderful environmentally friendly finishes in your home and then be required to use cleaners containing toxins and VOCs. It wouldn’t be good either, if you had to purchase a special piece of equipment to clean your bamboo floors with.

Inform yourself before buying the materials for your house, that you will be able to clean them easily and in an eco-friendly way. And make sure you will not be tied to a particular manufacturer, as the cost can be high.

Made With Recycled Materials

Labels on the materials should indicate how much, if any, of the components are made with recycled materials, and what percentage. The recycled materials can be post-industrial, which means they are made from industrial waste or substandard products. Post-consumer recycled materials are from products that have been used by consumers and have been returned into the cycle, such as plastic bottles or toys.

One great example of green building materials made with recycled products is engineered wood. Engineered wood panels or structural members are made from either wood chips, saw dust, or second grade new or recycled wood.

Made Of Recyclable Materials

Green building materials must be of materials on of a composition that allows these materials to be recycled. It is estimated that over 25% of construction materials ends up as waste in a landfill.

A green builder will not only minimize waste, s/he will also know how and where to recycle the unavoidable construction waste materials.

And let’s not forget the shipping and packaging materials. These too, need to be made of recycled materials and need to be recyclable.

Require Minimal Amount Of Energy For Production

The manufacturing process for green building materials is optimized and uses highly efficient processes and maybe even renewable energy sources. If this is not stated on the label, check with the manufacturer.

If more and more people demand efficient and environmentally friendly product processes, manufacturers will start to listen. We, the consumers, can make a difference!

Require Minimal Amount of Water for Production

The manufacturing process is optimized. The plant has a greywater system in place. Rainwater is being collected, filtered and used for production processes, employee toilets and cleaning.

Building Materials Are Made Locally

Shipping building materials half way around the globe is not green, nor is it sustainable. That might mean that the bamboo floor you were planning to install, is not an option, unless you find locally grown, sustainably harvested bamboo. Unless of course, the ship and trucks used for transportation used renewable energies.

Carefully check where the materials are produced, and if you have an option of obtaining locally made green products.

Made From Organically Grown And Sustainably Harvested Wood Or Plants

There is not much to say here. Check the label, and especially confirm that the materials have been sustainably harvested and transported. Look for wood products certified by the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council).

Durable

There is no reason why the basic structure of a home can last 200 years or more. Many wooden farmhouses in Europe are over 200 years old. Yes, some components of a house will need to be replaced after 15, 20, 50 or so years.

Building materials for a green home have along life expectancy. They are solid, well made and durable. These green building materials can easily be refinished in an eco-friendly way and made to look like new.
Salvaged Materials

Salvaging building materials can be a great opportunity for incorporating unique features into a green home. And at a probably very reasonable cost. I am thinking about wood from an old barn, for example. Or stones from a patio. Kitchen cabinets can be refurbished and refinished. The list is endless.

Check the materials of salvaged particle boards, or any other composite material. They might contain formaldehyde glues, etc, which you do not want in your home!

Are Affordable

The cost for some green finishing materials can be higher than for conventional materials. It is important however, to look at the benefits to your health, and life time cost. The comfort and the durability of the green building materials, compared to standard materials, must also be considered. I believe you will find that green building materials are affordable.

Do your research into what green materials are available in your area and what your architect or builder propose to use. Many hardware stores now carry green building materials. Carefully check though, what this means in each case, as unfortunatley some products are labeled as “green”, when they are not.

If you cannot find the green building materials you are looking for, ask the store(s) in your area if they can order them. We, the consumers, have to be the driving force in making green home building construction the norm.

Tags: Green Building Materials, green building materials, green construction, green homes, non toxic building materials