Green Design, Healthy Living

By Marc Allen
(From the NKBA's Profiles Magazine)

Green design is cropping up in homes everywhere, but the kitchen and bath industry is still catching up to the concepts behind it. Green building practices take into consideration the careful selection of materials to address the health of occupants and the sustainability of the environment.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, more and more scientific researchers are concluding that the indoor air quality (IAQ) in homes and offices can be seriously polluted and therefore even less healthy than the outdoor air of the largest and most industrialized cities. Piggybacked with this research are the findings that on average, people spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors. This gives the opportunity for more exposure to a lower quality of air than even those roaming the streets of metropolitan areas—and that exposure is over a longer period of time.

As individuals, people have little influence on overall outdoor air quality. But, these same individuals do have the ability to greatly improve the indoor air quality of their homes. With more research into indoor air quality, there also arrives more press coverage about the problem. People are becoming better educated about IAQ and, in turn, they're approaching designers for solutions.

Ironically, part of the problem we currently see with IAQ occurs because construction techniques and materials have improved so much over the years. In old houses that were constructed with the use of natural materials more prone to expanding or contracting depending on the weather, houses had the ability to "breathe" easier. That is to say, the drafts that our grandparents may have complained about in their houses growing up have been sealed off. Coupled with air conditioning in the summer, windows aren't left wide open as often during warm weather. All this translates to trapped, stale air being recycled by the home's inhabitants. This stale air also holds high concentrations of unhealthy fumes and toxins—unless steps are taken to prevent the problem.

Fortunately, many of those preventative measures are readily available and more are being created daily. And along with manufacturers, those creating the buildings and rooms are able to bring those solutions to clients who will appreciate the thoroughness and thoughtfulness of the services provided.

In order to build green (at least in regards to health issues), you need to stay informed. Designers need to be aware of which materials can cause problems, and once that has been addressed, they need to explore alternative methods of supplying materials that can contribute to a healthier living space. Scott Martin of Blue Plum Design said, "There's a difference between people who are doing it for true medical reasons and those doing it for environment. If you're selling an eco-floor, you need to be sure of the materials, including the glue. If for example, a client has a family member particularly sensitive to indoor pollutants, it's important to verify the materials you're using won't be an irritant for that individual."

For health concerns, there are many different chemicals and compounds that can trigger a reaction in certain individuals. One of the most common offenders in the home is formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is a naturally occurring chemical, but can also be manmade. While the naturally occurring formaldehyde levels are minimal and generally not harmful, the manmade levels are often much more of a problem. In homes, formaldehyde can be found in pressed wood products made with adhesives. Often, urea-formaldehyde, or UF, resins are present. Urea-formaldehyde is the formaldehyde that affects health the most. It can be found in subflooring and cabinetry, hardwood plywood paneling, and in medium density fiberboard. The medium density fiberboard typically contains and releases offgasses with the highest level of UF out of all pressed wood products.

Teresa Shannon of Green Spot Design talked about her decision to build green and offer that service to her customers. "My biggest thing is indoor air quality. Houses are so much more tightly built now, so everything that's in your house that's off-gassing, you're breathing in. Toxins in many building materials are detrimental to health. There's plywood out that has no added urea-formaldehydes; I can appreciate the use of that. It really is a noticeable difference with healthier wood treatments. I have always tried to live healthy and I would literally become ill when installing standard cabinets in a client's home due to the offgassing. I've since become a dealer in Neil Kelly cabinets; the company practices green design and it has made a difference for me. The greatest amount of UF release occurs when pieces are being installed, so if you're using non-green cabinetry, make sure the area is ventilated. For the local custom places, when the cabinets get finished at the home, it's less healthy. Do it offsite, so that you can use better ventilation."

Now that we know formaldehyde and, more specifically, urea-formaldehyde can both have a negative affect on health, the question is: What can be done about it? Besides using proper ventilation when you have to work with materials that offgas UF, kitchen and bath professionals do have another option-avoidance.

Manufacturers are going green based on an awakening public knowledge of the trend and materials that don't offgas are already on the market. One such product, wheatboard, has a two benefits, both touching upon the interior health aspect of green design, as well as the earthly environmental aspects. Made with wheat straw, an agricultural waste product that's normally burned-emitting harmful gases and particles into the atmosphere—the wheatboard is compressed with formaldehyde-free binders and finished with a UV—cured finish. A number of color choices are available.

Currently, the biggest battle facing those wishing to use wheatboard or other green design materials like agraboard or primeboard is the lack of distribution channels. All these materials are relatively new to the market and for the smaller manufacturers, it does take some time to get up to speed on supply in order to meet the demand.

"All groups involved [in the remodeling process] need to constantly be educated to make things happen," said Nina Marinkovich of MAK Design and Build. "Manufacturers need feedback from designers about what's needed in the field. Designers need feedback from consumers to let them know what has their interest. Plus, there's just a familiarity that needs to happen. Once the sub-contractor makes a cabinet box out of wheatboard, they'll be less hesitant to do it again. It's harder in some areas than others. A 60-mile difference from location to location may have a huge difference on the perception of green building."

To address the possible audience for green design, Marinkovich and her design partner, Ken Kirsch, work hard to inform others. "We do place a lot of emphasis on education," she said. "Our staff and I are certified in green design. We've also organized a committee to adopt green building guidelines in our city. How we approach it is that we say, 'We have this knowledge, we work hard to educate on those options.' The more we educate, the solutions just fill in themselves."

Shannon added, "It goes both ways between being asked and telling about green design. It's becoming much more popular. There are many different little things that can be done to incorporate green design into a home, and each bit can have a positive affect".

Environmentally, materials like recycled tile backsplashes or even recycled paper countertops, such as those made by Richlite, ease the stress on the planet. Energy conservation also helps the environment. Energy Star appliances are typically priced the same as their non-green equivalents.

Marinkovich also suggests solar panels to many of her clients. Many electric companies will pay when your home pumps power back into the grid. The panels are a great investment in sunnier climes, helping both the environment and the bank accounts of those using them.

In some sunnier climates, green design has become a necessity facilitated by state governments. In California, for example, there are different mandates as far as lighting control. California Title 24 requires certain lighting considerations. Designers in the state need to be aware of them, especially since Title 24 affects kitchen lighting the most. California requires fluorescent lighting to be 50 percent of the available kitchen lighting since it uses significantly less electricity than halogen lighting. The state also requires motion sensors that switched on lights manually, whereas most other places allow sensors that automatically turn on lights.

Amanda Sokolow of Leviton Manufacturing provided a list of lighting methods and their benefits. "Dimmer switches offer a substantial ability to save on energy costs. Each dimmer, when properly used, can offset the average cost of the lighting it's connected to by at least 10 percent. Couple that benefit with sensors and many people can realize even greater savings."

Sensors are available for many different arrangements. An occupancy sensor uses passive infrared monitors that sense a change in temperature, while a line of sight technology is the most cost-effective way. There's also ultrasonic, which detects a change in frequency. When using a sensor that detects changes in temperature, don't mount them near a heating vent or a light bulb. For motion sensors, avoid areas where homeowners stay still for a long period of time. Some ideal spaces would be the laundry rooms, utility rooms, or the entrance to a garage. Sensors and dimmers install just like a standard light switch, which makes them very convenient."

With the trend of green design somewhat new to North America, working with green materials can involve a little bit of trial and error. Martin explained, "Keep in mind when installing cabinets with wheatboard, they shouldn't be picked up by their spanners or rails. With that type of material, and dealing with the weight, you can rip them right out. Basically, it's usually a good idea to lift everything from the bottom."

When it comes to stains and finishes, Martin said, "What I would recommend to a designer is that they get samples of woods that are stained with water-based stains and finishes, because it takes on a different sheen and a different depth of color. Properly set expectations by seeing the samples. Get a feeling for the texture and finishes. On the water-based finishes, wood will show a little more of the green texture, so it won't look as slick. It'll look a little more natural and while it does look nice, it may not show the depth seen in tradition finishes."

As the trend continues to bloom, more regulations and definitions are likely to emerge on what constitutes green design. Most likely, California will be one of the leaders in those definitions, as their legislatures are very active in pushing the envelope forward on environmental reforms—at least in the U.S. "We can look towards Europe to see green products not even stated as such. In North America, we do approach clients with 'green' products and building techniques and say it's a benefit, but we don't enlist a testing standard," said Martin.

"In Europe, they have a different standard. Under that standard, to be declared 'green,' manufacturers must be below a certain level of offgassing. Canada works with these standards in order to be able to ship their products abroad and there's also a Japanese standard. In the United States, products may be declared 'green' just because they're a healthier or more environmentally friendly alternative, but they still may be somewhat unhealthy since all the requirements haven't been set yet," Martin explained.

Other than regulations, the final problem facing green design is perception. "I work with a couple of pure eco-stores. One of the things that kitchen designers can bring to the table is that green or eco-friendly is not a design style; it's a choice of materials, construction, and selection. It's going to be up to the designers to put it in their showrooms and use a modern design, instead of just tying it to an Asian themed or eclectic design," said Martin.

Shannon concluded, "There are still people that don't understand, people that think it's expensive and not obtainable, but that's just not the case." By going the extra mile to educate themselves and their customers, kitchen and bath professionals will discover that green design is a viable and vitally important design solution.