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Have you been present when an energy audit is being conducted on a home?

Even if you have a pretty good idea of where air leaks are occurring, there can be surprises and some simple cost-effective solutions.

While you hear messages to unplug the chargers responsible for ‘phantom loads’, it is even wiser to consider that there might be literally gaping holes in your home from which hard-earned money could be escaping!

I recently had our home inspected for an energy audit and discovered the air is changing nearly 4 times in an hour (air leakage at 50 Pa). That almost feels like someone is leaving a door open in the winter! The horror subsided when the inspector gave me some practical inexpensive solutions, as well as a range of mid and high priced remedies.

I called several local independent contractors and selected Green_Tech_Services

I was looking for a company with an auditor that would use a thermal imaging camera, since I wanted to “see” the air leaks! (That"s my interior design training!)

Thermal imaging is a visual display of the amount of heat radiated, reflected or transmitted from a surface or an object.  The camera allowed me to ‘see’ the temperature on a surface by converting the infrared spectrum to the visible spectrum.

Published in the Journal of Green Building, Fall 2011, Volume 6, Issue 4, this paper was written by Dayle Laing and Walter F. Kean (MD (Glas), FRCP (Edin, Glas, & C), Clinical Professor in Medicine (Rheumatology), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

The_Greening_of_Healthcare_Fabrics_Abstract_Link

“There is no separation between environmental issues and health issues” (Smith and Lourie, 2010 a). Researchers from Environment Canada (Muir and Zegarac, 2001) estimate that North American healthcare costs and lost productivity linked to environmental factors total between $568 billion and $793 billion per year ($46 billion and $52 billion for Canada alone). These are staggering numbers and could be easily overlooked when various government budgets are examined as “silos” and the interconnectivity of the environment and health care costs are not considered. They are costs borne both financially and in terms of quality of life.

The greening of healthcare textiles is a topic of great importance for the overall greening of healthcare spaces due to the large number of chemicals used in the production of fabrics. Both patients and healthcare workers are exposed to these chemicals through dermal contact, inhalation, and ingestion. Hospital “green” teams and purchasing agents need to be aware of how to best select textiles for their facilities.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a comprehensive internationally recognized standard for certification and construction of green buildings (Canada Green Building Council, 2004a). The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) started this program in 1993, and there are currently non-profit green building councils in 77 countries around the world (World Green Building Council, 2010). LEED standards are set for energy savings, water efficiency, carbon dioxide emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, stewardship of resources, and sustainable locations. Innovation and education are also rewarded in the certification process. Verifiable third-party standards are set for practical and measurable design, construction, operation, and maintenance of buildings. Programs are available for commercial and residential buildings and neighbourhoods. The USGBC is currently developing a program specifically for healthcare (US Green Building Council, 2010).

The general principles from LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) (Canada Green Building Council, 2004a) provide the analytical framework for the five criteria for selecting textiles for healthcare use presented in Table 1.

Toronto, Canada March 29, 2011. More than 100 healthcare professionals filled the hospital auditorium to hear Dayle, a professional green keynote speaker, present “Greening of Our Fabrics”.

Attendees learned which fabrics are safest and which should be avoided. Dayle answered the questions that improve personal safety. Are all natural fibres green? Are all synthetics harmful? What choices are suitable for stain repellency? What heavy metals are used in fabrics and what are the alternatives? How can fabrics be safely cleaned? What are the best choices for fabrics?

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre is one of many hospitals that is embracing 'green', which translates into positive health consequences for patients, staff, visitors and ultimately the planet!

Healthcare professionals commented:

Healthcare textiles may pose a serious risk to health and safety when patients and healthcare workers are unknowingly exposed to chemicals of concern.

A scientific Poster and Abstract citation “Greening of Healthcare – Fabrics used in Healthcare Facilities" by Dayle Laing and Walter F. Kean (Clinical Professor in Medicine, McMaster University) was presented July 4-6, 2011 at the International Conference on 20 years of Inflammopharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK. Scientific_Poster

Many studies have been done on acute or chronic exposure of large doses of these chemicals and toxicity profiles have been identified. However it is difficult to assess the risk of exposure of these chemicals at low doses, over a long period of time, or consider the risk on patients who are already immuno-compromised.

This research focuses on an analysis of textile toxicity as designated by agency, and which healthcare choices minimize the toxicity.

Dayle is available to present the findings of this research in a seminar for your group. Please contact the office at info@daylelaing.com or 905-846-3221.

Designers love positive clients. Clients love positive designers. Experts tell us to focus on our goals. How to be sustainable. Select sustainable design. Reduce our carbon footprint.

These goals require some thought before they become second nature to us. At vacation time, our goals become simpler. Have fun and see some whales!

During my annual sea kayaking trip with my sisters, fun was a very easily attainable goal. However, killer whales had shown up only briefly one day the previous week and no one could predict when the giant mammals would return to their salmon feeding grounds in the ecological reserve Robson Bight in Johnstone Strait. There are only 80 Resident Orcas in the northern Vancouver Island population.

Canadian Living online article by author Kristy Wright featured an interview with Dayle Laing for her eco-chic tips on sustainable interior design.

Dayle Laing, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional and Principal Designer of Dayle Laing Interior Designs in Brampton, Ont.

"Choose simple, local and high-quality products that bring you joy and make you smile every time you see and use them. Cherish your family heirlooms. Avoid any products that have odours and lists of ingredients difficult to pronounce. Finally, select products that draw the least amount of power and have logos such as Energy Star, EnerGuide, Green Seal, Greenguard, Green Label, EcoLogo, Cradle to Cradle and Forest Stewardship Council – these show they've been independently tested and certified."

Dayle's eco-tips

"When planning a kitchen don't forget about kitchen waste. Use containers that make it simple and convenient to sort recycling and compostable items, such as this kitchen's stainless-steel compost pail that was built into the counter. Select high-quality LED systems for kitchen lighting (the under-cabinet lighting in this kitchen is LED) and use dimmer controls for task and mood lighting. When I began this kitchen, LED pendant lights weren't available so I used dimmable halogens that have an infrared coating – this provides the same light at 35 watts as a regular bulb of 50 watts. The good news is that now LED pendant lights are available."

Canadian_Living_Magazine_interviews_Dayle_Laing_for_Eco-chic_interior_design_tips 

Dayle Laing, LEED AP, provided practical advice for selecting sustainable residential and commercial interior fabrics that will meet clients’ needs for health and the environment.

Fabrics 101, an IDCEC accredited seminar, encompasses the most current research on textile certification and scientific research on toxicity.

Interior Designers and Interior Decorators were hosted in the showroom of Sun Glow Window Covering Products of Canada Ltd. in Toronto on February 17, 2011. Vivian Kanargelidis, owner of Sun Glow, showed the designers who stayed on for lunch, the Trevira CS fabric she recently sourced in Germany at Heimtextil, the international textile trade show. Vivian remarked that commercial architects and interior designers are demanding a flame retardant fabric without PVC vinyl for their sun screen window shade requirements.

Sun screens are used extensively in projects with large windows requiring the comfort of light control and preventing solar heat gain.

Attendees made the following comments:

Dayle, I gained an immense amount of knowledge during your presentation Fabrics 101. Thank you for the references to so many worthwhile websites to assist us as designers / decorators. I feel I can offer my clients & family better information going forward.”

Jane Campbell, Woodbridge, ON

Excellent! I learned a great deal.”

Helen Moffett, Toronto, ON

One flush - 3 litres - waste gone! There is scepticism about how such a low volume toilet can possibly work with one flush. Personal experience shows it does work! When I realized that the flapper in my 5 year old constantly leaking toilet was disintegrating at the edges, likely from municipally chlorinated water, I knew I needed to make a change. I needed a toilet without a flapper and I remembered that I wrote an article mentioning the Proficiency toilet last year.

Proficiency toilets were installed in the Chapelview LEED Platinum affordable housing project in Brampton, Canada. At the Construct Canada trade show, I met Tom Lazarou of Water_Matrix distributor for Canadian designed Hennessy & Hinchcliffe’s Proficiency.

Handling kitchen waste is easy when it is set up right to achieve sustainable interior design.

Making it work and making it into a habit is all about having a convenient efficient system.

For many years, I deposited vegetable peelings into a hand-thrown pottery jar obtained on a trip to Crathes Castle in Scotland.  That worked until one winter day when I slipped on ice on the way to the backyard composter, and down crashed the jar. The glue gun repaired it somewhat.

Shortly after, the city created a municipal composting program and supplied a plastic lidded pail for use on the counter or stowed under the sink.  Under the sink was inconveniently low and on the counter was not particularly elegant. One of my clients keeps their plastic pail in a drawer beside the sink.

The renovation of my kitchen last year was the chance to make a truly wonderful waste system that is one of my favourite features in the kitchen!

Dayle Laing presented “Greening Healthcare Fabrics” to an enthusiastic group of green team members and physicians at the EcoCare 2010 conference on October 19, 2010 in London, Ontario.

EcoCare 2010 - Understanding Our Impact...Creating Positive Change, is “the only conference in Canada to speak directly to the link between healthcare and the environment, and presents both practical and innovative ways to encourage and inspire ecological stewardship within the Canadian healthcare sector”.

 

Her main point was avoid chemical finishes where possible, to minimize toxic exposure to chemicals for immunocompromised patients and staff. She described her selection criteria based on the principles of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), and explained the relevant third party certifications for textiles. Fabrics to avoid and more importantly, suggestions for what fabrics to use instead were made.

Dayle had the opportunity to travel to London the prior evening to join the conference and hear the keynote speech from the leader of the Green Party, Elizabeth May, who affirmed the importance of this conference and this direction for healthcare professionals.

Do you use fabric softener or dryer sheets and want to avoid 'greenwashing'?

If so, have you considered what value they are providing to the textiles or to you? Laundering our personal and interior fabrics is a repetitive task that most of us perform without thinking what products we are using and why we are using them.

I recently presented a seminar at a healthcare medical conference, EcoCare 2010 in London, Ontario. In my topic “Greening of Healthcare Fabrics”, we discussed the toxicity of fabric softener use for hospital fabrics for patients, staff and hospital visitors, and what alternatives to consider instead.

Fabrics should not always require fabric softeners, and should be especially avoided for polyester or ‘microfibre’ fabrics because they interfere with the natural wicking abilities of the fibre which draws moisture away from the body and makes us comfortable.[1] Fabric softeners work as surfactants by reducing the surface tension and allow the spreading of their antibacterial and antifungal properties by leaving a residue on fabrics that does not easily wash off. [2] Fabric softeners are added either to the final rinse cycle of machine washing or in the form of softener-impregnated dryer sheets.

When does green building and designing stop being about merely saving energy, reducing our carbon footprint and start being about how comfortable we are and how few colds we catch?

The keynote speaker at the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) annual conference in Vancouver addressed these issues in her presentation, “Green Design for a Sustainable & Shared Quality of Life”. Vivian Loftness, FAIA, LEED AP, USGBC Board of Directors, Carnegie Mellon University Center for Building Performance & Diagnostics, is an internationally renowned researcher, author and educator with over 30 years experience in environmental design and sustainability.

As a LEED AP and member of the CaGBC, I had the pleasure of hearing Vivian speak about her research and have prepared this, my 4th article on the 2010 Vancouver conference. (If you missed the earlier articles, all are posted on my blog.) I found her research most valuable as I prepare and deliver interior design sustainability seminars.

We are not using energy for its highest and best purpose,

After explaining precisely what is toxic about our home and commercial textiles,

Dayle Laing proceeded to suggest positive alternatives for making safe and more environmentally friendly fabric choices to a group of Interior Designers. Her Fabrics 101 seminar was hosted in the showroom of Suzanne Brown & Associates, in the heart of Toronto's Designers Walk. Dayle based her textiles selection criteria on her extensive studying of the latest research in this area, her LEED AP, and her 2 decades of teaching and practice in this field.

Here are some comments from the designers who attended the event:

Very informative for a topic that has very little reliable information available.”

Jeffrey Douglas, Toronto, ON

This should be required information for anyone working in this industry. Great seminar.”

Brenda Lukacsy, Toronto, ON

Dayle's obvious passion for her research on environmentally improved products and how we as designers/decorators can help educate our own clients to make wise "Green" choices, shone through again.  The session was jam packed with extremely current and useful information about the industry that I previously was not aware of, despite my recent formal education in the field of interiors and my university degree in textile science. I think everyone in the field of design would really benefit from attending one or all of Dayle's seminars!" 

Janelle Withers, Toronto, ON

Your knowledge is fantastic and I really learnt so much. I can’t thank you enough for sharing your wisdom with us.”

Tamara Topornicki-Holdip, Toronto, ON

How to build or renovate homes to be green, save energy and money and reduce our carbon footprint. This is my 3rd article on information presented at the annual conference of the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) in Vancouver, in June, 2010.

(Check this blog, if you missed the 1st two articles and want to catch up.)

Derek Hikson from Minto_Homes and Allan Dobie from Canada Mortgage and Housing, presented “Incorporating LEED for Homes in Sustainable Communities”.  CMHC is currently assisting 13 housing projects across Canada with their EQuilbrium™ Housing Initiative, which “offers builders and developers across the country a unique opportunity to stand out as market leaders by building healthier homes and sustainable communities”.

Derek said that Minto believes it has a corporate responsibility, that there is a market for green building and that they can make a profit. They offer homes at different levels of certification with different price points. Most interesting is their calculation that shows mortgage + utility costs per month with expected pay back time for each option. (This is one area consumers and designers often overlook, in my opinion: the total lifecycle operating cost for a purchase decision.)

In the Minto projects, they claim the largest effect is achieved with a tight building envelope. They are orienting the homes and using overhanging roofs for solar gain, constructing double-studded walls with cellulose blown insulation totaling R-60, and using triple paned windows with low-E and argon fill. They focus on

Several people have asked what I learned about LEED for Homes at the annual conference of the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) in Vancouver, in June, 2010. What are the latest green building standards in residential housing?

There were several excellent presentations made on this program that has just celebrated its first anniversary in Canada and boasts of more than 500 homes registered. Commercial projects have had a head-start in building green. Since homes use relatively less power, we might conclude that our little efforts do not matter much. According to Stats Canada, we have a population of 34 million, so the volume of homes is significant, as it is in every developed country in the world. As the cost of fossil fuels mount in the future, those positioned with these new home building technologies will be the ones smiling.

In Canada, there have been several green building programs available over the last 20 years: EnerGuide, Energy Star, R2000, Built Green, and LEED® for Homes.

 

Have you ever wondered what you would have to give up to live off the grid?

Are you willing to live without some of your daily pleasures? Does this have to be ‘all’ or ‘nothing’, and can technology solve it all, so we don’t have to choose?

Freshly returned from my 7th annual sea kayaking adventure with my two sisters, I am pondering our experience of staying at an off-grid lodge on Read Island near the coast of British Columbia.

Nestled at the top of Evans Bay, surrounded by rugged coastline and rich sea life, and located several kilometers from the nearest post office at Surge Narrows, Coast_Mountain_Expeditions consists of a main lodge, several guest cabins and a family home. We were hosted graciously by Ralph and Lannie Keller and their grown son Albert, celebrating 24 years of sharing their wilderness adventure lifestyle.

Albert and Ralph provided expert guiding and instruction for our daily kayak trips. Emphasizing safety skills, they refined our techniques to make the paddling experience more efficient and enjoyable. We were blessed with perfect weather (nearby Campbell River on Vancouver Island logs almost 5 feet of precipitation per year). Ralph commented “you don’t appreciate sunshine until you’ve gone camping in the rain”.

Almost immediately, the wildlife sightings began.

Dayle inspired a group at the Business and Professional Women’s Club of Ontario on November 17th in Brampton.

During her after-dinner speech, the ladies posed excellent questions in response to Dayle’s advice on how to select some environmentally friendly and healthier products and simple, yet green decorating ideas.

Dayle received positive feedback that people really want to know how they can make a difference for the environment and at the same time, bring safer products into their homes.

The business women made the following comments:

What is LEED and how could it benefit me? LEED is a comprehensive standard for certifying and constructing green buildings.

Points are assigned for all different aspects of the building interior, exterior, and even landscaping.

Whether you are designing, building, or purchasing, these criteria benefit us all by raising the bar so that all construction standards will go up over time. LEED is meant to be a standard that rewards excellent performance and continues to evolve. When that excellent performance becomes the norm, LEED will raise its standard to be that much higher again. The program started with mainly commercial buildings and has expanded to certify homes and existing buildings. Run by the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) in my area, the program is adapted for different climates in 16 countries around the world, including the United States (which began the program with the UsGBC), Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand.

The results are...

On October 16, 2009, I had the very great privilege to listen to Dr. David Suzuki lecture at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto on Force of Nature. His message was very compelling.

I have been writing and speaking to urge people to make a difference in choosing green interior design. I believe that our small actions do make a difference and we should continue look for more opportunities to make our actions count. David told me to "do what you can do" when I briefly met him as he signed my copy of his autobiography.

Dr. Suzuki's message was that individual actions only buy us some limited time. We need to tackle these issues on a global scale and we need to act now! He urged the audience to demand that our political leaders take action on the crucial climate change summit in Copenhagen in December. Only our leaders can create the climate so that both "economy" and "ecology" can thrive!

This alphabetical listing of sustainable interior design definitions

contains most of the important terms you will want to access for your resource library.  Look up the major seals and logos you see on products to find out if they are independent third party certified, if they are an industry association or if they are simply a logo made up for 'greenwashing' claims.

Dayle has spent over one hundred hours compiling this list for your simple pdf download, which you will find in the resources section of this website. http://www.daylelaing.com/environmental-green-resources.html