“Vocs Are Not As Dangerous As Asbestos but They Are Still Listed By
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Green interiors Beyond fads and greenwash By Jenny Brown Most of the attention paid to sustainable “off-gas” from walls, carpets, cabinetry and the boards), are just one of the known hazards houses these days is on the external envelope: hundreds of other household items – most pushing responsible sectors of the furniture and “bricks and mortar”, cladding, roofs, footings, especially when they are new or wet – but in interiors industries to rapidly redress their “VOCs are not as and how it all comes together. some cases long after their installation. manufacturing processes. Most green home builders and renovators “Have you ever really smelled a plastic “There has also been quite a drive from the dangerous as asbestos roughly understand the principals of passive shower curtain?” asks Robyn Galloway. The general public. The industry is trying to improve solar, cross-ventilation, insulation, rainwater Melbourne-based designer and founder of its product because it is, after all, connected to but they are still listed and greywater harvesting. They are aware of ESO, the Environmentally Sustainable Objects its bottom line. Newer particle boards, for by the World Health the pay-offs to the environment and their hip Group says there are so many VOCs (volatile instance, have a lower level of VOCs and some pocket. As the pundits say, “it’s not rocket organic compounds) in modern consumer have a zero formaldehyde content.” Organisation as human science”. goods that in enclosed spaces their potentially Though informed designers and manufac- But when it comes to fitting out interiors, the toxic gases can recombine in ways that haven’t turers have been onto greener options since carcinogens” knowledge base is murkier. This is despite inte- yet been calculated. Some VOCs are natural. the early 1990s, Kirsty Mate says the revolution riors being fraught with environmental hazards. Others, end products of petrochemical chains, currently sweeping through her industry is So many surfaces, appliances, furnishings, are manifestly unnatural. becoming so entrenched and exciting “that it is fittings and fixtures coalesce to make up a “Some buildings,” says Ms Galloway, “take one of the most innovative, creative and house interior that it’s not uncommon for a 10 years to stop off-gassing because VOCs are progressive things happening anywhere”. house with great passive design being let down contained in formaldehyde, glues, standard We’re a long way from when Dr Mate was with a poorly thought-through fitout. particle boards, solvents, paints, timber seal- told by colleagues that “it’s just a fad”. This is not as it should be. Interior design is ants, vinyls, plastics, in household cleaners…in Environmentally-conscious interior design where ecologically responsible building gets almost anything you can name. Without ques- and architecture is also “starting to lose that really personal. tion we’ve been living in toxic environments.” dowdy image”. There are countless brilliant Queensland-based interior designers Mannigan “VOCs,” says head of interior architecture at innovations and ideas being adopted and Edwards International specialise in eco-friendly interiors. Their design of a display apartment in Toxic inTeriors the University of New South Wales, Dr Kirsty adapted right across the world. One of her Southport Central on the Gold Coast includes a It’s been common knowledge for over a decade Mate, “are not as dangerous as asbestos but favourites is cardboard kitchen shelving: “It GECA certified sofa made by Jardan, upholstered in 100% flax. The curtains in the living room (above) that sick buildings can have a detrimental they are listed by the World Health Organisation could replace particle board, could last for a are 100% linen, and in the bedroom (right) are 100% hemp. The bedroom also includes a bed head impact on human health and psychology. Esca- as human carcinogens”. few years and it can be recycled”. made from 100% recycled timber, organic cotton lating levels of childhood asthma are being VOCs, most notoriously present in some sheets and a cotton, wool and coir mattress. Photos: Mannigan Edwards International. linked with high levels of toxic vapours that compressed timber fibre boards (aka particle 24 Sanctuary Sanctuary 25 If you like the sound of Kirsty Mate’s idea for cardboard kitchen shelving, you may “They’re all matt or want to investigate the Freefold series (www.freefoldfurniture.com). Made from 97% post-consumer wastepaper flat paints but they are cardboard, the flat-pack system can be assembled into kitchen shelves, then breathable, not plastic. disassembled and reassembled as your needs change, or recycled. RRP $88 per module (the freestanding unit pictured They feel beautiful. is 11 modules). Photo Toby Horrocks. Different. They say that using clay paints is like Planned obsolescence giving your wall a facial” Kitchens and bathrooms are the most often renovated interior spaces in a house, and according to sustainable designer Tone Wheeler: “If we have this obsoles- cence, why don’t we plan for it? “Why are the services chiselled into the structure and the fit-outs made so hard to remove, even though they fall apart? While a building’s structure can be long lasting, and built to be so, the parts that we can expect to have a limited lifespan would suggest the opposite approach. Hence ‘loose fit’ as a green strategy.” www.environastudio.com.au How Green is Your PainT? – Durability: Does the product perform well – Carbon Offsetting: If it is an exterior paint, If a paint says it is “low-odour” or “low-VOC” it enough to provide reasonable durability? does it reflect solar radiation to increase means it must be environmentally friendly, Products that don’t last just aren’t sustain- building energy efficiency? Nano-ceramic At the same time, people are rediscovering body for building and consumer product. It has therefore potential VOC off-gassing elements in right? Wrong! There’s a lot more to selecting able, because they require more frequent paint technology can offset 18 tonnes of the charms of older fittings. Flooring linoleum is 45 different standards covering everything from any home. Natural paints, which can also make sustainable paint products than meets the re-coating, consuming more resources. carbon for the average Australian house, coming back in a big way. Not before time, says nappies to furniture, paints and cleaning claims for the manufacture and disposal eye. – Packaging: Is the packaging easily and cut cooling costs by 40 per cent. Look Kirsty Mate: “A beautiful material that is based services. aspects of their production, can cost 10 to 15 Conventional paint manufacture uses recycled? for products that meet Section J of the on linseed oil and other natural products, and “It’s an eco-label that defines what is envi- per cent more. “But,” says Susanne-Louise petro-chemicals to produce what are essen- – Compliance to environmental regulations: Building Code (BCA) for Energy Efficiency. that will decompose”. Natural rubber flooring is ronmentally preferable, is a lifecycle based Engelhard, “they look fantastic. tially plastic coatings. This “plastic” remains in GECA provides certification for paints under a new take on synthetic rubber flooring that is standard and it assesses that a product has “They’re all matt or flat paints but they are a liquid form until it is applied to a surface, its Architectural and Protective Coatings By actively choosing products that meet at also becoming popular. less environmental impact than a regular breathable, not plastic. They feel beautiful. where the solvent or “carrier” begins to evapo- Standard. This standard is just as important least some of these criteria, you can make a But before we get carried away with the product. Different. They say that using clay paints is like rate into the atmosphere releasing volatile to choosing paints as FSC-accreditation is real difference to the environmental impact of bevy of green products that are coming to the “It is not a greenwashing term. Not every giving your wall a facial.” organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs can react to timber. the painting industry, and even help combat market, experts caution against greenwashing. company that applies to us for evaluation earns As it moves on and into our domestic photochemically with sunlight to produce – Ingredients: Are the ingredients sourced climate change. Many companies are making environmental a GECA label.” sphere, green interior design will not neces- smog. from highly abundant or renewable claims for products that don’t stand up to “Greenwashing is a big problem,” adds sarily gain a trend logo because it will become Low VOC paints are certainly an improve- resources? These might include clay, plant This is an extract of an article by Daniel scrutiny. Capobianco, and he tells how a recent Cana- such a “holistic movement,” says Kirsty Mate. ment on the smelly, toxic products that are still oils or mineral silicates. Or they might include Wurm, GreenPainters Managing Director. dian study of 4000 so-called ecologically- For all of the art and invention of eco interior being used on many houses. But real sustain- waste materials. There are new products GreenPainters is the national sustainability Know your product responsible products found that in 98 per cent design, especially of the “salvage” school that ability is about a lot more than just VOCs. The available on the Australian market that are initiative for painting contractors. It is a non- In the gargantuan sector that is the interior and of cases the claimant companies “ran the risk is coming forward with such witty reuse appli- entire manufacturing process and its long- manufactured using collagen extracted from profit program providing accredited training, homewares industry, there are, thankfully, ways of mislabelling”. cations, Dr Mate believes that the green inte- term impact on the environment should be waste egg shells (www.doworld.com.au), advice and skills.