Building with Nature

As the temperature drops and we begin to spend more time indoors, we have creature comfort needs to maintain a reasonable temperature.  The “Sick Building Syndrome” takes a strong foothold this time of year.  How we choose to heat our homes determines both our comfort as well as the level of indoor air quality.

More and more people are becoming aware of the negative environmental impacts that current building practices perpetuate and are striving to make choices that promote personal and planetary health.

The long winters in our part of the country can often lead to a host of complaints like cabin fever, lethargy, headaches, allergies and other respiratory ailments.

Electromagnetic fields ( EMF’s) are one of the most basic building blocks of the natural universe. The electromagnetic spectrum is huge and covers everything from gamma and x-rays to light, radio and microwaves. Today, the term EMF commonly refers to the variety of electromagnetic field produced by the electric currents in our power lines, household wiring and appliances. This is what we will concentrate on here.

The energy crisis of the 1970’s prompted a trend towards making buildings more airtight. As a result, these “modern”, well-sealed homes have an air exchange rate of only once every five hours or longer.  Problems with stale air are compounded by the thousands of chemicals from building materials that off-gas inside the house. Building Science tells us that the human body requires between one and two air changes per hour to maintain vitality, regenerate body cells and eliminate environmental toxins.