For interiors:
1. Check the MS data sheets for VOC levels and any health warnings. These can be obtained from the manufacturer upon request. If you’re working with a big manufacturer like Shaw carpets, you can probably find this info on their website. VOC levels should be below 150 g/L no matter what the product is. If it’s an interior paint or an indoor adhesive, it should be below 50 g/L.
2. Check for certifications. If it has an FSC label, it’s promoted and has been checked by the Forest Stewardship Council. This applies to wood based products. Energy star will tell you that it’s efficient. There is no reason to EVER not specify appliances that don’t meet energystar requirements. Greenseal certifies all types of products, including furniture. The Carpet and Rug Institute also approves all
carpets and carpet materials to be at acceptable environmental levels. Just look for the labels; this is a quick way to tell!3. Use rapidly renewable resources and resources with recycled content. These eliminate the need for unnecessary manufacturing.
4. Look for local materials. Using regional materials eliminates the need for trucks to ship from far distances and reduces pollution. It also encourages local development and community support of the resources that are nearby. This can also be a great way to incorporate the exterior landscape to the indoors.
Those are the baseline standards; but there is so much more to consider! Feel free to ask questions or dig deeper to find design solutions that work for your client. Thinking about long term comfort will make the design so much better.
What resources should you use? This is a tough question, considering that there is a new product on the market every day. However, there are many products that have been in use for some time now that have proven worthy of recommendation. I will post blogs with resources for each of the following topics:
Solid surface materials
Regional to west coast/within 500 miles
Resilient flooring
Lighting manufacturers
Paints/ Wall Finishes
Textiles
Furniture
Ceiling systems
Carpet
Wood
Let me know if there are other categories that would be of interest. Also, the links on the side of the blog are great resources for finding competitive products. For example, Greenspec is terrific if you know what you’re looking for. I tend to focus more on the commercial market, so my list of residential resources will not be as extensive as residential. However, please feel free to tell me if you have some resources that you would like included in these databases.
