Health Issues on the Rise! As we move into to future I think we will find more people with health issues, chemical sensitivities and requirements that can be helped by their home being sustainably built and furnished. More studies are completed each year that gives design professionals (and the public) more information on the necessity to make our homes “healthy”. These concerns apply to young and old and everyone in between. My two personal issues I focus on are:
Toxins in Our Air and Our Furnishings - An example we are well aware are VOC’s and toxins that live in our homes. We know they need to be eliminated or at least reduced – but it is so much more than paint which has been the “talked about culprit”. We have many culprits and more importantly solutions Studies have allowed us to understand what toxins can aggravate, exacerbate, and even promote illness. Our jobs as designers in to understand and help our client navigate all of this information while creating a home they will thrive in. Allergy and Asthma sufferers can greatly benefit from improving the air quality in their home.
EMF’s and technology - A personal concern which I am studying and trying to manage in each project are EMF’s. We are a hi-tech world and our offices, homes, schools are becoming over run with electronics and wifis and we need to understand what effect they have on our bodies and health.
We as designers and home owners have the ability to step up and ask for more products to be made consciously and need to prioritize this. Each market and trade show I attend, I am happy to see more options and companies that are doing the “right thing”, by people and the earth. We as consumers have the ability to keep this growing!
