The World at Home: A Household Guide to Building Green

The World at Home: A Household Guide to Building Green is a tool for people thinking about green building — not only for the environment, but for the health and safety of their families. According to the EPA, indoor air is often 5 times more polluted than outdoor air and many people spend up to 90 percent of time indoors.

These and other concerns, such as rising asthma rates in children, have increased awareness about toxic products, spurring sales of VOC-free paint and fueling efforts to create greener offices and schools. A growing concern for climate change also means that people are ready to evaluate what they use to build their homes — and many manufacturers are ready to sell greener products.

In addition to greener possibilities for all the building stages from the foundation to the roof, The World at Home includes tips on talking to architects and contractors; sources for where to find salvaged building materials and natural builders in NYS; introductions to natural building techniques and renewable energy; energy and water saving tips and profiles that highlight homes and organizations relying on local materials and renewable energy. The guide also highlights problems with some conventional building materials and discusses how to avoid potential toxins that can plague existing homes, such as lead paint, arsenic, asbestos and mold.