Everyday Green Home

Lately, I've been talking about health and wellness and how much it impacts our living environment. That means how we design, build or remodel a house or building, how we live in it, and how we interact with it.

I'm Marla, the Green Home Coach! For the last few months, I have hosted one of my business partners on the podcast. It has been exciting to build a group of people who care about how people live in their homes!

Today, I am happy to have Christy Howell of CRH Design Build back on the show! Christy has been on The Everyday Green Home podcast several times before. I have enjoyed connecting with her and watching how she has progressed with transforming her business and how she shows up in Oklahoma and Oklahoma City as she learns more!

Mainstream culture

I moved back to Oklahoma City six years ago after living in St. Louis, where I got deeply involved with the sustainability culture. In St. Louis, the green culture eventually became part of the mainstream culture through work with the regional Chamber of Commerce. I loved being part of that evolution!

People care about their health

Christy and I have discovered a fair amount of interest in the green and sustainability culture because people care about their health. That is important because people's health and how they live their lives blend.

Crafting the story

Oklahoma is very conservative. That sometimes closes people off from hearing the whole story. So we have learned to craft the story in a more meaningful way.

Professional Women in Building

Professional Women in Building is a council of the Homebuilders Association and a national council with the National Association of Homebuilders. It is all about supporting women in the building industry, trades, and the ancillary industries around the building industry.

Like-minded go-getters

It was fun and inspiring bringing Professional Women in Building back to Oklahoma City because it brought together a group of like-minded go-getters who were all parts of the building industry! Some great personal and professional relationships have emerged from that group.

Build My Future

Professional Women in Building was the genesis of, Build My Future, a construction career day for high school students. The Construct My Future camp for middle school students also came about after that.

Christy's background

Christy started her career in interior design about twenty years ago. She was working for a homebuilder when she decided to spread her wings and open a design firm. After that, she moved on to her current design form, CRH Design Build. Christy is gradually educating herself as she educates others about her type of build.

A healthy home

With a wellness-inspired design aspect, a home built with a solid envelope creates a healthy home.

Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF)

Insulated Concrete Forms are well-insulated life-sized Lego blocks used to create the envelope for solid, energy-efficient, health-oriented, air-tight, comfortable homes.

Mechanical ventilation

ICF homes are air-tight, so they require mechanical ventilation. (Affordable options are readily available.)

Remodels

Remodels tend to be more expensive than new construction.

My home remodel

We brought Christy in to do our home remodel. (Before that, she consulted with me about remodeling her parents' home.) Being each other's clients has been insightful for both of us! Our rebuild was green-oriented, and we also brought in some sustainability factors. Fortunately, we managed to salvage many of the old materials and donated them to be reused by those who needed them.

Why did we remodel?

Our main driver for remodeling our home was health and wellness because we spend a lot of time there. Another reason for our remodel was that during Covid, my husband and I started cooking together, but we soon discovered that our kitchen was too small.

Challenges

Some things were challenging to do. We had to work with supply chain issues, and we also had to educate our workforce about certain things and motivate them to learn some new habits. We also had to remove some click-and-lock flooring that was glued down.

Using products to their fullest capabilities

Christy likes to educate herself about the products she uses to ensure that the products she implements for her clients get used to their fullest capabilities.

Real wood floors

Real wood floors are natural and reasonably sustainable. They are also beautiful!

Trade-offs

There are always trade-offs because anything we touch on this planet will have an impact. So we need to accept that, be flexible, and adapt. We also need to understand how any given trade-off will impact us.

Dealing with issues

When an issue arises, Christy addresses it immediately. She communicates with the contractor and the client and does everything she can to rectify it.

Bringing our skills together

Christy and I are finding a way to bring our skills together when we work on a project. That allows us to create something better than we would have managed before.

A video series

Our goal is to put a video series of our entire project together, from start to finish, along with some commentary on things that others may be able to use in their home remodels. We hope to have it done by August or September. Christy and I plan to put it out on our respective channels at different times. You can learn more about it on Green Home Coach, Instagram, and Facebook.

Contractors

When we push contractors into the green and sustainable world, they tend to feel overwhelmed and want to keep on doing things how they did them before. Giving them information upfront helps them feel more comfortable with making a change.

Have a great green day!

Links:

What Makes a Green Home Green Audio Program

CRH Design Build

Building in Wellness

Pursuing Green Home Certification

Sherwin Williams paint used in remodel

Ask your questions on the Love Your Everyday Green Home Private Facebook Group

Follow CRHDB on Instagram to see photos

Follow Green Home Coach on Instagram

Global challenges are abounding, and working in the world of sustainability, health, and wellness has brought many wicked problems to light.

We can describe some of the most challenging social issues we face today as wicked problems. With those problems, we have to re-frame our notion of success. Although they will never get entirely solved, success with wicked problems is about impacting or improving outcomes and mitigating risks.

I am Marla, the Green Home Coach! I am excited to be back in the studio today with my co-host, Tony Pratte, who is joining me to talk about the wicked problem of changing weather.

Stay tuned for more!

Crazy weather

There has been some crazy weather in St. Louis for the last couple of months! It has been raining a lot, and the driving downpours have caused many problems for land developers.

Lots of rain

Over the last decade or so, we have seen an increase in rainfall in the Oklahoma area. There has been unusual rainfall between March and November- and sometimes even December!

Changing weather patterns

Weather patterns appear to be changing everywhere. Even though some of it could be cycles, the changing weather over the last few years has been partially due to the increasing drought in the western part of the United States.

What is rain?

When the moisture in the air reacts with water in the ground, it rains. Currently, the ground out west lacks water, so rain is not getting triggered in that area. The moisture that should be causing rain in the west (in California, Arizona, and Nevada) is moving eastwards.

Extreme weather patterns

Lately, the extreme global weather patterns have become more extreme!

You cannot compare Oklahoma with St. Louis

You cannot compare Oklahoma with St. Louis because St. Louis is a meteorological anomaly. Most cities have two weather patterns. They are either affected by the Arctic or the Gulf of Mexico. St. Louis gets affected by both, so it has three weather patterns. For weather forecasting, two mathematical equations get combined. In St. Louis, there is a third equation that throws everything off.

A river effect

St. Louis is at the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, the second-largest freshwater flow in North America. So the state is surrounded by water. That causes a river effect, much like the lake effect at the Great Lakes, which amplifies many weather patterns. That matters because it helps us gauge the changes we see in the weather patterns.

Climate shift

Things that do not usually occur in certain parts of the country are happening a lot more, and strong weather patterns have been reported in the news. Scientific data shows that the weather is changing, and people are starting to accept it.

Water usage

Many large cities are in the desert. Air conditioning makes the heat bearable, but where does the water come from? A limited amount of fresh water exists on the planet that constantly gets recycled through the water cycle. A billion people have problems accessing clean water every day. Yet we keep building big cities in areas with no water (like Las Vegas), and more and more people keep moving to those locations.

Subsidized water

The water pumped to the desert cities gets subsidized, so people aren't aware of the real cost. If it was not subsidized, fewer people and businesses might move to those cities. That could relieve some of the strain on the natural resources of those locations and help stabilize the weather patterns.

Water rights

In the west and in California Central Valley, where a lot of food is grown, water prices are soaring. As the drought in that area worsens, people are buying up water rights. That has created a challenge for small farmers who are unable to compete with the huge conglomerates that own the water rights.

Is water an inalienable right?

The corporations that own the big farms can use their resources, create hedging strategies, and buy options on commodities like water. So people are talking about whether water is an inalienable right, and if it should be commoditized and purchased.

A perpetual cycle

Changing weather affects water patterns, and water patterns affect the weather. It is a perpetual cycle, so it is hard to know where to start if we want to change things.

Natural patterns

The natural patterns that exist will continue. If there is mismanagement, however, things get thrown out of whack, and problems tend to get amplified.

A wicked problem

The water issue is a wicked problem because it requires many different solutions. If we want to continue as a society, we need to figure out how to deal with the effects of the weather changes.

Change

Change is here, and it is unavoidable. No matter what, we will have to adapt, mitigate, and suffer.

The real cost of water

Mitigating and adapting will not solve this problem. If people were charged the actual cost of water in desert cities rather than subsidizing, it could prevent some future suffering.

Thinking differently

We have to start thinking differently about water and the changing weather patterns. Some people recognize that, so they use water wisely and consider ways to conserve it when building.

Figuring out how to obtain water

Although the agricultural community has probably adapted better than most by coming up with more efficient irrigation systems and using technology tools, we still have to figure out how to capture water and recharge the aquifers. Because thousands of acres of farmland and millions of people are affected by the weather changes.

Wasted water

The water from the heavy rains in Oklahoma City over the past weeks has been running through the storm-water systems and into the Gulf of Mexico. That water gets wasted because it mixes with salt water. It would be a much better idea to figure out a way to keep that water fresh and re-introduce it to the water cycle.

Using strategies to overcome the feast or famine effect

We can all do something for ourselves to overcome the feast or famine effect resulting from changing weather patterns. Small steps add up.

Gutters in Oklahoma

Gutters are not automatically fitted on houses in Oklahoma City because there is usually not enough rain to make them worthwhile. With the climate becoming wetter, more people are putting gutters onto their houses and installing rain barrels and rain gardens to capture the water.

No simple answers

There is no simple answer to the wicked problem of obtaining enough water for everyone with changing weather patterns. We need to have open and realistic discussions about what is changing weather and the water patterns. It does not matter who caused the problem. What does matter is that we have to fix it.

Some simple tips for becoming part of the solution:

• Use rain barrels (if they are legal in your state)
• Install a rain garden
• Buy local produce
• Use native plants for landscaping
• Stand up and speak out about the need for change

Have a great green day!

Links and resources:

What Makes a Green Home Green Audio Program:

Green Home Coach

Study.com video: wicked problems definitions

EPA.gov climate indicators

Scienceline on how weather affects the way we live

EPA.gov

Weather.com - weather changes

National Geographic - climate change

CDC Climate Effects on Health

Psychiatry.org

We're hearing a lot about health and wellness right now!

Since the start of the pandemic, conversations about how we feel, sickness, wellness, and even cancer have blown up everywhere! We are starting to realize that our health and wellness, how we feel, our mental well-being, and what is going on inside our walls have converged, and they all matter!

I am Marla, the Green Home Coach. I'd like to introduce you to a dear friend of mine, Jillian Prichard Cooke, the Founder of Wellness Within Your Walls. Jillian is joining me today to tell her story and talk about her journey.

Stay tuned for more!

About Jillian

Jillian is a champion of wellness. She helps people connect wellness and health in their homes and buildings. She was recently appointed by the Global Wellness Institute as a Global Wellness Ambassador.

A compelling reason

Jillian had a very compelling reason for starting Wellness Within Your Walls: Sixteen years ago, she got involved with the very first Leed-certified home in the United States, in Atlanta Georgia, together with Laura and Rutherford Seydel. Laura and Rutherford approached the home from an angle of sustainability and systems. They explored greywater, water purification, solar, and smart home technology.

Points system

Laura and Rutherford were ahead of their time and were able to experience the Leed certification through the points system.

A health challenge

The Seydels and Jillian were consultants on the project, and Jillian experienced a massive physical and mental health challenge related to a cancer diagnosis. Her immediate concern was about where it came from and how it had happened.

Environmental

It was not genetic, so it had to be environmental, but it was hard to pinpoint exactly where it came from. The only constant in Jillian's life had been her career in interior design, where she had been exposed to toxins regularly for forty years.

The birth of Wellness Within Your Walls

While she was working with Laura and Rutherford, Jillian decided to bring to their home a step beyond what their Leed program was about. That was the birth of Wellness Within Your Walls. They were asked to write a class for ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) and IIDA CEU Credit. That eventually turned into a certification. After that, they made a concerted effort to understand how energy efficiency relates to houses.

A holistic approach

Many health and wellness benefits lie between energy efficiency and indoor environment quality. Jillian and I both support a holistic approach to the design-build process.

Everything is related

Everything is related, so when planning for energy efficiency, it is vital to put strategies in place that align with high performance and sustainability in the home and speak directly to health.

My involvement

Jillian and I met at a National Association of Home Builders meeting. (I am involved with the National Association of Homebuilders and the National Green Building Standard, the green certification endorsed by the National Association of Homebuilders.) Soon after meeting Jillian, I realized the wellness aspect of Wellness Within Your Walls would complement the National Green Building Standard- or any other green certification program.

Bridging

Wellness Within Your Walls bridges everything that is trade-related and bestows knowledge on consumers to assist them with their decision-making processes and advocating for themselves.

The Healthy Living System

The Healthy Living System is a holistic approach to health and wellness in the building and design industry. It is a ten-point strategy system that adopts everything that relates to health and wellness with other systems within the home and takes it beyond the physical build-out of the home. It starts with clean air, clean water, and natural light, and it includes physical, mental, and spiritual wellness and conscious and mindful consumption on the part of the consumer.

Food science

Another point within the Healthy Living System is food science. Food science is about more than nutrition. The EWG (Environmental Working Group) lays out what consumers should be doing regarding food science in the laundry room and kitchen, and strategies for buying food.

Behavior strategies

The last and most important point of the Healthy Living System, as it relates to the consumer, is about behavior strategies and the way consumers conduct themselves inside their homes.

HVAC systems

Air strategies in the home are vital because they can either spread or prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses in the home. Jillian has a partnership with Aprilaire. They were prepared for the pandemic and shipped out personal ventilation units to purify the air in people's homes and offices. Their 4-inch cassettes capture 99.5% of all airborne viral and bacterial particulates.

2020

2020 was disruptive, but it was also a paradigm shift- especially around health and wellness within the home.

Wellness Within Your Walls

Wellness Within Your Walls offers natural, sustainable, and responsible options for the things we use inside our homes. What sets them apart is they are not afraid to talk about chemicals and off-gassing strategies. They support consumers with healthy products and assist them with education and certification around their four Ps:

1. People
2. Places
3. Programs
4. Products

They are always willing to take on new projects outside of the normal wheelhouse of residential design and application. They recently got involved with social equity in less-served communities.

Mothers & Others for Clean Air

Mothers & Others for Clean Air is a non-profit group that advocates for clean air. They have put out a free Healthy Home Clean Air toolkit.

The three categories of the Healthy Living System:

1. Natural options
2. Sustainable options
3. Responsible options

The ten Healthy Living System strategies:

1. Clean Air
2. Clean Water (Go to The Environmental Working Group and use your zip code to look up what is in your water.)
3. Natural Light
4. Chemical Control
5. Physical Wellness
6. Mental Wellness
7. Spiritual Wellness
8. Conscious Consumption
9. Food Science
10. Behavioral Strategies

Healthy Home Take Control

Jillian and I invite you to listen to the podcast series we started a while back called Healthy Home Take Control.

Have a great green day!

Links and resources:

Connect with Jillian:

Email Jillian - [email protected]

Wellness With Your Walls

We're hearing a lot about health and wellness right now!

Since the start of the pandemic, conversations about how we feel, sickness, wellness, and even cancer have blown up everywhere! We are starting to realize that our health and wellness, how we feel, our mental wellbeing, and what is going on inside our walls have converged, and they all matter!

I am Marla, the Green Home Coach. I'd like to introduce you to a dear friend of mine, Jillian Prichard Cooke, the Founder of Wellness Within Your Walls. Jillian is joining me today to tell her story and talk about her journey.

Stay tuned for more!

About Jillian

Jillian is a champion of wellness. She helps people connect wellness and health in their homes and buildings. She was recently appointed by the Global Wellness Institute as a Global Wellness Ambassador.

A compelling reason

Jillian had a very compelling reason for starting Wellness Within Your Walls: Sixteen years ago, she got involved with the very first Leed-certified home in the United States, in Atlanta Georgia, together with Laura and Rutherford Seydel. Laura and Rutherford approached the home from an angle of sustainability and systems. They explored greywater, water purification, solar, and smart home technology.

Points system

Laura and Rutherford were ahead of their time and were able to experience the Leed certification through the points system.

A health challenge

The Seydels and Jillian were consultants on the project, and Jillian experienced a massive physical and mental health challenge related to a cancer diagnosis. Her immediate concern was about where it came from and how it had happened.

Environmental

It was not genetic, so it had to be environmental, but it was hard to pinpoint exactly where it came from. The only constant in Jillian's life had been her career in interior design, where she had been exposed to toxins regularly for forty years.

The birth of Wellness Within Your Walls

While she was working with Laura and Rutherford, Jillian decided to bring to their home a step beyond what their Leed program was about. That was the birth of Wellness Within Your Walls. They were asked to write a class for ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) and IIDA CEU Credit. That eventually turned into a certification. After that, they made a concerted effort to understand how energy efficiency relates to houses.

A holistic approach

Many health and wellness benefits lie between energy efficiency and indoor environment quality. Jillian and I both support a holistic approach to the design-build process.

Everything is related

Everything is related, so when planning for energy efficiency, it is vital to put strategies in place that align with high performance and sustainability in the home and speak directly to health.

My involvement

Jillian and I met at a National Association of Home Builders meeting. (I am involved with the National Association of Homebuilders and the National Green Building Standard, the green certification endorsed by the National Association of Homebuilders.) Soon after meeting Jillian, I realized the wellness aspect of Wellness Within Your Walls would complement the National Green Building Standard- or any other green certification program.

Bridging

Wellness Within Your Walls bridges everything that is trade-related and bestows knowledge on consumers to assist them with their decision-making processes and advocating for themselves.

The Healthy Living System

The Healthy Living System is a holistic approach to health and wellness in the building and design industry. It is a ten-point strategy system that adopts everything that relates to health and wellness with other systems within the home and takes it beyond the physical build-out of the home. It starts with clean air, clean water, and natural light, and it includes physical, mental, and spiritual wellness and conscious and mindful consumption on the part of the consumer.

Food science

Another point within the Healthy Living System is food science. Food science is about more than nutrition. The EWG (Environmental Working Group) lays out what consumers should be doing regarding food science in the laundry room and kitchen, and strategies for buying food.

Behavior strategies

The last and most important point of the Healthy Living System, as it relates to the consumer, is about behavior strategies and the way consumers conduct themselves inside their homes.

HVAC systems

Air strategies in the home are vital because they can either spread or prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses in the home. Jillian has a partnership with Aprilaire. They were prepared for the pandemic and shipped out personal ventilation units to purify the air in people's homes and offices. Their 4-inch cassettes capture 99.5% of all airborne viral and bacterial particulates.

2020

2020 was disruptive, but it was also a paradigm shift- especially around health and wellness within the home.

Wellness Within Your Walls

Wellness Within Your Walls offers natural, sustainable, and responsible options for the things we use inside our homes. What sets them apart is they are not afraid to talk about chemicals and off-gassing strategies. They support consumers with healthy products and assist them with education and certification around their four Ps:

1. People
2. Places
3. Programs
4. Products

They are always willing to take on new projects outside of the normal wheelhouse of residential design and application. They recently got involved with social equity in less-served communities.

Mothers & Others for Clean Air

Mothers & Others for Clean Air is a non-profit group that advocates for clean air. They have put out a free Healthy Home Clean Air toolkit.

The three categories of the Healthy Living System:

1. Natural options
2. Sustainable options
3. Responsible options

The ten Healthy Living System strategies:

1. Clean Air
2. Clean Water (Go to The Environmental Working Group and use your zip code to look up what is in your water.)
3. Natural Light
4. Chemical Control
5. Physical Wellness
6. Mental Wellness
7. Spiritual Wellness
8. Conscious Consumption
9. Food Science
10. Behavioral Strategies

Healthy Home Take Control

Jillian and I invite you to listen to the podcast series we started a while back called Healthy Home Take Control.

Have a great green day!

Links and resources:

Connect with Jillian:

Email Jillian - [email protected]

Wellness With Your Walls https://wellnesswithinyourwalls.com/

Healthy Living System from WWYW https://wellnesswithinyourwalls.com/10-step-approach/

Healthy Home | Take Control™ Podcast https://wellnesswithinyourwalls.com/podcast/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillian-pritchard-cooke-7ba8bb140/

Connect with Marla:

Everyday Green Home Shop for curated better and healthier products

Healthy Living System from WWYW https://wellnesswithinyourwalls.com/10-step-approach/

Healthy Home | Take Control™ Podcast https://wellnesswithinyourwalls.com/podcast/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillian-pritchard-cooke-7ba8bb140/

Connect with Marla:

https://wellnesswithinyourwalls.com/

Everyday Green Home Shop for curated better and healthier products

Wicked Problems: Trade-offs of electric vehicles with Tony Pratte

The topic of wicked problems has been inspiring some interesting conversations lately!

Driving electric vehicles rather than those powered by internal combustion engines is fascinating for Tony and me! Recently, Tony sent me an article explaining that what we need right now is an honest and comprehensive evaluation of the entire life cycle of clean energy- from raw materials through disposition. Up to now, we have only heard about the benefits of clean energy, so we need to understand the real cost of clean energy, including the negatives and the environmental impact.

In reality, there is a trade-off for everything we do, and if we fail to look at both sides, we have no way of knowing whether or not we are making the right decision.

I'm Marla, the Green Home Coach! Today, my co-host, Tony the Green Guy, is joining me to talk about various aspects of electric vehicles and the vehicles we know. We will also dive into the decision-making processes and the life-cycle analysis.

Energy independence

During a recent special election for a new Senior Senator for Oklahoma, a previously conservative candidate sent out a flyer saying that we need to restore our energy independence. He was referring to fossil fuels because Oklahoma is an oil and gas state. But energy is not the fuel, and ironically, Oklahoma has made a big investment in alternative energy sources.

Trade-offs

There are certain things we need to transition away from, but they have to remain part of the process until we find an infrastructure that can handle the alternative. There are trade-offs for everything, so it is vital for us to know if the alternatives are better than what we currently have.

Solar

Most of us think solar is a good idea. But nobody talks about how solar affects wildlife or where the materials used to make the solar panels come from.

Honest discussions

We need to be willing to have honest discussions about alternative energy sources. We need to listen and be open to hearing things that might make us uncomfortable. Those conversations can be challenging, so when we have them, we need to put the problem in front of us, not between us!

Electric vehicles

The number of electric vehicles in Oklahoma is increasing almost daily! Electric vehicles have many advantages. There is no waiting in line for gas, and they require less maintenance. On the flip side, motor mechanics will have to find new ways to use their skills, and fuel stations will have to diversify over time.

Internal combustion engines

Internal combustion engines will still be around for quite some time because the infrastructure for EVs still has to be created.

No one answer

It might help if we have more options to ease us into things as they change. A solution might be a combination of several ideas or possibly a hybrid approach.

Hybrid

Hybrid vehicles could be a good option because they will allow people to drive electric in the city or for short trips and use the internal combustion engine for longer trips.

BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement)

Many people use BATNA to look at everything they do because if something does not work out, it means they will already have the next best thing in mind.

Budgets and affordability

Budgets can influence people's decisions when choosing a vehicle. Apart from the budget, there are also many other things that can influence their choices. Creating a grid to compare the affordability, the various options, and the trade-offs can help a lot!

Sustainability

The manufacture of any electric item, batteries, in particular, requires a lot of rare earth minerals. Unfortunately, rare earth minerals are not a sustainable resource because they are mined. We need to understand that our natural resources are limited, and mining has a massive impact on the environment. In some countries, mining even infringes on human rights.

Life cycle analysis

As consumers, we should have transparency around the origin of everything we buy. That falls into the life cycle analysis of products, which has been a big push in sustainability reporting. Electric vehicles have big batteries, so the life cycle analysis of those batteries is important to consider.

ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) reporting

Much of the transparency we are seeing right now in various industries is a result of ESG reporting.

Asking questions

It is vital that we ask questions to ensure that the products we buy align with our values. We need to know the trade-offs, where the materials used to manufacture the products come from, and whether the materials were resourced in a responsible and sustainable way.

Recycling and reusing

It is in our best interest to recycle and reuse electronic components because they are made of hazardous materials- often rare earth, and therefore cannot be placed in landfills. We will have to reuse those materials in the future because we are sure to run into a serious supply chain issue when no internal combustion engines and only EVs are manufactured within the next eight to thirteen years. In Oklahoma City, there is a place for recycling, reconditioning, and repurposing electric vehicle batteries.

Better solutions

As a society, we need to look for better solutions for everyone! To get from a fossil fuel-based society to an alternative energy-based society, we will initially have to marry the two together. The percentages will change over time as fossil fuel gets phased out and the infrastructure for alternative energy grows and improves.

Mining is not sustainable

We will have to recycle electronic materials in the future because mine developments and the mining of many of the necessary minerals are not sustainable.

Wicked problems

Wicked problems are here to stay, so having these conversations is vital! We hope you will put some of your thoughts and energy into helping to solve some of these problems!

Have a great green day!

Resources:

What Makes a Green Home Green - Audio Program

https://greenhomecoach.ac-page.com/wmaghg-direct

Environmental downside of EVs

https://fee.org/articles/the-environmental-downside-of-electric-vehicles/

Pros and cons of EVs (based on driving, fuel input, maintenance, etc)

https://earth911.com/eco-tech/pros-cons-electric-vehicles/

EVs are not "zero emissions"

https://youmatter.world/en/are-electric-cars-eco-friendly-and-zero-emission-vehicles-26440/

Battery remanufacturing, reuse, and recycling - company here in OKC Spiers Technology https://www.velocityokc.com/blog/economy/okc-based-spiers-new-technologies-keeps-electric-vehicles-on-road-with-pioneering-battery-remanufacturing-services/

and https://www.spiersnewtechnologies.com/

EV myths https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/electric-vehicle-myths

Fuels Institute weighs in on life cycle analysis

https://www.fuelsinstitute.org/CMSPages/GetFile.aspx?guid=8e633fd7-0153-43ad-b9a5-7cb795b22f93

A research overview of life-cycle assessments for gas-powered and electric vehicles

https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-09/documents/awalker.pdf

What is wellness real estate?

We hear a lot about wellness real estate lately. Sheila Alston knew nothing about it until she started thinking of ways to bring health and home together. After doing some research, she discovered that wellness real estate had already become a 134-billion dollar industry two years earlier!

The very first wellness lifestyle community was built near Atlanta, Georgia. It has been a great success, and people love living there!

I'm Marla, the Green Home Coach! I am super excited to introduce you to my guest, Sheila Alston, the creator of WellnessRE Magazine! She is joining me today to talk about wellness real estate and how to make the connection between a healthy home and a healthy life. Stay tuned for more!

Wellness real estate

Forward-thinking developers are building wellness-based communities and creating neighborhoods that support a healthy lifestyle. Rather than just building a suburban area with a community pool, they have been thinking more about the design. Wellness neighborhoods include green features and amenities centered around a community farm or some other aspect of wellness to benefit those living there and bring them together.

Growing in leaps and bounds

Wellness real estate has grown in leaps and bounds over the last two years. Last November, it was said to be worth 275 billion dollars!

How Sheila got into wellness real estate

When her kids went off to college Sheila became a real estate agent. She also got a health coaching certification, but being a health coach did not feel like her calling. She wanted to find a way to bring health and home together, so she researched wellness real estate and found that it sparked her interest.

WellnessRE Magazine

When Sheila got her real estate license, she wanted to stand out from the other real estate agents and provide value. She also wanted to educate people on creating a healthier home environment. So, she started a podcast to interview experts in the field. She met wellness architects, home biologists, and other businesspeople doing amazing things in the industry. After a few months, she decided to create a digital magazine as a tool to position herself differently within real estate, forge deeper connections with people, and help people live better in their homes.

Green homes versus wellness

Green homes have been around for some time, but many think that they focus only on energy efficiency. (note from Marla - This is a common misconception, yet certified green homes are built or remodeled holistically with many health and wellness benefits in addition to efficiencies.) Sheila understands that wellness is more than just green. It is about people living well and thriving in their homes.

Making the connection

Sheila went to the Integrated Institute of Nutrition (IIN) and learned that health and wellness are more than just diet and exercise. Toxins in your home environment could be detrimental to your health and manifest as chronic pain or discomfort. Yet many people fail to make the connection between their health and their homes.

Driving change

People- professionals, in particular, need to understand the "why", the value, and the benefits of people living better in their homes. Both Sheila and I want to help people with solutions and drive change. Real estate professionals are in a perfect position to be change agents because they are at the intersection between people and their homes.

Helping people

Many real estate agents want to help people, but they end up sharing and educating on the transaction rather than sharing information about the home environment. Or helping people love their homes and feel more comfortable in them. Surrounding themselves with green and healthy home experts, and having a toolkit of healthy resources, is a good way for agents to help people live better and more comfortably in their homes.

Mindset

Real estate agents need to educate people about the benefits of homes because most people don't really care about the features of a home, but they do care about the benefits. It will help if agents adopt a mindset of guiding people rather than trying to sell to them.

Healthy homes

Most people want healthier homes that are easier to maintain. Since Covid, more people are starting to understand that health and homes go hand-in-hand.

Home town or home base

Suzanne Shelton of the Shelton Group said homes had become hometowns instead of home bases during the pandemic. A hometown is where you find schools, stores, work, and play. During the lockdowns, all of that happened within our homes.

How well your home takes care of you

It is vital to consider how well your home takes care of you.

A Wellness Kitchen

Many couples enjoy cooking together. A Wellness Kitchen is laid out and set up to have enough space for two people to cook comfortably together.

Where to start with making your home healthier

Sheila recommends that people start by de-cluttering their homes. Clutter is overwhelming for the brain and nervous system. When a home is clean and tidy, it is a lot less stressful when walking into it or waking up in it. Another thing would be to regularly change the air filters on the ventilation system because clean air is vital in any home. It would also be helpful to install a water filtration system, so you always have good clean water to drink.

Color

Color is like medicine. Many people don't realize how important it is to surround themselves with colors they enjoy. Use calming colors in calm spaces. Ask a color specialist if you need some help. Remember to use only use low or no VOC paint.

Sheila's book

Sheila recently wrote a book to inspire real estate professionals to learn about wellness real estate. Her book will also help real estate professionals talk about wellness real estate more easily, and deepen their relationships with their clients. The book is intentionally short, so it is a quick read.

Upgrade

You can upgrade to a wellness house by adding spa amenities like an exercise room, an infrared sauna, a pool, or sports courts. Those amenities will help you lead a healthier lifestyle.

Have a great green day!

Links:

Join WellnessRE Pro

WellnessRE Magazine

Sheila's Book

The Wellness Real Estate Podcast

Sheila's podcast Blooming - A Healthy Home by Design, and I got to be on!

Wellness Agents on Instagram

WellnessRE Magazine on Instagram

We face so many challenges in our world today! That is why we need to connect the dots between our homes, and the health of our communities.

Many of us don't make the connection between our health, our homes, and the health of the world at large. Yet sometimes, without us even knowing it, the products in our homes make us sick. Or they impact our safety and comfort.

It all starts with us. Even though it might feel overwhelming, we need to understand that each one of us holds the world in our hands, and it is OUR challenge to take care of it.

I'm Marla, the Green Home Coach, and my co-host and partner in podcasting, Tony Pratte, aka The Green Guy, from The Sound Room, is with me! We are kicking off a new series today called Wicked Problems! Stay tuned for more!

What is a wicked problem?

Wicked problems are social or cultural problems that are difficult or almost impossible to solve. They are deeply complex problems that are broad in scope and large in scale. Most people have a hard time wrapping their heads around wicked problems.

The characteristics of wicked problems

• They are all unique
• They have multiple uncertain root causes
• There is a vast and open-ended source of possible solutions
• They involve numerous and varied stakeholders
• They can be improved but never really solved

Solving wicked problems

All solutions for wicked problems involve large-scale changes in behavior, structure, and technology. Those solutions will probably create new problems and have unintended consequences.

The deal

There are many wicked problems in our world today. We are all about creating better health for people and society. But we understand that that could bring about even more wicked problems.

Super-wicked problems

There is a sub-category of wicked problems called Super-Wicked Problems. They are characterized by time running out, having no decision-maker in charge, and those seeking to solve the problem also causing problems.

Many of the complex problems we face today fit this description. And the tough part is that we all likely contribute to the wicked problems, and we all have the power to be part of the solution.

Trade-offs

There are trade-offs for everything we do in our everyday lives.

Personal health

Although there is a lot of emphasis on personal health right now, people don't understand all the factors that may impact their health. There are also many different stakeholders in personal health, and they all many have competing viewpoints.

Trust

We are reaching a point where people are starting to tune out of all the information because they don't know who to trust.

A disconnected world

I am all about the connectedness we feel inside us because even with all the technology available today, we still live in a disconnected world. A growing number of people are anesthetized today and tend to separate their feelings from whatever is happening in the world around them.

Connectedness

People need to understand that there is a connectedness between the various parts of where we function as humans and our health. Covid has helped with that understanding because it changed our appreciation for our personal space, relationships, and daily routines.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs

Since the start of the pandemic, survival mode (in terms of Maslow's hierarchy of needs) has become more prevalent in most people's lives, and health has come to the fore for most of us.

The global economy

Many of our daily habits (like drinking coffee or sending our plastic waste overseas for developing countries to deal with) involve the global economy. During Covid, many things became unobtainable. Since then, we have become more accepting of everything available to us.

Thinking differently about our homes

Spending all our time at home during Covid made us think about our homes differently, and we started noticing things that we were too busy to see before.

Healthier habits

Many of us adopted healthier habits during the lockdown period. We started walking regularly or gardening because we had the time to do so. Doing those things also helped us connect with nature.

Connecting our health to the world health

Knowing how to connect our health to world health could be classified as a wicked problem. A statement made by John Holdren, a Professor of Environmental Science and Policy at Harvard during the Obama administration, helps us put that into perspective. He said we have three choices: mitigation, adaptation, and suffering. We will do some of each, but the question is what the next will be. The more mitigation we do, the less adaptation will be needed and the less suffering there will be.

Addressing wicked problems

When addressing wicked problems, we need to define what success looks like for that problem. Usually, success becomes improved outcomes, acceptable behavior, and reduced risk.

The common good

There is great value in making the common good equal to our own. We need to understand that everything we buy, or use in our homes and daily lives, has an impact. Changing some of those can be a way of mitigating the health effects on ourselves, our communities, and the planet.

Natural products

No chemicals or synthetic fertilizers are used in the production of organic food. That benefits us, the farmers, and those manufacturing organic or more natural products. Using more natural products in our homes will have a similar benefit for us, those involved in producing the products, and the planet.

Dealing with wicked problems

To succeed when dealing with wicked problems, it helps to start small and get to a place where you have adapted and mitigated, and you are dealing with less suffering. Remember that small wins will breed momentum.

Three ways to get started with dealing with the wicked problem of connecting our health, home, and world:

1. Swap out two or three products you use every day for better (healthier and more natural/ethical) products.
2. Only support companies that make products and offer services in line with your values and make concerted efforts to improve the world and people's lives.
3. Speak up. Have conversations with people about using healthier products, developing their values, and forming better habits.

Taking action

These are not always easy things to think about, but taking small steps is easy, and that is where it starts! Remember, you don't have to solve the problem- you only need to make an impact!

Earth Day

Most people, women, in particular, tend to wear many different hats! Having a home that works for you rather than against you can make a critical difference in your day-to-day living.

As women, we play a vital role in connecting the dots between our homes, our health, and the health of those for whom we care. As mothers, we like to stand up for our families, friends, and communities because we want our children, grandchildren, and future generations to have a good, safe, and healthy life.

I'm Marla, the Green Home Coach. Join me on Earth Day for a micro workshop where you will discover the connection between your home, your health, and the health of the larger world! You will have the chance to do a Dream Your Home exercise to uncover how you want your home to feel and perform for everyone living there! We will wrap up with some simple steps to improve your well-being via the connection between your home and your health.

Find us on Facebook Live on the Green Home Coach page at 11 am central time, on Friday, April 22nd, 2022. RSVP on the Green Home page to get your Dream Your Home worksheet! See you there on Earth Day!

Links:

Earth Day Webinar (complimentary) https://www.facebook.com/events/723921088968810?acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A[%7B%22surface%22%3A%22page%22%7D]%7D

EGH Podcast Your Comfort, Health and Safety: Start Where You Live https://greenhomecoach.com/your-comfort-health-and-safety-start-where-you-live/

EGH Podcast Just for the Health of It https://greenhomecoach.com/maintaining-a-healthy-home/

https://porch.com/resource/climate-change-home-ownership

IAQ is the next Big Deal, Shelton Group https://sheltongrp.com/IAQ-Is-the-Next-Big-Deal

Two Things Maslow Can Teach Us About What is Happening Right Now, Shelton Group https://sheltongrp.com/two-things-maslow-can-teach-us-about-whats-happening-right-now/

You know what they say, " Reduce, reuse and recycle." Well, there are now four Rs. The first is REFUSE, which gives us the power to stop things from happening by simply refusing them. If we follow the 4 Rs to a T, then our world will be better for all those who come after us. Even though I'm sure you can think of plenty of examples of how society bearded itself over time with excessive production rates (I'm looking at YOU plastic bag!) and disposable containers, all hope is not lost! There is always a little room to improve our mindsets to be more cognizant of the 4 Rs, including minimizing what we purchase.

Tony's bio Tony is the Director of Builder/Contractor Relations at The Sound Room in St. Louis, Missouri, where he is responsible for building relationships between home builders and The Sound Room System designers to help create the ultimate home experience. Tony has been working in the construction industry for more than eighteen years. During that time, he has been building relationships, and he has become a valued part of the construction team, assisting his builder clients with delivering their customers' dreams. He is currently a member of the Home Builders Association of St. Louis and Eastern Missouri, where he also served as a member of the Board of Directors from 2007 to 2011. His specialties are builder development, industry networking, and interior design.

Is buying disposable worth it? In our current world, the general mindset is one of a "disposable society." And as such, people believe everything should be replaced when it gets old or worn out - even if this means they're constantly spending money to keep up appearances or to save themselves a bit of time.

Another important R The fourth R stands for Refuse. You can simply all-out refuse to buy or use things that you don't need, like straws, plastic water bottles, plastic bags; it's an easy way of reducing your environmental footprint without compromising on convenience! For example, if you buy a new appliance, you must do something with the old one. Look for someone who is in need of it, or try selling it to help recover part of the costs of the new one.

Repairability; yet another R Repairability is very important because it conserves resources, and extends the reusability of items. We don't need to make more piles in landfills with items that could be repaired and used.

Plastics The plastic problem has been around for a long time, but it's only recently that we have started to truly comprehend just how bad of an impact it is having. We constantly hear about the harm done by single-use plastics and what needs to happen in order to resolve these problems once and for all - yet nothing seems to be taken seriously enough!

Refuse! The solution may lie within us though. Can you imagine your life without coffee cups or straws? Refuse to buy things you don't need. It seems like a small price to pay for the greater good.

Links and resources:

The Sound Room

Alternatives to Single-Use Plastic Bags from Everday Green Home

Single-Use Plastics 101

Electronics Donation and Recycling

Everyday Green Home Shop for curated better and green products

Earth 911 - living/well-being

Earth 911 - garden/air conditioning

What if you could run your business in such a way that it was actually good for society? A Force For Good! That's what Gail Garey, founder of Impact 360 Strategies says she wants to do. Her love of the outdoors and corporate background set up this work with B Corporations- those companies who are pledging themselves as forces against social isolation through innovation or environmentalism or some other positive cause -and not just making money off people's needs.

Gail's mission is to guide and empower business professionals around the world with her expertise in environmentally friendly, socially responsible sustainable practices. She provides tips for individuals looking at greening their company while also sharing information about how we can all make an impact on this important issue ourselves!

Gail's bio

Gail is the founder of Impact 360 Strategies. Her mission is to guide and empower business professionals to accelerate environmentally friendly and socially responsible sustainable business practices that improve the bottom line and create positive social change.

Gail's background

Gail's background is in corporate work. She left her job a few years ago to pursue an exciting new opportunity that's better aligned with what she loves.

Natural therapy

Nature has always been a source of therapy for Gail. Whether it's running outside or going hiking with her dogs, skiing cross-country in winter, and garden work during summer - the natural world provides peace that she can't find anywhere else.

Interview

When Gail interviewed Marla some time back for a video series that she was hosting, the idea for sending a bi-monthly email newsletter emerged. The email contains tips about what all individuals can do as part of individual efforts to empower themselves while also protecting our planet.

Important work taking place

There are a lot of really great things happening in environmental space these days, from fighting climate change to researching new solutions and taking actions on the corporate level, and especially at the individual level!

Consulting business

Gail, a seasoned management professional, and environmentalist, is excited to launch her consulting business, Impact 360. Strategies shared will provide guidance in taking environmentally-friendly practices from concept through implementation with the goal of improving bottom lines as well creating positive social change.

Health

We all have the opportunity to make a difference in our health and in that of the planet. By making mindful choices, we can improve what it means for us now as well as influence future generations.

B corporations

One of the reasons Gail loves the B Corporation movement is because it allows us, as consumers and investors, to make informed decisions about which companies we support.

B corporation awareness

Part of what Gail's consulting firm focuses on is increasing the awareness of people about the B Corporation movement and working with purpose-driven companies that want to become certified as B Corporations.

What is a b corporation?

• B Corporation is the certification of a company.
• B Corporations are companies that marry profits with purpose. They are committed to working for environmental and social benefits, as well as making a profit.
• A rigorous, independent, third-party verification process with the non-profit entity, B Lab ensures that those companies meet the highest verified standards of social and environmental performance, legal accountability, and transparency. The successful companies get a logo to inform people that they are, indeed, B Corporations.

Links and resources:

Gail's Website

Impact 360 Strategies - Gail's Company

B Corporation - A New Kind of Business That Balances Purpose and Profit

B The Change - The Stories of People Using Business as a Force for Good

Find a B Corp

Everyday Green Home Shop

Everyday Green Home's Products From B Corp

Today's show topic is very exciting to me. There is not a one-size-fits-all solution for improving eco-friendly living spaces. Everything varies according to your needs, style, and budget!.

Today, Tony Pratte joins us and discusses how we can "green up" our homes! He reminds us of exciting opportunities we all have to reuse or reconstruct previously discarded materials and incorporate them into useful things for our homes; while feeling good about keeping discarded items out of the landfills!

Incremental green

This is incremental green! As you care for, maintain and upgrade your home one step at a time - like painting or replacing do-hickeys with Volatile Organic Compound free paints & products--you'll be providing an enhanced experience for everyone living in the house by making it healthier, safer (and more comfortable).

Marla's point-of-view

There are many parts to a home, and lots of things inside every house, so breaking everything down into five different categories is a helpful way to avoid feeling overwhelmed when you're thinking about all you need to do, to green your home.

The five different categories are:

• The place where your home sits on the land.
• All the materials and the different products that are brought into the house to make it a home.
• Energy
• Water
• Breathing

Everything that happens outside of your home fits category 1, like windows and natural light, trees for shade, rain barrels, and garden plants and flowers.

Category 2 could be as simple as using reused, recycled, bio-based or wood-based materials in your home, and sourcing your materials locally.

For category 3, make sure that any new appliance you buy has Energy Star, repair whatever you can, upgrade your lighting to LEDs, and buy the kind of plugs that you can turn on and off remotely.

For category 4, you need to do whatever you can to conserve water. Don't leave the water running when you're brushing your teeth, shaving, or doing the dishes.

Breathing, in category 5, is all about the indoor air quality in your home. This category is most closely tied to your health and wellness. A good place to start is with the air filters in your heating and cooling units.

Marla's top 3 green tips:

• Use LED lightbulbs
• Use only green cleaning products
• Use only recycled or non-tree toilet paper so that you don't end up flushing a forest down the toilet.

Links and resources:

• Go to the Green Home Coach website and click on the "consult with me" link for a 20-minute consult with Marla about the product swaps you can do in your home.
• Go to the Green Home Coach website and click on the "consult with me" link for a 20-minute consult with Marla about the product swaps you can do in your home.
• Everyday Green Home Shop for curated better and green products (link words "Everyday Green Home Shop")
• Incremental Green article, County Living Magazine
• Green As You Go - Paint by Numbers

What does it mean to buy green?

There are no standard definitions for the words used to describe green products, so we sometimes tend to confuse products that sound green or claim to be green with those that truly are sustainable and environmentally friendly.

Some companies intentionally use words like natural or eco-friendly as a marketing ploy to imply that their products are better for you and the environment than they may actually be. That is known as greenwashing. Unfortunately, many companies that greenwash their products spend a lot more time and money on marketing than on becoming more sustainable and ecologically friendly.

I am Marla, the Green Home Coach. Today, I am pulling a podcast out of the archives in which Tony Pratte, my regular co-host, and I dive into the concept of greenwashing. In our conversation, we explain what you can do get above and beyond greenwashing, take action, and do better. We focus on green labels for the home and explain how they can work for you. Green labels for the home cover everything from energy efficiency to water efficiency to resource efficiency to toxin-free products and recycled materials. Stay tuned for more!

Green Guides

Greenwashing has been going on for a couple of decades now. Lately, people have been getting more concerned about it. Due to the current uncertainty surrounding the environmental and eco-friendly claims that companies have been making, the Federal Trade Commission has created green guides to help ensure that marketing claims regarding the environmental attributes of products are substantiated and truthful.

Wise up to greenwashing

We all need to wise up to greenwashing and realize that we vote with our dollars. Many of us base our purchasing decisions on the performance, sustainability, and culture of the companies we buy from. So we are usually willing to pay a moderate premium for products made by people and companies authentically committed to being better environmental and health stewards.

Green labels

A lot of research goes into figuring out if products are what they claim to be. Green labels prove that research has been done on products by a green label-certified independent third party. Green labels give us guidelines to ensure that the products we buy will protect us, our families, and our fellow human beings. If the third party did not exist, anyone would be able to do or say whatever they wanted about any product. Green labels give us the peace of mind that comes from knowing we are using something better.

Greenwashing

The term greenwashing got coined about ten years ago. It gets used when someone thinks or hopes, rather than knows, that a product is green. It is nothing more than marketing hype or the misdirection of consumers because, although something gets claimed to be good for the environment, in reality, that may or may not be so.

The FCC and greenwashing

The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) has put out rules about what you may say and claims you may make about a product. There is also a standard code of ethics for marketers, and the American Marketing Association has specific rules that forbid marketers from making any unsubstantiated claims.

Using 'green' terms

Many people- even those in the home-building industry, do not understand fully what green terms mean. Nor do they understand their value. And they often do not even know how to use the terms correctly. So they tend to throw them around loosely, without understanding the consequences or the ramifications that are sure to follow. For example, a home that has Energy Star-certified, energy-efficient windows cannot be described as an energy-efficient home simply because it has an energy-efficient feature in it.

No real meaning

Some terms have no real meaning to the FCC, like natural, which is often used to describe food and personal care products.

Specific rules

There are some specific rules for using the word 'organic' to describe products.

The goal of green labels

Green labels exist to give people something tangible, and reliable parameters around a particular characteristic. They help us to understand more about what we are buying.

Having peace-of-mind around energy-efficiency

Lately, many companies are doing things that are more sustainably-minded. There are multiple levels on which we can choose to engage with the companies that are doing things better.

Guidelines

Green labels give us all the necessary guidelines to ensure that we are doing something impactful that will protect our families, ourselves, and fellow human beings without doing all the research.

Everyday Green Home Shop

To help you, I have started putting a lot of products in my Everyday Green Home shop that have green labels. For the products that do not have green labels, I go through the vetting process I learned from the Green Building Standard to ensure that they meet the requirements needed for a Green Home Certification. For the personal care products in my shop, I refer to the Environmental Working Group.

Taking small steps

You can green your entire home, taking one small step at a time. Some steps to take in that direction are:

• Energy Star - It covers 1000s of quality products including complete home certification. Choose these products when you decide to upgrade or change anything electrical in your home.
• Water Sense - It covers, for water, much the same as Energy Star does for energy. Choose these products when it is time to upgrade or replace your washing machine, dishwasher, faucets, showerheads, or plumbing fixtures.
• Green Guard - This certification tells you that a product, usually for woodwork or cleaning, has fewer toxins in it, and it meets California's requirements for air quality.
• Start taking control of the quality of the air you let into the house.
• Cradle To Cradle is a new energy-saving concept for both products and processes. It is an efficient way to use resources.

How green labels apply in other parts of our life and for homes

The US Green Building Council has LEED (Leadership, Energy, and Environmental Design). It is available for homes. There is also the National Green Building Standard, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), and local and regional green building standards, like Green Build Texas, Green Build Washington, and Earthcraft Homes in the South-East.

There are also energy-efficient only certifications, like Energy Star, for homes and new homes. Home Energy Ratings Score (HERS) is a home energy ratings score index or a scale of energy efficiency which assesses the energy usage and relates it to an existing home.

Sustainability is about more than just the products

Sustainability is about society and living standards. It is about how people get treated and the wages they are paid.

Referral links:

My website Green Home Coach

1-https://greenhomecoach.com/shop/ Everyday Green Home shop for curated better and green products (link words "Everyday Green Home Shop")

2-Green Guard products on Amazon (needs my affiliate added in) https://www.amazon.com/s?k=greenguard&rh=p_n_cpf_eligible%3A21512497011&dc&crid=DO9J421RCZB3&qid=1644108145&rnid=21512496011&sprefix=green+guard%2Caps%2C257&ref=a9_sc_1

3-Signposts for Better Product Choices with Green Labels https://greenhomecoach.com/the-truth-about-green-product-labels/

4-The Truth About Green Product Labels https://greenhomecoach.com/the-truth-about-green-product-labels/

5-EPA Buying Green for Consumers https://www.epa.gov/greenerproducts/buying-green-consumers

6-A Guide to Greenwashing and How to Spot it from EcoWatch https://www.ecowatch.com/greenwashing-guide-2655331542.html

7-FTC Green Guides https://www.ftc.gov/sites/default/files/documents/federal_register_notices/guides-use-environmental-marketing-claims-green-guides/greenguidesfrn.pdf

8- Energy Star www.energystar.gov

9-The Environmental Working Group - https://www.ewg.org/

"This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself."