Non Toxic Environments Home Health & Wellness

A few months ago, I started an ad hoc committee for the Change the Air Foundation, to put together the framework on how to design and build homes that are safe for those who suffer from mold and chemical sensitivities. This committee is made up of myself, Brian Tinker from Tinker Homes and Amanda Klecker from Healthy House on the Block. The three of us bring decades of experience, both personal and professional, in the world of building related health issues, and offer our unique perspectives. Today, we peel back the curtain and invite you all to listen to one of our regular meetings so you can hear for yourself the discussions we have about doing our part to fix our broken building industry.

Just imagine, you and your family are trying to buy or build a new home and someone in your family has CIRS or MCAS or something related. The home building process is stressful enough for anyone, but the added worry about how the new materials may adversely affect your family is sometimes overwhelming. Most of my client interactions deal with building materials and systems, but inevitably, the discussion takes off about how stressful the situation is.

To be clear, there is no such thing as the perfect healthy home. We need to recognize this and to set proper expectations about what can be achieved within our budget and timeframe. But while I almost feel like a therapist of sorts, I also know where my knowledge expertise is limited. So, I decided to call in the experts.

Renee Belz & Lauren Sambataro are sisters that grew up in a family that really prioritized health and wellness. Among their many achievements in life (you can read more about it here) Renee is a Certified Nutritional Consultant and Holistic Lifestyle Coach and Lauren is a Corrective Exercise specialist and Functional Health Coach. Together, they are known as the Biohacker Babes and have a wonderful podcast and social following. In this episode, Im going let them do most of the talking because they have so much important information to share about stress relief and sleep management that will ultimately improve how you and your family can power through your projects and live your healthiest life.

https://thebiohackerbabes.com

Every single day, I get calls and emails asking if I have a recommendation for a home builder in their area that can build healthy. Unfortunately, I dont have such a list to refer to. I certainly have many builders around the country that Ive worked with and do trust, but the building industry as a whole is not keeping up with the demands consumers have. So my typical recommendation is to identify a few high quality custom home builders in their area and start to interview them. Any good builder can do a healthy home, if they take the time to find a good healthy home consultant, ask the right questions, and ALWAYS have the home owners best intentions in mind for every decision they make. Its not rocket science...its common sense.

As one such healthy home consultant, I can tell you that consumer demand for healthy homes is exploding and finding another in my space that I feel 100% confident in refering folks to has been amazing. Christine Cimabue is a licenced general contractor, holistic construction consultant and the creator of the massively popular Holistic Homes podcast and social accounts. She was so kind to have me on an Instagram Live event a while back and I knew then she would be a hit with my listeners. On today's show, Christine and I talk about the building process, how to enlist the right team and even spend some time discussing the legal ramifications of not embracing healthy building practices.

Meet Andra McHugh, the matcha-sipping, veggie-loving mom who turned her family's eczema nightmare into a mission for healthier, happier childhoods. Host of a popular podcast and mom to four vibrant kids, Andra knows the agony of sleepless nights spent soothing itchy, bleeding skin. Frustrated by conventional medicine and overwhelmed by conflicting dietary advice, she took matters into her own hands.

I was very fortunate to be on Andra's podcast a while back and it was a complete eye-opening experience for me. Ive been helping folks with allergies, asthma, chemical and mold sensitivities for decades, but this was a topic Ive never really dug into. Andra helped me see how our most vulnerable tiny humans are truly the canaries in the mineshaft, telling us all that our food, clothing and our living environments are a cause of deep concern for us all.

To learn more about eczema and how Andra can help, please visit https://eczemakids.com/

The first rule in real estate is that you should NEVER waive your right to an inspection before closing the deal. The second rule is, make sure your inspector understands building biology, as well as the typical home systems and materials. Your inspector needs to understand moisture, mold, chemical emissions and electro magnetic fields, in addition to structural concerns, windows, HVAC, etc. Amanda Klecker joins us today to discuss what's all entailed in doing a substantial and truly informative home inspection and how we can avoid costly and unhealthy mistakes. Amanda is a Certified Building Biology Practitioner through the International Institute for Building Biology where she has learned the holistic approach to keeping a home healthy, free of moisture intrusion and free of toxins. Amanda has trained with the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors and received their national certification. Amanda is also trained with the Water Quality Standards Academy, learning the important components of healthy drinking water.

Amanda's website Healthy House on the Block

Starting on April 22, I will be speaking at a wonderful online summit called My Healthy Home. Hosted by Caroline Blazovsky, there will be over 40 experts in the multi-faceted "healthy home" space, to discuss all aspects of this incredibly important topic. Caroline is my guest on this episode of NTE live to tell us more about the summit and to discuss why this is so important to her and should be to all of us. Caroline Blazovsky has over 20 years experience with specialized training in residential homes. She has CMR certification (Certified Microbial Remediatior) and CIE (Certified Indoor Environmentalist) training through the American Council for Accredited Certification (ACAC). Ms. Blazovsky has completed a Sustainable Design education from Boston Architectural College. Ms. Blazovsky's work has been featured by Martha Stewart, Jenny McCarthy, Ronald Hoffman M.D., SiriusXM, Shape and Reader's Digest, as well as hundreds of podcasts, radio, and print interviews. She is also certified as a Healthy Home Specialist through the National Environmental Health Association. In her spare time, Caroline studies public health at the University of Southern California.

My Healthy Home Summit

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As the President and CEO of the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), Rachel is leading a movement to advance human health through healthier buildings, more vibrant communities and stronger, more equitable organizations. Her motto is "Always be winning for good," and she's put that to work at IWBI, developing research-backed tools to help organizations create places where people can thrive. Today, these people-first places extend across 5 billion square feet of space in 130 countries and growing. Prior to joining IWBI, Rachel spent nearly a decade at the intersection of sustainability and human health, helping the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) make LEED the world's most widely used green building rating system. At USGBC, she founded the Center for Green Schools, which mobilized $275B+ investments in LEED-certified educational facilities and deployed over 750,000 volunteers to transform schools on every continent. Rachel serves on numerous boards and advisories for organizations including Second Nature and the Real Estate Pride Council. A graduate of Tufts University, she is a sought-after media voice, inspirational speaker and frequent guest lecturer and instructor at the Harvard School of Public Health's Center for Health and the Global Environment, Harvard University Kennedy School of Government, the University of Connecticut School of Business and Tufts. Works With WELL Standard https://healthybuilding.net

Kendra Seymour is a Co-Founder and Executive Director of Change the Air Foundation and a passionate advocate for improving health by improving indoor air quality. She oversees foundation initiatives, with a special focus on raising awareness, outreach, and fundraising. As a mother of two, Kendra discovered hidden mold and water damage in her home were harming her family's health. After years of research into mold and indoor toxins, and a lot of hard lessons-learned, she became dedicated to helping others by building awareness in online communities and collaborating with fellow advocates to educate the public around the importance of indoor air quality. Donate to CTA Change The Air Foundation, Watch Aria's story

I am confident in saying that most of us have been exposed to cork flooring and wall coverings many times throughout our lives. Cork board panels used behind a desk for notes and photos have been a fixture of corporate America for decades. Flooring materials that sort of look like wood but softer with exotic patterns have been used in our libraries, schools, churches and homes since the 1900's. So why do I think this is the future of flooring when it's clear it's already well established? The recent release of Amorim's Wood Bionatural XL is 100% natural and fossil plastic free. The core is made from cork, sugar cane waste and other natural materials, and is completely recyclable. The wood and stone surface treatments are actually made from a cutting-edge digital printing and 3D embossing technology, which is again, plastic free. This is an INDUSTRY DISRUPTING technology. Kelly Downes, the US General Manager for Amorim is joining us to discuss this and other exciting developments in the world of cork. With a foundation in Interior Design, Kelly transitioned into the flooring industry as a sales representative for a sustainable commercial flooring manufacturer out of LA. Switching to the retail side, as the Vice President of a locally owned Baltimore, MD flooring company, she stood up a Kitchen and Bath Division while running six showrooms. Three years ago, Kelly returned to manufacturing and now run the US division of Amorim Cork Flooring. Amorim is the largest manufacturer of cork in the world and is committed to not only preservation, but sustainability in all divisions of the company.

WiseWood Cork flooring

Healthy flooring has become one of the most asked about topics with my clients. Corinne, founder of My Chemical Free House, has written several articles on this subject and will share her findings with us and educate us on how she does her own personal research. Corinne Segura is a Building Biologist Practitioner and founder of My Chemical-Free House where she tests and writes about green building materials. She is also a guest contributor at Green Building Advisor and course creator for the Building Biology Institute. She has 8 years of experience as a Green Materials Specifier, for new builds and renovations, often working with highly chemically sensitive clients.