The Home Depot Offers CFL Recycling Nationwide!

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Green Building

Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Posted by Emily Lynne Ion
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The Home Depot announced an ambitious nation-wide recycling program for used compact fluorescent bulbs, or CFLs, the ultra-efficient light bulbs that are quickly replacing their standard incandescent counterparts. Disposing of CFLs, however, is problematic because they contain a small amount of mercury, a pollutant and neurotoxin. The Home Depot's initiative provides a safe and convenient means for consumers to recycle their old CFLs without worry about health hazards or environmental pollution.

Thursday, May 08, 2008
Posted by Jennifer Taggart
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Environment California has documented high levels of formaldehyde emissions from baby furniture commonly found in the nursery. Environment California’s report shows that cribs and changing tables can emit high levels of formaldehyde. When these sources are added to other sources likely to be found in the home, the levels may exceed those shown to have adverse health effects on children.

Formaldehyde in cribs and changing tables shouldn’t be a surprise. It is common for composite wood products – like particle board and medium density fiberboard (MDF) – are held together with formaldehyde based resins. Unfortunately, the formaldehyde escapes from these products, polluting indoor air. And formaldehyde can be released for many years. But, you might not have thought that a crib or changing table could contribute significantly to formaldehyde emissions in the home. Unfortunately, Environment California’s testing shows that cribs and changing tables can be significant sources. And when you consider that your baby spends a lot of time in that nursery, you might want to look for alternatives. A bit of good news? The California Air Resources Board has enacted a regulation that will start to limit formaldehyde emissions from composite wood products beginning in 2009.

Thursday, April 24, 2008
Posted by Natalie Cadranel
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This is one of my favorite things to do in Los Angeles and this year we are excited because our organization will be participating!

Christopher Gavigan, Executive Director of Healthy Child and Author of our new book Healthy Child Healthy World will be speaking at the LA Times Festival of Books at UCLA. Come meet the Healthy Child Healthy World staff and pick our brains on how best to detoxify your home environments. Talk to the author and pick up your own signed copy of the book!

Where: UCLA Campus: 325 Westwood Plz Los Angeles, CA

When: Saturday, April 26th, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

We hope to see you there!

Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Posted by Tasneem Motala
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HCHW wishes you a Happy Earth Day! Today, people like you and I are becoming increasingly aware of environmental issues. But how much do you really know? In honor of Earth Day, challenge yourself to an Earth Day Quiz!

Test your Earth Day knowledge.

(Answers below)

How many gallons of water a day will the average American use?
How much water does a person use in a 4 to 5 minute shower?
How many gallons of water does it take to produce one loaf of bread?
How many gallons of water does it take to produce one Sunday paper?
How many gallons of water does it take to make a new car?
2/3 of the Earth is covered in water, so what percentage of this water is drinkable?
Most scientists agree we are loosing a lot of species from the rain forest everyday – how many species do we loose per day?
Every second a football field size section of rain forest is cut down, every year an area twice the size of Florida is destroyed, at this rate how many years will it take before there are no more rainforest left?
How many Florida panthers are there left in the wild?
How long could you run your television from the energy you save when you recycle one aluminum can?
What is the carbon footprint in pounds of carbon dioxide emissions of a single cheese burger?
What is the recommended thermostat temperature for summer and winter to conserve energy?
CFL bulbs are much more energy efficient than standard incandescent bulbs, how much less energy does CFL use?

Thursday, April 10, 2008
Posted by Jenny Barsumian Brady
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Announcing Healthy Child Healthy World's Healthy Home Tour in Austin, Texas. An exciting event highlighting construction and design practices encouraged by Healthy Child Healthy World.

Home Tours: April 20th - April 27th 2008 Purchase Home Tour tickets online now!

Click to view full invite for more details.

Location:

502 Riley Road Austin, TX 78746

Read more for further information:

Thursday, April 10, 2008
Posted by Healthy Child
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By Melanie Spencer
AMERICAN-STATESMAN

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Imagine a house designed to reduce energy consumption, improve health and minimize environmental impact. It would have these features: pressurization for positive air outflow that pushes out allergens; an open floor plan for parents to keep an eye on curious toddlers; strategically placed windows to maximize natural daylight; and low-maintenance finishes with low or no volatile organic compounds to help reduce toxic chemicals.

Los Angeles-based investor Stanley Lerman chose Rollingwood in which to build two such houses that are nearing completion. Lerman's development company, Jivaka, teamed up with the California-based nonprofit organization Healthy Child Healthy World. And if the two entities have their way, these kinds of projects will become the standard in home building.

Luxury green homes might sound to some like an oxymoron. After all, isn't scaling back a part of being green?

Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Posted by Healthy Child
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Have you ever wondered if the toys your kids have played with for years contain lead? What about your everyday products not “protected” by toy-inspections? Healthy Child Healthy World has partnered with Inspect-A-Toy, Inc a southern California based company that screens children's toys, jewelry and other consumer products in the home for the presence of the harmful toxin lead. Founders Bram Klein and his wife started the company because they wanted to be proactive in finding and removing lead laden toys from their home and the homes of their clients.

Friday, March 07, 2008
Posted by Tasneem Motala
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Healthy Child's board member and activist Laura Dern spoke with Delicious Living Magazine on living a green and healthy lifestyle. The actress and eco-friendly mother shared her experience making changes in her home and teaching her kids about being earth friendly.

"Even before I had children, I thought it was fascinating that people put locks underneath their kitchen sinks because they're terrified that kids will get into whatever is down there. Why do we have things in our houses that we breathe in and let our dogs lick but that can kill children? As I learned more about the outrageous rise of chemical toxins, it was shocking and eye opening to me, but also, I felt overwhelmed. I fell in love with Healthy Child because its philosophy is that yes, there's a lot of daunting stuff going on in the world, but our children spend the majority of their days at home — it's where they sleep, it's where they eat, it's where they're nurtured — and we can control that." - Laura Dern.

Click to read the full article.

Thursday, March 06, 2008
Posted by Tasneem Motala
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In a video lecture, Environment and Human Health, Inc’s (EHHI) Public Health Toxicologist, David Brown, Sc.D. urges the public to proceed more diligently with artificial turf usage. A more appropriate question, he says, is “What do we know about artificial turf?” And the answer, unfortunately, is not enough.

In the city of the New York alone, over 75 playgrounds and athletic fields have been made with synthetic turf – 100 more are planned. Meanwhile, newly raised health and environmental safety questions remain unanswered. In a press release, EHHI has recommended that a moratorium be place on further usage until more research is done on the safety of the turf.

Friday, October 19, 2007
Posted by Mandy Geisler
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Last week the green home, Project7Ten, opened its doors for the public and the response has been enormous. So far, over 1000 people have walked through the house and learned more about green building and LEED standards (LEED = Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).

Topics such as Solar Hot Water, Bamboo Flooring, Rainwater Catchment Systems, Low Flow Toilets and many more are covered on the tours. On top of that, green building experts and our awesome volunteers will be on site to help to answer your questions you may have.

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