This might be bad timing, with it being 3 days before Christmas, but I've been meaning to talk about this subject for a while, and finally had the chance.
So here we go...
Who's really affected by all the things we buy (and then throw away) in this country?
Who's primarily dealing with asthma and other serious illnesses because of where they live?
Who takes the brunt of the extreme weather events caused by climate change?
It's generally not the people that are buying all the things, or jet-setting around the world, or building mansions.
It's the country's low income and African American, Latino, and Native American populations.
This is what's known as environmental injustice, aka environmental racism.
This week's Healthy Home Design podcast digs into environmental justice and what we can do when building a new home or renovating to start fixing the environmental health disparity.
Have a safe and happy holiday season, and I'll see you in the New Year!
Take care,
Kate
P.S. It's my New Year's resolution to do better at my own consumerism habits. What's yours?
Listen and Subscribe here:
What You'll Discover:
- What environmental injustice is
- What you can do in your day-to-day life to help end the consumerism cycle
- How to use less when building a new home
- How to choose healthy materials for your home
Ways to Reduce Your Environmental Impact
Photo by Stephen Wheeler on Unsplash
Building a smaller house means we're putting less burden on the environment, and less burden in those industrial areas of the world.
Photo by Pixabay from Pexels
Instead of building with the cheapest material, think about what is durable and will last. A good example is a metal roof over an asphalt shingle roof; a metal roof will last a lot longer than a shingle roof.
Photo by Rene Asmussen from Pexels
Design your house or your addition and renovation so that there is less waste. Understand how materials are made and where it needs to end up when you're done with that material is very important when choosing materials in the first place.
Photo by Matthew Alexander on Unsplash
Opt for a gravel driveway or a stone path instead of asphalt or concrete.
Helpful Links:
Cancer Alley Louisiana: https://www.propublica.org/article/welcome-to-cancer-alley-where-toxic-air-is-about-to-get-worse
Recycle Building Materials:
HFH ReStore: https://www.habitat.org/restores
EPA guide to recycling building materials: https://www.epa.gov/smm/best-practices-reducing-reusing-and-recycling-construction-and-demolition-materials
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