Healthy Home

Today my intern and I took a trip out to Long Grove, IL to see the "Healthy Home". It was built by Dior Builders and is very gorgeous as you can see. We learned a lot of things about green design that you don't hear about in passing. We talked about new and different vendors that provide green materials.

Something that really caught our attention is how green design is thought to have caught on so much, but the United States' version of green compared to Europe's version is not even comparable. The US is very behind and has only banned a few of the thousands of harmful chemicals, 5 to be exact; whereas in Europe they have banned hundreds of them and they are much more "green" than we are here.

It's easy and not as expensive as you may think to convert your home to a "green" home. There are many simple things you can do. According to Healthy Child Healthy World the 5 easiest steps are:
1. Manage Pests Safely
2. Use Non-Toxic Products
3.Clean up Indoor Air
4. Eat Healthy
5. Be Wise With Plastics

And the easiest thing that we found was that just removing your shoes at the door removes 80% of the harmful chemicals in the air of your home!

To find out more visit http://www.healthychild.org

Have a great day!

So, today I saw a news letter article and found it very interesting. I decided that it was something that I really wanted to share.

The article is about value in buying, to buy quality and why you should. Many people associate value with looking at a price tag and thinking that it is a good value, but value really lies in the cost and the years you own it. The longer that you can own a piece the more value that it holds.

You truly can see and feel the difference in buying quality. If it doesn't seem very sturdy and durable now, what do you think it will be like in 1, 2, or even 10 years? It may cost you more right now, but the longer it lasts and the less number of times that you have to replace it is where the true test is.

Would you rather spend $5,000 on a bed now and have it last 30+ years or $500 now and replace it again in 1-2 years?