The 7 Essentials of a Healthy Home
The 7 essentials of a healthy home guide have been developed by My Eco Hub to help us take control of the living environment in our own homes. When you consider that our homes, schools, places of work, buildings, etc which is actually where we spend 90% of our time (according to the World Health Organisation). This is effectively our primary micro-environment. The health of our homes should, therefore, be our primary concern. Climate change mitigation is all well and good, but the reality for each and every one of us is that if we cannot take control of our own home environment, how can we ever expect to have any impact on global environmental issues.
Below we have listed some of the headline topics discussed in our talks and workshops. if you would like to attend these talks please sign up for our newsletter and we will post details of the dates and venues in your area.
1. Air Quality
- We spend 90% of the time indoors. Air pollution will be the asbestos of tomorrow.
- Ireland has the 4th highest prevalence of Asthma in the world. 7% of 18+ have Asthma, 19% of 15- have Asthma.
- One person dies from Asthma each week
- New houses have to be airtight tested
- Building materials and products off-gassing. (that “new car smell” we so love is actually the chemicals off-gassing)
- Too many plastics in the home
- Many studies show Clothes smothered in chemicals
- Dust mites hepa filters,
- Beds/mattresses hotbed of contaminants. Bed bugs love it…
- Windows/ventilation people don’t always understand how best to ventilate a home
- Plants … can be the most sustainable air fresheners in the home
2. Food
- Sonairte gardens have… no pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, insecticides. Around the rest of the country, you might wonder where all the flies have gone…
- Dirty dozen.. 12 of the worst fruit and Veg for chemical dosage
- Clean 15… best 15 fruit n veg with least contaminants
- Packaging plastic, tins, coated cardboard… what to avoid
- Fridge… cupboard
- Kitchen utensils… plastic spoons, non-stick pans etc
3. Water
- Essence of life
- Reduced water use …airaters (can be 98% less water), shower heads, smaller cisterns, water butts, permeable paving
- Tap water…always needs treatment…
- Simple filters
- Carbon filters
- Osmosis
- Kangen water
- Bottled water, pollution, PBA’s, recycled glass, stainless steel
4. Beauty/Cleaning regime
- Scary….teenagers today use so many beauty products
- Labels are meaningless.. perfume/fragrance… are trade secret protected
- Each day we use …toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, soap, creams/moisturizer, (male +female) deodorants, perfumes etc. Rule, if you wouldn’t drink it don’t put it on your skin
- Soap with parabens and microbeads
- Household Cleaning products, laden with chemicals.
- And yet it can be so cheap making your own cleaning products…Baking soda/apple wine vinegar/lemon/essential oils
5. Waste
- Zero waste
Rules…Refuse…Reduce…reuse…recycle…rot - Rot important as pay by weight comes in
- Composters can take all household food waste,
6. Energy
- Climate change
- Building Regulations
- Book… mind change…measurement,…airtightness, insulation, temperature control, electrical demand, water efficiency.
- Where to make savings
- Meters/monitors
- Lighting
7. Wellbeing
- Adequate Light
- Emf radio, microwave, smart meters, iPhones, wifi,
- Electrical sensitivities
- Parallel lines, Venetian blinds, tiles, decking, radiators, brickwork …leading to migraines, epileptic seizures (UK 9 m migraine sufferers) …photosensitive epilepsy …gamma oscillations.
- Sick building syndrome, we will happily poison our homes just to kill a fly