Data from the US Energy Information Administration illustrates that buildings are responsible for almost half (48%) of all energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions annually; globally the percentage is even greater. Seventy-six percent (76%) of all power plant-generated electricity is used just to operate buildings. Since electricity is generally produced by coal plants whose byproducts are GHGs, the building sector's role in the threat posed by hazardous climate change is clear.

The indoor environmental quality of many buildings can be equally as insidious as their external environmental influence. With cheap and easy access to electricity, post World War II building design in the United States often ignores access to natural sunlight and fresh air, substituting HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) systems and electrical lighting. Innovative technologies have produced a wide variety of synthetic, mass produced interior products including carpeting, modular furniture, paints and finishes. We've congratulated ourselves on our ability to conquer nature and control our environment through technology, without regard to consequences.

Now we know better as we learn about the impact greenhouse gases have on the environment, and the relationship between indoor air quality and health. Americans spend an average of 90% of their time indoors, where the United States Environmental Protection Agency reports that levels of pollutants may run two to five times - and occasionally more than 100 times - higher than outdoor levels. Inhaling indoor pollutants can contribute to asthma and allergies, and outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease and sick building syndrome confirm the relationship of indoor air quality to occupant health.

Since 1993 The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) has been taking a leadership role in establishing a national consensus and developing industry standards relating to building design, construction and operating practices. Research and case studies show that improved health and accompanying worker productivity, higher test results at educational facilities, faster patient healing in hospitals and increased market value for buildings are all achievable through improved indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and other 'green' building practices.

Natural Daylighting and Ventilation
Providing a connection between building occupants and the outdoors through natural daylighting and views is proven to have positive benefits relating to productivity, healing and learning. For office buildings this may mean lower partition heights, glass enclosed offices, light shelves or internal glazing instead of opaque walls to allow daylight to penetrate further into the building.

Providing increased outdoor air ventilation to improve indoor air quality is also important, and can be achieved by simply installing operable windows or through processes to air-flush a building on a regular basis. Standards are prescribed by the USGBC and tools are available to monitor airflow rates and carbon dioxide levels. Not only can adverse health affects be minimized, but carefully designed, naturally ventilated buildings can be cheaper to construct, maintain and operate than more heavily serviced mechanically ventilated buildings.

Without adequate ventilation, there is an increased risk for excessive levels of contaminants such as formaldehyde, particulates, volatile organic compounds, 4-Phenylcylohexene and carbon monoxide. Formaldehyde, (a gas) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted, or off-gassed, from many building materials including pressed wood products and composite wood furnishings, glues and adhesives, most carpets, and permanent pressed fabrics. Health affects include eye, nose, throat and skin irritation; nausea; headaches; allergic sensitization and exacerbation of asthma.

Indoor Air Contaminants
The USGBC prescribes a reduction of indoor air contaminants in their Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program by adhering to standards with prescribed contaminant limits. For example, adhesives and sealants should comply with South Coast Air Quality Management District's Rule 1168 which publishes a table listing VOC limits. Green Seal, an independent non-profit organization promotes the manufacture and sale of environmentally responsible consumer products and also sets standards for VOC limits. Both organizations also have standards for paints and coatings while The Carpet and Rug Institute's Green Label Plus program certifies products that have low emissions of VOCs.

When considering flooring, it's generally easier to keep concrete, wood or tile floors clean, and they don't off-gas VOCs like most carpet. However, there are a plethora of new carpeting products becoming available with low VOC's, and options available to purchase carpets in replaceable tiles rather than wide rolls. In commercial applications, some carpet manufacturers are now offering carpet as a 'service' rather than 'product' meaning at the end of its life, they'll remove and replace the carpet, recycling the old carpet in a 'cradle-to-grave' life-cycle.

Furniture choices should also be considered. Although inexpensive, modular furniture made of particleboard contains poisonous formaldehyde. If budget is a concern, these products can be made safer by applying a layer of non-toxic varnish.

The rules, standards and tables can be complicated to understand, but as owners, builders, designers and consultants embrace 'green building' practices and increasingly strive toward attaining LEED certification for their buildings, the demand for environmentally safer interior products is increasing. Combined with more thoughtful design strategies and building practices, positive changes affecting the internal and external environment can be immediately achieved in all building types, from residential homes to corporate high rises.

We should all be aware and concerned about the indoor environments where we spend 90% of our time; our homes, our places of work, our places of recreation. Request information from architects, builders and contractors, knowing that if you influence even one small change it can potentially improve the indoor environmental quality for the benefit of everyone occupying the space. And reducing the energy consumption of our buildings can contribute positively to the earth's environmental quality over time by reducing green house gas emissions.

Jane Leonard walked away from a twenty year career in technology, wanting to contribute something more important to the world than 'increasing shareholder value'. While helping her family select a building site for a remote country home that was removed from grid electricity and municipal water, she decided to design the home and explore the field of architecture. Along the way, she gained a Masters in Architecture, wrote a thesis about place-making within the context of ecology, aesthetics and sustainable design, and discovered the building industry's incredible impact on greenhouse gases. With a new understanding of the greatest crisis facing the world today, and having been fortunate to travel the world and enjoy nature's amazing gifts, she now wants to help restore what's left for her daughter's generation. She works as a designer with Stantec Architecture, a global design firm committed to sustainability.

Unied States Green Building Council
Green Seal
South Coast Air quality Management District

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