Greening the world, one household at a time

MANILA, Philippines - Saving the world does not always require a red cape and superpowers. It could actually start from choosing how you live your life each day, or even the way you build your home. While it did take some time to develop eco-friendly building materials, it’s never too late to go green.

Global warming has become huge factor in how people are now choosing which homes to buy and while developers are starting to consider more sustainable alternatives when it comes to building. While only a select few properties have sought certification from green building organizations, a great number of consumers and end-users are choosing green appliances and building materials to save on electricity and live a generally healthier life.

Given our tropical climate, most homes have air-conditioning units, despite the fact that the average air conditioner consumes more electricity than other household appliances. The long-term effect of higher energy consumption leads to a higher demand for electricity resulting in higher production from power plants. This leads to an even higher amount of carbon emission released into the atmosphere, aggravating global warming. A practical alternative that developers have started to dabble in is creating a floor plan and designing structures that allow natural ventilation to flow, as well as shielding common areas from the midday sun.

In cases where ventilation is not much of a solution, another option to keep one cool is insulation. Most thermal insulators contain asbestos which is resistant to both cold, heat and even serves as fire protection. However, inhalation of its dust or fibers is proven to cause lung diseases such as mesothelioma, asbestos lung cancer, and asbestosis. A modern alternative to asbestos-based insulators are Loose Fill Insulations. These come in cellulose, fiberglass or rock wool forms, all of which are made from recycled material.

Cellulose loose fill insulations are made from waste paper such as newsprint or boxes shredded into fibrous particles and chemically treated to provide fire and insect resistance. Fiberglass loose fill insulation is spun from molten glass and melted in high temperature furnaces. Rock wool loose fills are similar to fiberglass fills but instead of glass, it is produced from blast furnace slag or residue left on the surface of molten metal. While keeping structures ventilated without energy consumption modern insulators can also count as eco-friendly since they are made out of recycled material.

But cooling down the eco-friendly way should not be as expensive as it sounds. Things as simple as choosing energy saving lights can make a difference. Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL’s) give as much light as regular incandescent bulbs if not more. The only difference is that while a regular 60-watt incandescent bulb consumes more energy than a 15-watt CFL, the latter produces eighty percent less heat. Less energy cost does not necessarily mean less quality. Manufacturers have also been holding promos in malls where you can trade in incandescent bulbs for CFL’S for free. Assuming that every household in the metro switches to CFL’s, the Philippines just might save up to seventy-five percent of its energy consumption in terms of lighting.

The top loading washing machine is a staple in many households, favored for its fast washing abilities and ease of use. However, many “green living” advocates are quickly switching to a more environment-friendly alternative, the front-loading washing machine. As the name suggests, instead of loading clothes through the machine’s top cover, the latter opens up on the front. While it can be troublesome to have to crouch to load dirty laundry into the machine, especially for people with back problems, the front-loading washing machine offers a lot of advantages in terms of saving water and energy. Many front loaders are affordable, and a quality brand should be gentler on clothes. Because of generally higher spin speeds, clothes retain less moisture and dry faster, requiring less tumbles from the dryer. According to savewater.com.au, as early as 2007, a test was conducted using 18 different washing machine brands, and the top four best performing ones were all front loaders.

Front loading washing machines can use up to 70% less than many top loaders. If you wash with warm or hot water, this will save you a lot of energy since up to 90% of energy used by a washing machine is consumed by heating the water. Of course, unless you are washing really dirty or stained clothes, cold water will do, even then, front loaders still claim to consume less water.

Sustainable materials used, whether in construction or renovations, like recycled wood and flooring, low VOC paints, floor adhesives that don’t use toxic ingredients, and insulation that doesn’t use formaldehyde provide homes with better indoor air quality since they don’t produce toxic gases.

The Bigger Challenge

If there is a challenge greater than creating sustainable alternatives for consumers, it is convincing the market to actually buy them. Such is the challenge faced by new developments that have green features. In the US, 60 percent of home buyers prefer new homes, 50 percent of them say because new homes are more energy efficient, according to greenbuilding.com. Here in the Philippines, price and location are primary concerns – sustainability may rank high in developers’ priorities since they prove to be more cost efficient in the long term, but for buyers, green features don’t necessarily close the deal.

Global warming serves as a wake up call for industries to shift to environment friendly approach, but green options are widespread for the consumer and end user. Many lean to more sustainable alternatives because they feel like they are doing a small part to help the environment, but more importantly, a bigger demographic is emerging – one that is well-informed about what is harmful to their health, and what will benefit their children, and children’s children over time. What remains is public awareness that concern for the environment is not as complicated as it sounds. It would not even take a global warming advocate to have an eco-friendly household. Things as simple as choosing which products to use or how to save electricity may be enough make the world a greener place, one household at a time.