Living Green A Matter of Choice, Facilitators Guide

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1 HHF-LRA.172FG Facilitator Guide Objectives 1. Improve knowledge and understanding of green design products, practices, and systems that support family health, safety, and well-being. 2. Develop greater awareness of the basic concept of green living and the impact upon environmental sustainability. 3. Become better acquainted with criteria related to green living practices, products and design. 4. Learn information that will assist participants in selecting green products for the home. 5. Evaluate products for ability to provide healthy, green alternatives for individuals, families and communities. Preparing the Presentation 1. Read through the publications and educational materials and become familiar with the concepts of green living and green design for products related to the home. Think of ways that green design products and methods have or could affect the lifestyle and living environment of the people attending the program. 2. Plan your presentation and determine which points you wish to emphasize. 3. Gather together magazine pictures or illustrative materials that you will use during your presentation. Include such items as an Energy Star product showing the Energy Star label (advertisement from magazine, label from product, compact fluorescent light bulb or other), paint can or label from paint store describing low-fume, non-toxic paint or finish, advertisements from magazines showing window film, flooring, windows or other products describing energy efficient features. 4. Review and prepare discussion questions. 5. Review and become familiar with PowerPoint presentation or prepare small posters to illustrate points discussed during your presentation. Materials Provided For facilitators: For participants: Green Products and Practices for the Home (optional) Ten Basic Concepts for Green Homes (optional), Facilitators Guide Green Products for the Home (optional) Ten Basic Concepts for Green Homes (optional)

2 Introduction Presenting Your Program Sir Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of Great Britain, once said, We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us. This is certainly true of green design. Green building is one of the most important and exciting developments in home building in the past three decades. It s been a quiet revolution in the way that new homes and communities are planned and built. The changes are environmentally friendly, and the movement has carried over into various new green products for home interiors and furnishings. These green products and practices make our homes more comfortable and provide a healthier living environment for our families. You no doubt already live green in some ways, such as recycling newspaper or cans, reusing items that are no longer needed, and winterizing your home. Let s see what else is involved in green design. Club Activities (choose those you wish to emphasize). 1. For a roll call or attention getter, ask each person to tell of one item or a practice in their household that they would consider a part of green living. 2. Discuss the following questions before starting on the lesson content. Get an idea of what people think and what they have heard. Encourage discussion among members as each question is brought up. a. We re heard a lot about green. What does green mean to you? b. Why is it important to think green when building or when buying products? c. What is a green product? What should we look for when making shopping decisions? d. What about the cost? Does it cost more? What are the benefits? 3. Review the points made in the publication. Show any pictures or items that you collected when preparing for the meeting to illustrate some points. 4. Show the Power Point Presentation about Living Green. 5. Encourage discussion on practices and actions that people attending have heard or taken part in regarding recycling, reusing and repairing items in the household. 6. Discuss and encourage sharing of ideas related to buying and selecting green products for the home. The choice of materials is one of the most important decisions you can make when selecting green products. Usually products are selected according to their quality, performance, appearance and cost. Green products use materials that also reduce environmental impact and promote a healthy home. Therefore, additional points must be considered as well. Consumers need to consider all options available. Keep in mind that you probably won t find the ideal product, one that meets all criteria. Therefore, think through which environmental considerations are most important to you and look for products that meet as many of these points as possible. Consider the following questions as a part of making decisions on whether products are green or how green a product is. (Note discussion leader points in italics.) a. What type of long-life, durable products and materials will work for the intended use? There are usually several options that will be suitable a particular purpose or location.) b. Are there recycled, reclaimed or salvaged products or materials that you can use? (Look at all options for the intended use. Remember that refinishing or restoring furniture, wood floors and other interior items can be considered a part of green design. Don t forget to check salvage companies for doors and other items that need to be replaced.) 2

3 c. Are the products made from rapidly renewable materials? (As the name implies, rapidly renewable materials can be replenished fairly quickly instead of depleting natural resources that take many years or centuries to replace. Examples include wood and bamboo used in housing, interiors and furniture. For instance, many elegant, unusual woods are quickly being used up for furniture but manufacturers are finding new ways to use certified wood or manufactured wood to extend their resources. Manufactured or green woods are also often used in kitchen cabinets and millwork throughout the home. Bamboo flooring is attractive and long wearing, and a new supply is quickly grown. It s being used more often as an alternative to wood flooring. d. How toxic are the products? (Some products give off fumes or formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds and other toxins, adding pollutants to the indoor air you breathe. Manufacturers are now making products that are less toxic. Examples include paint, wood finishing products and vinyl wallcovering options that are now available in non-toxic, low-fume options, and particle board that is available with low off-gassing of formaldehyde and VOCs.) e. Are there durable materials that are manufactured with less energy? (Look for lower energy options, remembering the amount of energy used throughout the product life-cycle. Embodied energy includes the energy required to harvest or mine the material, manufacture the finished product, install the product and transport the material between all of these phases. For the total green impact add all energy costs together: Embodied energy plus operating energy plus maintenance energy equal total energy used by the product.) f. What local materials can you use? (What products are made in this part of the country? Local items mean that less energy is used in transportation of products in addition to giving support to your local economy. What items or materials can you think of that are made in your county, your region, the state of Kentucky? For instance, Kentucky Wood Floors, Inc. has a range of excellent products and is located in Charlestown, Indiana and in Louisville.) g. How does the cost compare with other materials that are not as green? (Although cost is an important consideration, remember that the initial cost may well be offset by operating or maintenance costs and durability over a period of time. Most green products are long-wearing and of excellent quality.) 7. Discuss how greenwashing has become more popular with manufacturers and retailers. (Have some packages or labels to use as illustrations of how fuzzy product descriptions can be. (This might be an opportunity to break into small groups have allow a few minutes for each group to evaluate one or two products on whether they use greenwashing words.) 8. (Additional discussion using Ten Basic Concepts for Green Homes publication. Optional exercise.) What are some dos and don ts to follow when planning homes and selecting home products emphasizing green design? Here are a few suggestions. a. Smaller is better. (Have members discuss why they feel this would be true. For instance, consider various ways that fewer materials are needed, less energy required to operate and maintain it; all costs would be less.) 3

4 b. Design home so that it can be easily adapted to fit changing needs of family. (Individuals and family members can age in place with fewer adaptations and without moving. Flexibility also allows for change of activities and interests during lifetime of family members. Space can be more easily adapted to accommodate additional family members if needed. This means using fewer resources are used to remodel or build new. c. Renovate an existing house instead of building new. (This saves large quantities of both energy and raw materials at the initial phase. Use the best in technology in improved insulation, heating and cooling systems, energy efficient products and Energy Star appliances while renovating to keep long-term costs and use of energy resources lower.) d. Select durable products and materials that will stand up to the intended use over a long period of time (interior and exterior). (You ll receive better return on your dollars spent and use fewer resources since items will not need to be replaced as often. Don t take a do for now attitude.) e. Use building and home products made from recycled materials. (Examples include cellulose insulation, engineered wood, carpet padding, carpeting from fibers manufactured from recycled plastic bottles, tile made from recycled glass, etc.) f. Design for standard-dimension products. (Standard size items can be more easily replaced if needed. This saves labor and energy costs as well as using fewer resources. Take into consideration the life cycle cost analysis which includes all costs of resources used, embodied energy, maintenance and utilities.) g. Use building materials, adhesives, sealants, surface finishes and furnishings that do not contain or release harmful pollutants. h. Ask questions when shopping and carefully check products that often emit VOC or formaldehyde fumes. (Examples include carpeting, particle board, solvent-based finishes and vinyl products.) i. Work for harmony of home and environment. Blend in with community, building styles, scale and proportion and local materials. Use colors and textures of natural surroundings. j. Use latest technology to eliminate mold and mildew from your home. (Plan for good ventilation controls, select products that are moisture resistant and fix moisture problems immediately.) k. Use high performance Energy Star windows and energy conservative window systems for best energy savings. (Higher cost but long-term savings and greater comfort in living spaces.) l. Make the most of natural daylight. Plan designs that give the greatest amount of natural daylight to interior spaces. (This is called daylighting and is an important element in green design.) m. Convert incandescent lighting to compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) when possible for savings in energy used and fewer replacement costs. Look for the Energy Star label on the package. 9. Put your thoughts into action! Here are some ideas for either individual or group activities. a. Donate to a Family Resource Center or other community organization. 4

5 b. Adopt and work with a community organization. Hold an exchange event where people can bring products or collect unused items for a local charitable organization. c. Hold a club or county-wide white elephant swap day for members of the organization. d. Conduct a survey of your community to determine how many green concepts the community has in place. e. Participate in a BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag) project. Summary Green products and buildings are good quality, long-lasting, energy efficient and respectful of our environment. They help to create healthy living spaces in our homes while providing for the most efficient and least disruptive use of land, water, energy and resources. With a greater number of green products now becoming available, it s up to consumers to make wise decisions in purchasing, using and disposing of these items. Our homes can be supportive to our health and to the environment or it can be harmful to both. It s important that we choose to surround ourselves with products that are healthy and life-giving. Linda Adler, M.A. Extension Specialist for Home Furnishings August 2009 Copyright 2009 for materials developed by University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension. This publication may be reproduced in portions or its entirety for educational or nonprofit purposes only. Permitted users shall give credit to the author(s) and include this copyright notice. Publications are also available at Educational programs of Kentucky Cooperative Extension serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability, or national origin. 5