Ecological Intelligence…by Daniel Goldman
I am reading Ecological Intelligence by Daniel Goldman (a Christmas present from Helena… 
) which has become a revelation to me, as Goldman writes about the things I believe is inevitable in our industry.
For years I have said that although we have proved it’s possible to reduce the energy needs for heating and cooling in buildings by up to 80%, I am completely aware that the main challenge moving forward, to make buildings more sustainable, is to be able to know everything there is to know about the many 100’s of materials being used in the construction of the buildings and the effects their production process have on the environment…
The book discusses extremely well and introduces the initiative GoodGuide which is EXACTLY what I have been looking for. The vision is that all products, from food, to toys, to cosmetics, building materials…literally everything…will have a rating for Health, Environment and Society which details the effect that the product has in these area.
For example…GoodGuide speaks about washing up liquids.
“Pine, lemon, or orange-scented cleaners or fresheners contain terpenes, which react with ozone in the air to form the skin and lung irritant and carcinogen formaldehyde. Drain cleaners, among the strongest and most toxic of all products, often contain corrosive chlorine bleach (often listed as sodium hypochlorite on ingredient labels), which causes respiratory irritation and can damage skin and eyes. Oven cleaners and toilet bowl cleaners, also among the strongest products, can contain corrosive potassium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide. Anti-bacterial cleaners may contain Triclosan, which is a hormone-disrupting environmental toxin.
Chemical fragrances found in many cleaners can conceal the presence of phthalates, which are linked to endocrine and reproductive system disruption. Fragrance isn’t just an ingredient in strongly scented household cleaners—the chemicals in many cleaners are so potent that fragrance is often necessary to mask their smell. The solvents in standard cleaning products generally are from a class of chemicals known as volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, which can cause respiratory, eye, and skin irritation as well as nausea and dizziness. The cleaning ingredients (called surfactants) that have replaced soap in most cleaners come from petroleum, a nonrenewable resource. Dyes and brighteners often contain benzene, a toxic irritant (found also in gasoline and cigarettes) that, in cases of long-term exposure, can cause leukemia.
All of this is just the stuff that’s known to be in cleaners; some are also contaminated with neurotoxins and possible carcinogens such as 1,4-dioxane. Although companies aren’t required to list the ingredients in their cleaners, some do, and you can look through GoodGuide ratings for household cleaners to find companies with good records for disclosure.”
Thing is, we are using products that contain some of this stuff…they are in our homes right now…we are using them on ourselves and on our children. The damage these products create are so harmful, and we just don’t know it…we didn’t actually have a choice when we bought them, because we didn’t know…yet we are seemingly happy in this state of not knowing.
The reality could not be further from the truth.
It’s an issue that we are discussing this years in more detail, so that decision makers can come to the same conclusions, and hopefully create some system which gives us the choice to buy or not buy…
