EcoBalanza, chosen for ILFI Seattle Headquarters

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EcoBalanza, chosen for ILFI Seattle Headquarters

We are happy to report that the International Living Future Institute has chosen one of our pieces to grace the lobby of their downtown offices.

ILFI, headquartered in Seattle, “offers green building and infrastructure solutions that move across scales (from single room renovations to neighborhoods or whole cities),” supported by programs like their living product and living building challenges, which encourage manufacturers and builders to build with sustainable and non-toxic materials.

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The ABCs of VOCs

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In her blog, Christie's Non-Toxic Lifestyle, Christy Begien share some great insights into the impact of living with Volatile Organic Compounds. Visit her blog regularly to see how you can learn from her experiences.

VOC? What does that mean? The Minnesota Department of Health states that Volatile Organic Compounds are “a large group of carbon-based chemicals that easily evaporate at room temperature. While most people can smell high levels of some VOCs, other VOCs have no odor. Odor does NOT indicate the level of risk from inhalation of this group of chemicals.”

I’ll bet most of you have heard of formaldehyde.  It’s a VOC and considered volatile because it emits a gas at room temperature. As it warms up, more of the chemical off-gasses into a room.  (Off-gassing is the natural evaporation of chemicals.) The top three VOC offenders in our home? Carpeting, paint, and furniture and upholstery; all can carry VOCs, such as formaldehyde, toluene, and benzene, just to name a few.

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