Green Buildings Hazardous to Health?

[Brian A. MacNeish]

Originally Posted by jhagarty

Exactly
Almost all homes where i find a HRV system
the Homeowner has previously disabled due to increased HVAC expense

With the R2000 homes, the energy costs were not the issue, it was the nosebleeds the kids had, shocks from doorknobs, etc. -30C (-22F) outdoor air at 90% RH is only about 5-6% RH when brought indoors and heated to 20C (68F). That air is as dry as desert air!!

I have seen a few airtight houses in which untrained owners add humidifiers to their HVAC systems to overcome the low humidities......they should've adjusted the ACH for the house downwards!

[Brian A. MacNeish]

A bit late to go now but......

http://www.healthyhomesconference.org/

Healthy Housing Connections Conference Edition

The National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH) is a proud participant in the 2011 National Healthy Homes Conference, the preeminent conference on healthy homes. The conference presents a unique opportunity for a wide spectrum of health, housing, and environmental stakeholders to unite under one roof to strategize about policies and programs for creating safer and healthier homes and communities.

This special edition of Healthy Housing Connections provides the highlights of NCHH events and sessions at the conference. Please visit the NCHH Booth, #503 to meet staff members, pick up a copy of our Annual Report, and learn about the work NCHH is doing in support of healthy housing.

We look forward to seeing you there!

2011 National Safe and Healthy Housing Coalition Awards Event and Reception
Don’t miss the inaugural National Safe and Healthy Housing Coalition Awards Event and Reception being held Tuesday, 5:30 pm-7:30 pm at the Sheraton Denver in the Governor’s Square 15 room. During the event, the National Safe and Healthy Housing Coalition will announce first annual awards for those who have made a significant contribution to the healthy homes movement during the past year. In addition, NCHH will announce the winners of its first round of Grassroots Advocacy Network grant awards.

National Safe and Healthy Housing Coalition Awards
The National Safe and Healthy Housing Coalition, nominated 19 individuals and organizations from a variety of sectors (housing, public health, energy efficiency, environment and community development). The nominees have made extraordinary contributions to the healthy homes movement through their efforts focusing on those whom are disproportionately impacted by unhealthy housing conditions, including low-income families and individuals, people of color, children, and older adults.

Organization nominees are:

• The Community Foundation of Greater Buffalo (NY)
• The Healthy Homes Partnership - an interagency agreement between the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Healthy Homes and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)
• The Multnomah County Health Department (OR)
• Sustainable Resources Center (MN)
• Thundermist Health Center (RI)
• The West Elmwood Housing Development Corporation (RI)

Individual nominees are:

• Cory Booker, Mayor, Newark (NJ)
• Dana Bourland, Enterprise Community Partners, Green Communities Initiative
• Senator Brenda Council (NE)
• Dr. Nancy Crider, DrPH, RN, Program Manager, University of Texas School of Public Health, Texas Public Health Training Center
• David Fukuzawa, The Kresge Foundation
• Rick Goodeman, Southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership
• Paul Haan, Executive Director, Healthy Homes Coalition of West Michigan, Grand Rapids
• Kathleen Hogan, Department of Energy
• Betsy Mokrzycki, Lead Program Manager and Member Advisory Council on Lead Poisoning Prevention, Syracuse (NY)
• Rebecca Morley, Executive Director, National Center for Healthy Housing
• Gary Officer, Chief Executive Officer, Rebuilding Together, Inc.
• Dr. Brenda Reyes, MD, MPH, Bureau Chief of the City of Houston Children’s and Community Environmental Health
• Courtney Wisinski, Healthy Homes University

Please visit National Safe and Healthy Housing Coalition to learn more or join!

Grassroots Advocacy Network for Healthy Housing Grants
With the support of The Kresge Foundation, NCHH is expanding and “scaling up” its efforts to eradicate unhealthy living conditions through a new initiative called the Grassroots Advocacy Network for Healthy Housing. The Grassroots Advocacy Network will develop local solutions to the challenging problem of substandard housing and neighborhoods.

NCHH will announce the winners of its first round of subgrants to grassroots advocacy organizations to carry out activities such as the following:

• Creating local demand for healthy housing through media outreach, policy advocacy, community meetings, and other activities;
• Educating policymakers and the public about unhealthy conditions;
• Holding public agencies accountable (e.g. to ensure that local housing maintenance codes are enforced);
• Creating and sustaining valuable collaboration between the public and private sectors and within government; and
• Other methods most appropriate to the local context.

Please visit the Grassroots Advocacy Network for Healthy Housing to learn more.

Conference Sessions
Below is a list of educational sessions in which NCHH staff will be leading, moderating, or participating:

On Monday, June 20:

• 1:00-2:30 pm Federal Healthy Homes Legislation and Policy; led by Ruth Lindberg, Jane Malone and Amy McLean Salls – Room 108
• 1:00-2:30 pm Windows and Exterior Sources of Lead: Emerging Evidence about these Potential Hazards and Methods of Control; led by Jonathan Wilson and David Jacobs – Room 702
• 3:00-4:00 pm Integrating Energy/Plus Health into Volunteer Home Repair Programs; led by Don Ryan,( A. Walz, M. Welch, and A. Gagney) – Room 108
• 3:00-4:00 pm How Much is too Much to Wheeze?: Laboratory and Field Research to Develop Standardized Allergen Sampling Protocol; led by Sherry Dixon – Room 702
• 3:00-5:00 pm Local and State Housing Codes and Healthy Housing Policy; led by Jane Malone (and D. Farquhar) – Room 113
• 3:00-5:00 pm Public Health in Housing and Community Development; led by Ruth Lindberg (and Amy Murphy) – Room 111
• 4:15-5:15 pm Burdens of Home Injury and Death: Associated Costs and Benefits of Interventions; moderated by Jonathan Wilson – Room 702
• 4:15-5:15 pm Green, More than a Color?: Research on the Potential Benefits of Green Housing on the Indoor Environment and Health (Wheeler Terrace); led by Susan Aceti – Room 704/706

On Tuesday, June 21:

• 1:00-2:30 pm Lessons Learned from Integration of Healthy Homes into Energy Conservation Program: Studying the Impact of Home Energy Work on Resident Health; led by Jill Breysse – Room 709
• 1:00-2:30 pm Beyond Delegation and Education: Local Leveraging of HUD’s Renovation, Remodeling and Painting Rule; led by Jane Malone and (D. Farquhar, R. Scott, and K. Korfmacher) – Room 110/112
• 1:00-2:30 pm Neighborhood and Residential Factors Predicting Children’s Lead Poisoning and Asthma; moderated by Jonathan Wilson – Room 111
• 3:00-5:00 pm Healthy Homes Education – Local to Institutional, Part I; panel participant Susan Aceti – Room 111
• 3:00-4:00 pm Developing and Using Evidence for Healthy Communities; led by Ruth Lindberg – Room 102/104

On Wednesday, June 22:

• 1:30-3:30 pm The ABCs of Integrated Pest Management in Low Income Housing: Allergens, Baits, and Cockroach Mitigation Strategies; led by Jane Malone, M. Sever, and C. Schal – Room 205
• 4:00-5:00 pm Building Capacity to Prevent Lead Hazards: Evaluation Tools and Training that Make a Difference; led by Jane Malone and S. Viet – Room 607

Healthy and Safe Homes: Research, Practice, and Policy

Stop by our exhibit booth (#503) to purchase a copy of Healthy and Safe Homes: Research, Practice, and Policy. The newly released booked explores connections between housing conditions and health, and proposes holistic, sustainable strategies for making healthy housing a reality for people of all income levels.

Co-edited by NCHH Executive Director Rebecca Morley, MSPP, Angela Mickalide, PhD, CHES, Safe Kids Worldwide, and Karin Mack, PhD, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the book draws perspectives from leading scientists, public health experts, housing advocates and policy leaders. The book’s 10 chapters, written by nineteen of the nation's leading experts in the area of healthy and safe homes, explain the connections between housing conditions and health, and offers practical tools and information for public health and housing practitioners and policy makers.

Healthy and Safe Homes: Research, Practice, and Policy is published by American Public Health Association (APHA) Press. The book is available at our booth at the special conference price of $32.00.

Be sure to follow NCHH on Twitter!
http://twitter.com/NCHH

10320 Little Patuxent Pkwy | Columbia, MD 21044 US

[Peter W. Bennett]

The only thing I am not allergic to is work and money!

[Brian A. MacNeish]

Originally Posted by pbennett1

The only thing I am not allergic to is work and money!

For your location........Truly energy-efficient, airtight healthy homes with a well designed passive solar aspect are the future then!! Look at other solar add-ons when cost/benefits are really in the consumer's interest for relatively short term paybacks.