Green Speaks--GreenGuard Environmental Institute

Yet Another Reason To Go For A Walk

Being from Los Angeles, I got used to hearing the news stations tell us what the outdoor air quality was each day.  Many times we'd be told to stay indoors, as the air quality was so bad on most days that supposedly staying indoors was the only healthy thing to do. 

But how clean is our indoor air, really?  Would it surprise you to know that our indoor air is actually 2 to 5 times more polluted than outdoor air?  This is because the very materials and products we use to furnish and maintain our indoor environments can release hundreds of pollutants such as formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), ozone and even biological allergens, and unless you are keeping windows open for much of the day, indoor air can quickly turn into an invisible enemy. 

Children are especially at risk, since they spend roughly 85% of their time indoors according to statistics.  Thankfully, the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute has created an initiative called the GREENGUARD Children & Schools certification program that offers parents a solution by certifying interior products (like furnishings, electronics, paints, cribs, flooring, cleaning products, and more) to veriry that their checmical emissions are acceptable.  This non-profit insitute's GREENGUARD certification mark can be found on more than 170,000 products products by over 150 manufacturors.  Take some time to research your purchases, because you just might find a way to direct the same money you'd be spending towards products that won't harm.  Yet another way that parents can have their voice be heard with their wallet!

-Arianne