By Heather Chandler We asked industry leaders to share their recommendations for products that Green & Healthy Maine Homes readers should know about this year. Here are six of their top choices. Beachstone Recycled Concrete Products Why we like it 100% of materials are sourced in Maine and all products are manufactured in Maine Allagash…
By Merritt Carey If you’ve heard of heat pumps before, you’ve likely heard of them in the context of geothermal heat pumps. There are two types of heat pumps, geothermal and air source. Air source heat pumps have long been used in warmer climates for cooling, but now, thanks to rapidly improving refrigerant technology, air…
By Merritt Carey Most of us have heard of pellet stoves before, but pellet boilers are a relatively new phenomenon here in United States. Pellet stoves are a secondary heating source, in contrast, pellet boilers fully replace existing heating systems. In much of Europe, pellet boilers are commonly used as a primary heating source. Over…
By Heather Chandler Home is our respite; a place where we feel safe. So it may be surprising to learn that indoor air can be two to five times more polluted than the air outside our homes and in some cases even more so. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that the average person…
By Lora Winslow, Guest Columnist While many consumers believe that all cosmetics on the market have been tested and deemed safe, this is unfortunately not true. While the FDA has legal authority over the cosmetics industry, a law that dates back to 1938, allows the cosmetic manufacturers to regulate themselves. This means that cosmetic companies…
Heather Chandler January 3, 2013 This morning, the furniture store came to pick up my new, super sexy, contemporary, sectional sofa, leaving me with an empty living room. The couch arrived less than three weeks ago, wrapped in a lovely, pewter-colored, velvety fabric with a cool rounded “bump out” feature on one end that took…
Electronic waste (“e-waste”) is the fastest growing waste stream in the United States. Brought on by the production of cheaper electronics, rapidly advancing technology, and the emergence of popular electronic gadgets, the consumption of electronics is dramatically increasing, while the lifespan of electronics is becoming relatively short. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the…
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the air in our homes can be many times more polluted than the air outside. Many things can contribute to poor indoor air quality including building materials, mold, radon and household cleaners. Choosing cleaning products made from all natural ingredients is one way to lessen your exposure to environmental…