indoor air quality

Poor indoor air quality is a major contributor to respiratory and allergic conditions in householders, however instant improvements can be made with the following low cost and easy-to-achieve measures: 

• Actively ventilate your home daily.
  Opening opposing windows and clerestory or second floor windows encourages cross flow and passive stack ventilation. Fly-screens and security screens are a useful addition to your windows and doors to enable good ventilation, day or night, without attracting unwanted insects. Use the middle of the day in winter while your heating is off to get some fresh air in, if your local climate allows.
   
• Take off your shoes at the front door.
  Shoes are one of the biggest sources of indoor pollutants such as lead and pesticides - by removing them you can reduce the dust in your home by up to 50%. Heavy doormats at entrances will also help to reduce pollutants being carried into the home. For a doormat with a social conscience take a look at The Welcome Committee project. 
   
• Keep indoor plants.
  Indoor plants contribute multiple benefits to the interior environment including absorbing volatile organic compounds, carbon dioxide, airborne moulds and bacteria, and regulating humidity levels. As well as this, studies have shown that indoor plants have positive psychological benefits. Some resilient indoor plants are Peace Lilies, Mother-in-law’s Tongue, Boston Fern, Rubber plant, Bamboo Palm and Aloe. 
   
• Clean your home regularly. 
  A regular vacuum with a Hepa filter vacuum cleaner, and both a simple microfibre mop and damp-dust to eradicate particulate matter, will contribute to a healthy interior environment.

Follow these links for more information on indoor air quality:

UTS study on Plants and IAQ

NASA study of plants and IAQ

Building Ecology report on ventilation

Air pollution Interactive Map

Photographs by Emma Byrnes

the papered wall

Monomeith Designs wallpaper by Penny Maskell - Designed in Tasmania and hand printed in Melbourne

Low-impact living does not mean austere interior minimalism. An often brave and beautiful interior addition, wallpaper is an enduring investment if you follow your instinct and choose something that you find truly beautiful (or just get good advice!). Wallpaper can be done in a very environmentally-friendly way and can last a long time if well cared for.
Here are a few tips on selecting and using eco pasteups:

• Adding wallpaper to an interior can be expensive, so minimise the cost by choosing a small wall area with the greatest visual impact, perhaps a central space that you can see from many different viewpoints.
• Have you bought an old home with original wallpaper?  Wall-to-wall patterned coverings can be stuffy and overwhelming in an interior, however many original retro and period designs are quirky and interesting. So before you start ripping it off, consider keeping one feature wall papered as a nod to the home’s history.
• Sometimes embossed and relief wallpapers that are of dated colours or torn can be rejuvenated by sealing any damage then painting over. This creates an appealing surface of papery textural interest, without the labour intensive hassle of removing the old paper. 
• Or you can add an old wallpaper to your home - there are great sources on the web of vintage wallpapers in enduring and nostalgic designs.
• Select wallpapers from responsible sources (recycled is best, FSC certified is a close second) and those printed with solvent-free water-based inks. Hand-printed wallpaper gives you an intimate bespoke alternative to the homogenous nature of digital printing.
• Search for low or no-VOC wallpaper options as these Volatile Organic Compounds can contribute to interior environment-related respiratory and allergic health problems. 
• High-VOC products to be avoided are those containing PVC, synthetic fire-retardants, self adhesive wallpapers and vinyl based water papers, often 'waterproof’ and ‘easy-clean’ products. Sometimes products that claim to protect us can introduce harmful and unnecessary elements into your home in the pocket of your good intentions. 
• Use a simple wallpaper paste that doesn't contain toxic chemicals - an effective wallpaper paste is basically clag - like the flour and water home made glue you used to make at school. Many natural recipes are available online to make at home or you can use a non-toxic adhesive option.

Stampeding horses by Florence Broadhurst - an enduring and dynamic design. 

Vintage 1970's photo mural in a contemporary bathroom. Good ventilation is important when using wall paper in a bathroom. 

A tired relief wallpaper is repaired and painted over to beautifully preserve the textural effect. 

Some handy links to Australian wallpaper companies with good eco-credentials:

• Wilding
• Dear Wood
• Origin Wallpaper
• Paper Hands
• Flashback Fabrics
• Cavalier Wallpapers
• Funky Wombat Textiles

The original content of this article was written by Megan Norgate for Green Magazine. Edited by Stephanie Ruddie and Megan Norgate.

westgarth house renovation

In Melbourne's inner-city Westgarth area, this grand old home is the definition of good bones with it's lofty ceilings, multiple bay windows and impressively wide proportions. Despite this, a previous renovation had created a kitchen and laundry that felt pokey, dysfunctional and was falling apart faster than the original home! And like many older homes - especially those with high ceilings, old windows and gappy floorboards - it was proving costly and inefficient to run.
Brave New Eco was engaged to design an interior renovation that would provide a better quality kitchen, family bathroom and laundry; feature generous storage throughout; and make energy efficient retrofit changes. Most importantly, the result needed to sit with the original features and be of the quality that a beautiful family home like this deserves. 

The kitchen cabinets were created with a mix of EO (zero emission) - rated laminate, hoop pine plywood and recycled Australian hardwoods. All of the timbers and plywoods were oiled using natural oils and tints.  Custom fabricated slim-line brass handles were created for all of the cabinets.

New locally-made brass and ceramic pendant lighting and high efficiency LED lighting were installed throughout. The entire interior was painted in low VOC paints and all timber finishes are recycled and oiled in naturally based oils. A graphic colour palette was used to create cohesion between the original and newer parts of the home and to provide a good base for the family's colourful collection of artwork and curiosities. 

We maximised the available space for the kitchen and laundry by reconfiguring the rooms. We removed a dividing wall separating the rooms and replaced it with a space saving double-sided cabinetry unit, then flipped the kitchen and laundry to give the kitchen direct outdoor access and installed a new glass door to allow more light in. The kitchen was opened up to the dining room, allowing better connection between the two spaces and a sightline from the dining to the garden.

Into the dining room went a new cosy window seat, with record storage underneath. Heavy backed 100% linen curtains throughout help keep the heat inside the house as the weather grows colder. Wall and ceiling insulation were added and efficient space heating was installed in the open-plan living area.

To reduce the waste involved in upgrading the kitchen, the old kitchen cabinets were re-purposed in another client's laundry fit-out. Appliances were re-used, and pull-out metal pantry shelves were re-used in the new cabinetry.
The kitchen is divided into two zones: the cooking and washing (wet/hot work) zone and the snacking/ drinking/ socialising zone where family members can make drinks and snacks without disturbing the person at the stove of sink. 

The long thin bathroom was reconfigured to create more circulation space and better functionality. A new shelf was added along the entire length of the bathroom to place useful things in easy reach. Handmade lighting, recycled timbers and vintage mirrors were chosen for their enduring details. 

And finally a few words about the project from our client, Rebecca Burdon:

"We wanted to transform our crafty old house into a much more comfortable and workable home. It is a Victorian house that had been renovated about 15 years ago by a builder/developer. The house had not been insulated and many shortcuts had been taken in the original renovation. Brave New Eco provided sustainable, practical, well designed solutions. (They have) excellent problem solving skills; great knowledge about options, suppliers and quality of different products; great relationships with tradesmen and great attention to detail and advice regarding finishes.
We're enjoying all aspects of our home more. It is far more comfortable to live in. Everything looks and works better. It's a pleasure just to be at home now."

new beginnings

Our new studio is a light filled, retrofitted space with easy access on to a deck overlooking Merri Creek. 

After four years running Brave New Eco from a studio at the Abbotsford Convent precinct we have moved on to new pastures.

We loved our beautiful lofty-ceilinged room with a view over the convent courtyard and of course being part of the convent community was a very special experience. We will miss the daily contact with the convent staff friends and those solid connections we made with other creative enterprises who call the Convent home, namely Cam's, Cone 11 ceramics, Urban Commons, C3, Zaishu, Kage, Easynow and Greencheck.

Why the move you ask?
Our business has grown substantially over the last year and our home at the convent was starting to become a little cramped. In the back of our minds we had started manifesting a new space for ourselves. We had a fairly strong set of criteria - the new space would need to have space for floor sitting and standing; be blessed with generous amounts of natural light; have direct access to the outdoors and needed to be an easy bike rides distance from my house.
Well, we found a new home that couldn't have been better suited to us if we had designed it from scratch ourselves.
Our new studio sits high over the Merri Creek overlooking CERES and is large, light, retrofit with sustainable technologies and has an acre of gardens and creek frontage to look out over.

It's a very exciting project with some new and some old friends. I will reveal more about what is happening here as the year goes on as for the moment we have only just moved in and are still unpacking boxes so to speak. But for now here is a sneak peek at this fantastic eco-design studio and hub.
 

brave new eco + friends

The Brave New Eco philosophy has always been to share our knowledge generously across as many different platforms we can.
And part of that approach has been writing and sharing my own knowledge on sustainable design topics. As well as appearing at various events and institutions as a guest speaker, I am a regular contributor on two publications at the forefront of the sustainability issue in Australia - namely Green Mag and Sanctuary Magazine. 
The investigations I have done for my most recent articles have given me a very strong sense of what an interesting, progressive and authentic community we belong to in the work we do. 

Late last year I was lucky enough to spend a few days staying at a fledgling permaculture farm under the stewardship of Milkwood alumni Fiona Craig. Three years ago Fiona (who was an urbanite to the core) bought 50 acres of degraded hilly land and moved there on her own to create a viable productive landscape and lifestyle for herself. 
What she has done in that time is remarkable and spending time on her property was truly inspiring. I saw a smart, wordly, creative woman happily engaged and fulfilled by her stewardship of the land and, despite the sometimes inhospitable nature of the landscape and weather, her life is steeped in a sense of abundance on both a community and personal level.
Whilst staying with Fiona I slept soundly in her loft bed on homemade organic hemp sheets in a romantic and beautifully converted stone cottage; I ate a feast of local pork with her partner/chef Michael and Stewart from the farmers larder (the local farmer who raised the pig); I walked all over the property seeing the piles of sandstone Fiona has dragged around by hand to edge garden beds; and over endless cups of tea I heard her visions for the future.  
More about this little story features in the January issue of Green Mag. 

I also connected last year with Margaret Burchett from the University of Technology Sydney about the broad-ranging and timely study the UTS Science department has conducted on the function and potential of plantlife in indoor environments. The results are quite remarkable and really highlight the potential of plant life as a deeply integrated part of our indoor environments and on a large scale. I have written about this and how to take care of your indoor plants in the latest issue of Sanctuary magazine. 

Finally, in early January, my mentors and friends at Milkwood ran a story on the work of Brave New Eco as part of their permaculture futures series. In this article you will find me talking about how I use the permaculture philosophy in my work in the built environment as well as the nuts and bolts of running a small business with an ethical framework.
A big thanks to Milkwood for the opportunity to reveal and be able to go in depth on a very important and slightly esoteric aspect of the Brave New Eco business model. 

If you are interested in reading through some of my past interviews and press articles have a look here.

Oh and for anyone who has a building project in the pipeline or looking for general advice on sustainable design options, this weekend you will find me and a plethora of other green home designers, architects and sustainability experts as we provide free advice to the public during 13 minute "dates" at this weekend's Speed Date a Sustainable Expert. Bookings essential.

a philosophical framework for design.

The design industry is rife with unnecessary waste and over-consumption.
BRAVE NEW ECO believes that good design can create beautiful, environmentally-resilient spaces that foster human health and happiness. We don't work with empty gestures - the changes we specify must have the substance and the style. This is not always easy, so we have done a lot of thinking about this, and using the Permaculture ethics and principles as our starting point have created a philosophical framework that guides our decision-making process and ensures positive outcomes.

BRAVE NEW ECO'S Design Objectives:

• Produce no waste and re-purpose other's waste

• Work with the surrounding environment

• Make the least change for the maximum ecological gain

• Co-operate - don’t compete - with existing elements

• Preserve, regenerate and extend what exists already

• Consume less of a greater quality

• Build and design for the entire life cycle

• Support sustainable products and manufacturing

• Future proof: design for diverse use and changing needs

• Consider embodied energy and life cycle assessment

• Design for resource scarcity

• Harvest and dispose of water on-site

• Generate energy on-site by renewable means

• Increase biological diversity

• Create physical environments beneficial for human health and psychological wellbeing

• Find solutions within problems

We WORK TOWARDS this by being:

Resourceful – Frugality is at the heart of our design approach. We make the least possible change for the biggest possible impact. We use what we have around us first and see potential in everything.

Analytical – We research and evaluate all of our designs and specifications for function, suitability and environmental impact. We understand the scientific, economic and ecological background behind our decisions.

Aesthetic – We are allergic to ugliness. It is impossible for us to create something ugly.

Holistic – We design in a social context. We are working to a bigger picture of how humans will live in the future. We integrate many diverse concerns in a single solution.

Generous – We are part of the solution. We share our knowledge openly. We seek constantly to understand how design can justify itself and support the environment while cultivating a better way of living.

OUR DESIGNS ARE:

·      Autonomous. They function with minimal input of materials and energy.

·      Adaptive. Can be changed over time to suit diverse uses, changing climate and technologies.

·      Engaging. They encourage human-to-human and human-to-nature interaction. It’s about being positive about the world we live in.

·      Organic. We favour materials that do not cause harm to humans or the environment.

·      Ecologically active. Our designs incorporate living ecologies and respond intimately to the surrounding environment.

THE BIG PICTURE STUFF:

·      Intergenerational equity. Using a minimum of resources so that future generations can prosper.

·      Humanity’s ecological imperative. Humans must embrace a more symbiotic role with nature and contribute to a healthy ecology.

·      Facilitating social change. By eradicating wasteful and inefficient use of resources we can reduce human consumption.

·      Empowerment and Education. We want to help households build resources and skills so they can adapt to change.

·      Economic security and feasibility. Designing for optimum efficiency provides protection from future scarcity of resources and increased costs.

the heating conundrum

Hydronic heating is a benign system of heating - good for indoor air health

Any inquiry into the most sustainable options for home heating is fraught with confusion and conjecture.
It is a difficult choice for today's homeowners because we want to invest in a system that will last a couple of decades, yet the landscape is changing rapidly in terms of the efficiency of heating technologies plus the cost and environmental impacts of energy supply choices.

There are so many pros and cons to every type of heating that in the end you need to decide what pros are the highest priority for you and what cons you can’t live with.
The ATA published an article by Alan Pears (environmental consultant and one of Australia's leading energy efficiency experts) on heating choices in Renew magazine in which he states in the opening paragraph:

“Achieving winter comfort in a way that is affordable, effective and environmentally sound is tricky….advising people on this topic is difficult and frustrating. I still can’t find the ‘ideal’ answer”

And more recently the ATA published this study "Are we still cooking with Gas?", comparing various cost/ benefit scenarios for heating and cooking with gas vs electric over different regions in Australia and in various scenarios (new homes, existing homes, etc). The conclusions the report draws are varied dependant on factors such as existing infrastructure and local supply costs.  So if you are feeling confused - don’t worry. So are the experts.

Basically, the only type of heating that has the potential to be 100% renewable is electric. 
However a high initial investment in a stand alone, hybrid or grid connect PV system is likely to be needed to achieve that. Or paying a higher purchase price for 100% green power and incurring high costs in the short term, until renewable electricity prices fall.

At the other end of the spectrum the most benign system for indoor air health is hydronic style heating.
Radiant heating is the healthiest type of indoor heating and I would argue in most situations the most effective, (in terms of the occupants comfort). Currently electric radiant options (oil heaters, panel heaters) are vastly less efficient than gas ones, although some pioneer households are installing evacuated tube systems to partially run hydronic heating, however the effectiveness of this in various climate zones across australia is yet to be measured accurately.In the end you have to make a very personal decision based on what your priorities are, the way you use heating and live in your space and what the thermal capacity and limitations are of your home.
Here are a couple of ideas to consider about your space:

If one part of your home is newer and more thermally efficient, use space heating to heat this area and separate it from the rest of the home.
All heating will perform better with better sealing and insulation. Your money should always go there first. With good pump in options for cavity walls and numerous under floor and roof insulation system available, this should be the first thing you do in an uninsulated existing home, and can probably be achieved for around $12,000 for an average size home with reasonable access. It is very important the reputable experienced installers do this job, as badly installed insulation will have little benefit and can do damage to your building. That action alone will save you more on heating bills than anything else.
Any type of ducted heating or cooling creates large holes in your rooms thermal envelope, that will leak heat and cool air when not being used.

Although I adore the ambience of an open fire, I would forget about wood burning unless you have your own coppice forest, if you do then it is a great idea. If your going to burn wood, use a slow combustion burner combined with an inbuilt or overhead fan. Open fireplaces do an excellent job of heating the atmosphere and not much inside the home.

Every company out there will say their heating is the most efficient. It’s not true.

Below are some of the pros and cons of various heating types to use when deciding which is right for your particular living situation.

PROS: GAS HEATING AND COOKING
• Good options for radiant heat, which is more effective in open-plan spaces or draughty/ poorly insulated/ high ceilinged spaces.
• Radiant heating from hydronic or power-flued gas fireplaces is less aggravating to asthma or allergy sufferers as it does not circulate dust and indoor pollutants
• Gas is relatively cheap for the time being (this is not likely to last)
• Gas appliances are generally well tested technology with long lifetimes
• Balanced or power flued gas heater have zero interior emissions
• Heat shifting ducts can be used to move space heating to bedrooms of other parts of the building
• Gas cooking provides instant heat adjustments which is preferred by many cooks
• Radiant heating can provide a focal point in a room and create ambience
• Radiant heat can be stored by high mass objects in the room, meaning the heat is retained for longer after the heater is turned off.

CONS: GAS HEATING
• Gas is a polluting fuel source contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, especially when produced from coal seams
• Gas prices will increase in years to come, either to cover the cost of increased demand leading to increased infrastructure or from less demand from more people leaving the gas network.
• In new houses the cost of running gas through the building is high
• Connection to the gas network incurs fixed ongoing costs.
• Un-flued or chimney flued gas heaters are a safety hazard and release by-products of combustion into the room
• Gas heaters must be regularly serviced to ensure safety and optimum performance
• The ducting in ducted gas central heating is subject to massive heat losses and is prone to damage potentially wasting huge amounts of energy.

PROS: ELECTRIC HEATING AND COOKING
• Can be powered by 100% renewable sources, either from purchasing wind power or an onsite renewable energy source.
• Easily zoned and provides instantaneous heat, only the space in which it is needed
• If auxiliary cooling is required then the heating unit can provide this as well reduce up front costs
• If hot water, cooking and heating is electric then you can disconnect form the gas network and save on fixed charges
• The air filters in reverse cycle units can remove pollutants from the indoor air, increases the indoor air quality when cleaned regularly
• There are now floor console reverse cycle units that produce the heat where it is needed
• The potential to go off the grid and use battery back up to provide all of your electricity needs would mean avoiding ongoing fixed electricity provider costs.
• Induction cookers are efficient, quick to heat and cook and easy to clean

CONS ELECTRIC HEATING AND COOKING
• Reverse cycle heating efficiency drops off significantly in very cold weather
• Reverse cycle used significant loads of standby power keeping a 100W element warm constantly
• Radiant/ resistive electric heating is 3-6 times less efficient than reverse cycle, and only suitable for short bursts of heat such as in bathrooms
• The air filters in reverse cycle are often not cleaned regularly which leads to a drop off in efficiency and a decrease in indoor air quality
• The convective heat generated by reverse cycle can aggravate asthma and allergy conditions by moving dust around and drying out the indoor air.
• Connection to the electricity network incurs fixed ongoing costs
• Smart metering technology allows electricity to be charged at constantly fluctuating rates according to peak use-age, so it will potentially become the most expensive when heating and cooling needs are highest
• The up front cost of PV installation is high, and the feed in tariff is low so to offset your electricity usage financially a very high capacity system could be necessary.
• Solar PV production is at it lowest when usage is at its peak, and due do the difference between the purchase price for electricity and the buy back price you must generate more than what you use to offset your costs financially or have significant battery storage to cover the low periods.

In summary, one of the things I aim to do in my ESD consultations for households is help homeowners indentify what type of heating will be the most effective and efficient for their particular living situation. The reason third party advice is so beneficial is because it is independent of a sales objective, and further than that, a human to human assessment means I am able to factor in all the subtle observations about the way the home is used, the inhabitants future plans and personal preferences.

the comeback curtain

Window furnishings are the nerds that no one wants to invite to the energy efficient house party. Curtains have had a bad rep for the last few years as natural light and indoor-outdoor connection drive home design. Our windows are getting larger relative to interior spaces and to cover them we often use blind systems that do very little to thermally seal your windows. Many ‘eco’ houses are designed around walls of glass with no thought given to hanging window coverings on them. There is a common misconception among consumers that double-glazing is a replacement for curtains. Double-glazing is an almost essential building element in this day and age, but it will not work to its optimum to thermally protect you home unless combined with high quality window furnishings. 

Good window coverings are an excellent way to increase the energy efficiency of existing homes and new buildings. The humble curtain is set to make a big comeback. If you are sitting in a warm room at night between an uncovered window and your heating source it is likely you will feel a chill, as you are sitting the middle of a draught created by the interior heat making a beeline for the cool exterior. Properly fitted and lined curtains and window treatments are the best way to avoid this effect and to slow down interior heat loss. They also work to reduce heat gain in summer; however shading the glass externally is the better way to achieve this. 

However, not all window treatments have a beneficial thermal effect, they must be designed, constructed and hung a certain way to work. If you are wondering if your sheer curtains have any insulating qualities, imagine standing in the snow in a sheer nightdress and you will have your answer. The curtains/blinds must create a seal over the window so that a layer of warm air can become trapped in between the curtain and the glass. If the curtains hang in front of the window with gaps at the base and top it will become a passive cooling system, sucking warm air from the upper part of the room down beside the cool glass and pushing it out the bottom freshly cooled.

4  WAYS TO CHECK IF YOUR CURTAINS WILL SLOW HEAT LOSS:

1. The are fully lined with 3 pass thermal lining.

2. They touch the floor.

3. They  wrap around at the sides to the wall. (Use track rather than rod and ring hanging systems.)

4. They are sealed at the top by a pelmet. These can be timber, fabric, or invisible (achieved by resting a piece of lightweight timber along the track mounts between the wall and the curtain).

THERMALLY EFFECTIVE BLINDS:

1. Thermally lined roman blinds that sit against the window frame and make a reasonable seal.

2. If you have deep timber reveals or window frames and can mount a blind against the glass and inside the frame of the window then block out roller blinds and honeycomb blinds can be effective, but these must have a snug fit! You can tell if they are sealed at all sides, bottom and top by the amount of light getting in around the edges.

5 TIPS FOR CURTAINS THAT LOOK GOOD:

1. Have them reach the floor: Curtains half way down the wall look like a man with suit pants that are too short. Also mount them at least 200mm above the window (or from the ceiling) so it looks balanced.

2. Pick your fabrics carefully as curtains are a long-term investment. Make sure you don't pick something that will date in 5 years as hopefully they will last at least 10-15 with good care. 

3. If you don’t want to feature them, match the fabric to the wall colour, they will blend in and disappear.

4. Make sure you allow enough room to stack back the curtains off the window so you don’t block any views or light when they are drawn back.

5. Get expert advice. Badly made curtains and poorly fitting blinds draw attention to themselves. Interior designers and decorators often offer you good discounts that mean that you pay less for your curtains and blinds and all of the stress of figuring out what will work and look good is taken care of. Brave New eco specialises in custom curtains and blinds in a range of sustainable, natural fibre and hand printed fabrics by local designers.