Why I Want to Build as Green as Possible (a.k.a. I Really, Really HATE Regular Insulation)

Here's where I get a little soapbox-y/rant-y, etc. Please bear with me.

I wasn't always the most "environmentally aware," back in the day. Fortunately, that changed as I grew up. I started recycling, cutting up six-pack holders so critters wouldn't get trapped, etc. I'm not the best at it, but I try. I lived in Germany for 15 months, where it is the LAW to recycle. They made it so easy over there- I am proud to be American, I love this country, but we could really take a page or two from the Germans regarding recycling, automobiles, and road conditions.

Aaaanyway, I was aware of "green building," but it wasn't something I really considered until Hurricane Ike hit in 2008. I was on the verge of remarriage, and my daughter and I had recently moved out of Mom #1's and Dad #2's rental home and in with who is now Wonderful Husband; the three of us rented an apartment about a mile from the parentals. We weren't quite ready to do it, financially speaking, but it really turned out for the best, because of that bastard known as Ike.

That summer was pretty rough for my family. My work situation was not the best, and my maternal grandmother was dying. We buried her about a week before Ike hit. We were in our apartment, Dad #2 was out of the country, seeing his mother because her health wasn't so great, and Mom #1 was in the house, which was located in Sugar Land.

I know, I know... you're thinking "But Sugar Land is so far inland. How could Hurricane Ike do what it did?" Tornado, dear readers. It was a small one, but it hit the roof of the house, while Mom was in there. She finally decided to get out when water started pouring through the light fixtures and electrical outlets; the ceiling started collapsing just as she got out the front door. She tried to make it to the next door neighbors', but the wind kept knocking her down. She managed to get in her car, which was parked in the driveway, where she rode out the storm. I gotta tell ya, a 2001 BMW 325i convertible handled Ike better than the house. Not a single drop of water made it in that car!

We rescued Mom the next morning, and got into the house a day or so later, I think (it kind of blurs together at this point- we were all shaken and raw after everything we'd been through), to see what could be salvaged. Oh, the damage...

You can see where the tornado hit

I think this was either the master

bedroom or the foyer ceiling



 I can't get the damn pictures to line up right. Sigh. This irritates the nit-picky Virgo...

Anyway, you get the idea.



Piles of sheetrock and insulation
by the front door. :(



I put on my hiking boots, gathered garbage bags and work gloves, and got to it. I guess it was about 30-45 minutes later when I noticed weird, black, crumbly streaks all over the (previously beige) carpet. I didn't know what the hell was causing that, until a short time later when I realized that the wet insulation was eating away the soles of my hiking boots, I shit you not (sorry, I have a filthy mouth). They were flapping around and then were completely off my boots within a couple of hours. So I thought, damn, look what this does to hiking boots! What the hell does it do to our bodies???? I'll tell you what it does- it causes breathing problems, skin problems, and G-d knows what else. I made a trip to the ER a couple of days later, after another trek through the disaster, because I was having a hard time breathing. I needed two nebulizer treatments just to feel well enough to leave with an inhaler in tow.

This experience really made me think (even more) about the impact this type of construction has on the environment and people; I decided to start searching for alternatives- surely they had to be out there!?



Did you know that you can recycle denim and make insulation? Shred those blue jeans! There is even some kind of foam, made from soybeans, that can be used to insulate your home, and I know there are other options as well. I told myself that if I ever had the option to build, I would build as green as possible, so I could provide a healthy home for myself and my family, and help make the world a better place.