Building Science and Mold

If we are going to talk about mold, we are going to need to also discuss the formidable subject of Building Science. Yes, get out your pens and paper, we will be diving into some interesting subjects as we debunk a few myths such as the strong belief that mold is only found in older homes. Not true! Many more new homes are affected than you might believe. Why? Because until recently no one - including builders - understood the relationship between the building itself and the health of the people within it. Eventually buildings (and the people in them) got sicker and sicker until finally someone began putting it all together.

The conclusion? Technology is both the problem and the solution. The advancement of having air-conditioning caused many problems within residential and commercial buildings - and attempting to reduce the cost of the heating and air-conditioning made the problem even worse. But if technology and lack of awareness created the problem, then technology with awareness can help correct it. Over the next few weeks, we will be looking at these issues in greater detail. Until then, keep smiling and keep a healthy home!

Mold Forum Launches at HHE

One of the reasons I created this blog was to give support to people who are suffering from environmental illnesses, specifically those rising from mold in the home. One thing that I have learned is that people who are working through a mold related illness need a lot of support. And support for a condition that is not recognized by the medical community is hard to get. I'm not a doctor and don't offer medical advice, but I think that it is important for people to be able to share information about a condition that can be challenging physically, mentally, and emotionally. Whenever possible, we will try to get your questions answered.

Water for Life Sponsors Annual 10K

Water for Life will once again be sponsoring water stations for the annual Charles Harris Run for Leukemia. This race has been held for the last 27 years and is one of the last qualifying races for the Atlanta Peachtree Road Race. Attracting over 1500 participants, many of them world-class runners, this race is considered to be one of the premiere 10K races of the season.
This race was originated by Chuck Harris, the son of Charles Harris - a former UGA track and football star, educator and principal of Shamrock High School (now Shamrock Middle School). Water for Life will be providing pure drinking water for the runners at five different locations: the start and finish line of the race, the three and five mile markers, and the Shamrock Gym location. Proceeds from this race will go to the Emory University Hospital Leukemia Research program.

Says Pete Van Cleave, President of Water for Life, "We are honored to support this worthy cause - medicine has come a long way since leukemia claimed the life of Charles Harris thirty years ago. We like to think that we are doing our part by providing these athletes not only with refreshment, but with a product that is absolutely pure."

The Charles Harris Run for Leukemia will be held at 7:00AM on February 24th beginning at Tucker High School and ending at Shamrock Middle School. There is also a one-mile run at Shamrock Middle School starting at 7:45. Online registration for this race goes through February 21st. Race packets are available at the Phidippides stores in Ansley and Sandy Springs, or the Fleet Feet stores in Sandy Springs or Duluth.

Getting Started with Healthy Home Environments

Welcome to the new Healthy Home Environments blog! We are developing this area as a way for people to post questions, comments and concerns regarding indoor air quality, water quality, construction practices and more. We are assembling a terrific team of experts to answer any questions and to comment on different topics.

As the moderator, I will be filling in the gaps, adding new posts and articles regularly, so bookmark our site for the latest on things related to improving your indoor environment. I welcome any comments or suggestions for ways that we could improve the site. Our goal is to help distribute helpful information that homeowners can really use. We want to educate the public on how buildings function as a system, and how keeping that system healthy can improve the health and well being of everyone living in the home.

I hope to hear from you soon!