September 04, 2024

The Impact of Building Material Choices on Indoor Air Quality: Creating Healthier Indoor Spaces

September 04, 2024/ Eva Rooks

hen we think about the comfort of our homes or workplaces, indoor air quality (IAQ) often isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. We’re quick to consider aesthetics, energy efficiency, or even layout, but the air we breathe inside these spaces, which plays a crucial role in our well-being is often ignored. With most people spending about 90% of their time indoors, IAQ can directly affect our health, mood, and productivity. And here’s the kicker: the materials used in your building or renovation project can make or break your indoor air quality.

At Small Planet Supply, we believe that creating healthier indoor environments starts with smarter choices in building materials. Let’s dive into how you can make those choices to improve your IAQ and, ultimately, your quality of life.

July 05, 2024

Comparing Two Natural Insulation Materials: Thermacork vs. Havelock Wool

July 05, 2024/ Eva Rooks

In the field of sustainable building, choosing the right insulation material can significantly impact the environment, the overall performance of a structure and the carbon footprint.

Two standout natural insulation options are available through Small Planet Supply: ThermaCork expanded cork insulation and wool insulation from Havelock Wool. Both offer unique benefits, yet they cater to different needs and preferences. Let's delve into a comparison of these two innovative products to help you make an informed decision.

December 05, 2020

Small Planet Tips for An Environmentally Lighter Holiday Season

December 05, 2020/ Eva Rooks

December is a time we associate with friends, family and giving. In the pursuit of creating a time of year we’ll always remember, it can be easy to forget about the environmental impact of our celebrations. Did you know that Americans throw away 25% more waste between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day than in the other part of the year? That equates to about one million extra tons of trash per week![1]

In this last month of the year, we thought we’d share some tips to make your holidays easier on the environment and share some photos of the little people and animals who bless our lives. We’re saving our holiday wishes for the very end of the article.

October 12, 2020

A Retro Retrofit: Improving Efficiency in an Older Home

October 12, 2020/ Eva Rooks

With all of our focus on innovative, energy-saving equipment at Small Planet Supply, it was a total surprise that the house Albert Rooks (Small Planet Supply) and I recently purchased in Olympia was a 1938 home. While we would love to say it was the structure we fell in love with, it was probably the gardens that made us feel like we had found a new place to land in Washington state.

August 06, 2020

Strategies for a Healthy Home Office or School Space

August 06, 2020/ Eva Rooks

With COVID-19 still having an impact across the US and Canada, it is likely that working and schooling at home will continue for many people. As a result, you may be considering an upgrade to your current home office or school set-up to improve your productivity -- like a new ergonomic office chair, more storage, or noise cancelling headphones!

But did you know that one of the most important contributors to productivity is actually your indoor air quality? New studies from Harvard’s public health department, SUNY Upstate Medical University and Syracuse University have found that improved indoor environmental quality doubled occupants’ cognitive function test scores. Focusing on the air that you and your children breathe can help transform your home into a great productivity tool!

February 26, 2020

Air is the New Water

February 26, 2020/ Eva Rooks

Remember the good old days when you could drink water from a stream? You don’t? Neither do I! Anyone who has any familiarity with drinking water contamination knows that just because the water in a stream may look crystal clear, there can be all sorts of bacteria, viruses and other contaminants that can cause illness. So why is it taking so long to recognize that we need to be concerned about the air we breathe and have a plan for ensuring our buildings provide clean, fresh air?

February 01, 2020

Designing Healthy Building Assemblies Using ThermaCork - Or, How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Cork

February 01, 2020/ Josh Palmer

In this blog post, Small Planet Supply’s Josh Palmer explains how builders and homeowners can confidently use cork in their building assemblies.

If you’re someone whose fallen in love with natural properties of ThermaCork but are unsure whether you can use it to insulate your home, then this blog post is for you! As we’ve outlined in previous blog posts, cork has been used for hundreds of years as an insulation material and ThermaCork is composed of 100% cork, is carbon-negative and has no chemicals added in production. Builders and homeowners who are considering cork may worry whether using cork as insulation puts them at risk for developing mold. The simple answer is no, if the wall assembly is done correctly. More details about mold, mold prevention and correct wall assembly are outlined in this blog post.

December 16, 2019

The Intersection of Healthy and High Efficiency Building

December 16, 2019/ Eva Rooks

Recently Albert Rooks and I went to California to participate in a presentation to a builder about Hayward Home Score and energy-efficient building with Hayward Score Founder Bill Hayward and Healthy Building Scientist Joe Medosch. Hayward Home Score helps homeowners identify major issues in their homes that can impact their health and gives them personalized actionable recommendations to remedy them. Their further work, The Five Principles of a Healthy Home, provide specific guidelines on how to have the healthiest home possible.

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