Green Talk

Photo courtesy of Terra Cabinets

(Note: this is part three of a series on Do You Get A Headache When You Walk Into Your Closet?)

Terra Cabinets located in New Jersey was started by a brother and sister team combining twenty five years of experience in the cabinetmaking field.  They pride themselves on their social and environmental practices at their company.  Their company is socially diverse, workers are paid a living wage, and they source their materials locally to be in compliance with LEED standards. 

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Photo courtesy of California Closets

(Note this is Part 2 of a series on “Do You Get A Headache When You Walk Into Your Closet?“)

I was recently reading an article in Good Housekeeping about a NYC architect, who remodeled his townhouse using many green materials.  What caught my eye is that the family used California Closets to create and install their closet systems.  I nearly dropped off my seat.  California Closets, who is well known for all of their storage solutions for the home and garage, is producing green storage systems??  

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Just searching for my clothes in the morning can give me a headache.  I can never find where I put anything.  Does this sound like you?  Thinking about remodeling your closet with a closet system that can take that “where did I put those shoes I need for today” frustration out of the way?  Don’t replace your lack of organization with a new problem caused by a closet system that contain urea-formaldehyde.

Most closet systems are made of particleboard, which is an engineered product made of wood waste. Its core is bonded together with a urea-formaldehyde resin, and overlaid with a melamine exterior. So how is a harmless closet system with formaldehyde going to harm me? 

“Formaldehyde, a colorless, pungent-smelling gas, can cause watery eyes, burning sensations in the eyes and throat, nausea, and difficulty in breathing in some humans exposed at elevated levels (above 0.1 parts per million). High concentrations may trigger attacks in people with asthma. There is evidence that some people can develop sensitivity to formaldehyde. It has also been shown to cause cancer in animals and may cause cancer in humans. Health effects include eye, nose, and throat irritation; wheezing and coughing; fatigue; skin rash; severe allergic reactions. May cause cancer. May also cause other effects listed under ‘organic gases.’ EPA’s Integrated Risk Information System Profile.Many houses today are built tighter for energy efficiency.  In addition, our houses contain furniture, shelving, insulation, and cabinets which all contain formaldehyde increasing our exposure to formaldehyde.  “All wood has some naturally occurring formaldehyde. But more formaldehyde is added to composite wood in the form of certain resins, which are used to bind wood particles together,” according to April 2007 news release of  The California Air Resource Board.   So you ask, what is a girl going to do now? 

Are there Green Closets Systems Out there?

Yes Virginia there are indeed three green closet companies that I have encountered in the last couple of years: Stor-X, California Closets, and Terra Cabinets. Over this week, I will be featuring a post on each of these closet companies. Up first is Stor-x, so hang on to your nonplastic hangers…

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