Blogs & Ecology

I have never understood why the Environmental Protection Agency is in charge of the Energy Star rating system; it is not as if the American government really believes that Carbon Dioxide is a problem, and yet in the interest of reducing fossil fuel use the EPA suggests that everybody seal their houses tight as a drum to reduce heat loss or gain. By not insisting on some form of ventilation system, the EPA is probably poisoning people with Energy Star. But nobody cares about air quality and health in America, only about the price of gas.

Artist Paul Villinski has done a fab refab of a prefab, stripping out the guts of a 30' Gulfstream Cavalier FEMA Trailer of all formaldehyde-contaminated materials and rebuilding it with recycled denim insulation, reclaimed wood floors and bamboo cabinetry.

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Image from factoryseashell

Researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that Katrina trailers emitted four to eleven times as much formaldehyde as one might get in conventional housing. There are rules restricting the amount of formaldehyde that can be emitted in mobile homes, but not in wheeled trailers. According to the Washington Post:

As we know courtesy of FEMA's optimization experiments, Formaldehyde exposure is not a good thing. It gets worse; a new study links it to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease. As we know courtesy of the Environmental Protection Agency, energy efficiency is a good thing, which is why they promote

RVs and recreational trailers are designed to be as light as possible; they are also often engineered to be as cheap as possible. Consequently they are built out of luan plywoods, thin particle boards, plastics and vinyls, full of formaldehyde, phthalates and fire retardants. As John noted earlier, they are also small, with a lot of interior surface area for the volume enclosed, and are baked at high temperatures in the southern sun.

Exactly like the toxic FEMA trailers....

TreeHugger has seen its fair share of transforming tables, but in our quest for objects that allows us to get more from less, this one offers a new trick. Rather than folding down or folding up (?), this one splits right down the middle, adding surface area and increasing capacity. Two rolling carts slide into either side, offering a spot for storage and serving. When the table is closed, they roll off into the corner and out of the way. Smart.

Last year John did a recipe of the week for optimizing formaldehyde exposure:

1. take small aluminum box;
2. fill with particleboard, composites, glues, carpet, luon plywood liner;
3. stuff tightly with jobless Katrina refugees with nowhere to go;
4. cook at high heat in southern sun until done.

Last year John did a recipe of the week for optimizing formaldehyde exposure:

1. take small aluminum box;
2. fill with particleboard, composites, glues, carpet, luon plywood liner;
3. stuff tightly with jobless Katrina refugees with nowhere to go;
4. cook at high heat in southern sun until done.