Cob Carpet where no carpet's been before

[doug a scofield]

Just a comment about using "used carpet", old newspapers and old   tires
for building materials:

	I read all these posts about re-using this or that, and my most
frequent response is . . . "Hey, not me!"   We have taken great pains to
get RID of all that kind of "stuff" out of our house. 

	We (my wife and I) are interested in COB. We take an interest in
recycled materials. We believe in the "sustainable" lifestyle.  We
disdain the waste of modern technologies.

	We also disdain the toxic chemicals that modern technology has
put into the many products out there. Due to my wife's many health
problems, we have changed our lifestyle so that we now use mostly
natural, and simple things for everything we do. This has helped to
reduce indoor pollution. We have come to the conclusion that the indoor
air quality is one very vital consideration for home design.
	 Once you have built a home, you will not want to discover (by
getting sick, or by causing one of your family members to get sick) that
you need to re-build or refurbish the home to help solve health problems.
If I were building a home for my family using COB and other
earth-friendly techniques, I would not use newpaper in the walls, nor
would I use carpet for insulation. These might be OK for a shed or other
outbuilding - especially if the air is never trapped inside. Even though
COB breathes, I would always wonder, if my wife's problems were to worsen
again, that such potential pollutants might in fact be the cause.  When
chronic illness sets in due to pollution that weakened the body's
internal energy, no amount of monetary savings makes this bad decision
(to allow pollution when other non-polluting options were available)
worth it. 
	Although my wife is not completely well, she is feeling better
than she was a few years ago. Beginning about six years ago, we
eliminated from our house the following stuff (and with only a few
exceptions, none of them have drifted back into our home):

-   Newspaper (formaldehyde in the ink)
-   carpet (formaldehyde in the fibers, glue in the backing - foam
backing is also emitting toxins - carpets harbor bacteria, mold and bugs)
-   vinyl stuff (furniture, linoleum, etc - these give a continual
release of toxic gases, especially when the temperature is warm - as the
material "gasses off" it becomes brittle.
-   foam rubber (the foam from the 1960s might be OK, but the stuff they
make now is quite toxic, according to the books we have read)
-   polyester and acrylic (clothing made from these really bothers my
wife - she can actually feel pain at the finger tips when her fingers
touch it)
-   plywood, chipboard and wafer board (the glue in these is toxic) 

I would add to this list things we refuse to use in any future indoor
projects:
	- wood stain (oil-based)
	- varnish (we use shellac instead)
	- foam sealers (they come in a spray can)
	- latex or acrylic indoor paint
	- fiberglass insulation

	I would not say I would never have an ounce of any of these items
in my house, but I would say that, if we are dreaming of an ideal,
earth-friendly, sustainable housing solution, we ought not allow for
compromise to our own health - illness is far from ideal.  I'm glad none
of you suffer the way my wife has, but the warning I give here is that
you don't want to find out the hard way, either.
	 I submit that we all should take care of ourselves by furnishing
for ourselves a home that  we can proudly say shelters our body from not
only the rain, wind, sun, cold, dust, bugs, animals, and other such
"natural problems", but it also shelters our inner body from chemical
clutter, junk, carcinogens, parasites, and other "health robbers" coming
from modern technology's "advances". As my wife says: " Once you lose
your good health - and suffer the pain of  chronic illness - you will
wish you weren't so foolish to think that you were tough enough to endure
the pollution".   
	

By the way, we never had old tires in our house, but I would not have one
as a part of a home built for my family. Old tires crack - they must be
emittng gases as they decompose. Maybe it's not much toxic gas all at
once, but I don't like the idea of adding toxins to our indoor
environment. The human bodies emit toxins into the air during the course
of normal life; why add more? 

If we ever do get a chance to build with COB (I hope so, some day) I want
good air in my good house.  Here in the Northwest, the answer is not
simply to leave the door open.  

My list (above) is not comprehensive. We got rid of much more  typical
American "stuff". This is getting off the topic of COB, so I will not
elaborate more on this. It is an interesting subject; anyone interested
can email me at:          doug_scof at juno.com

Proverbs 3:7   Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart
from evil.
Proverbs 3:8   It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. 

--- Scripture shows the Lord cares about health.  It is a reward to be
sought after.--

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