Cob Carpet where no carpet's been before

[Yvonne Vana]

-----Original Message-----
From: doug a scofield <doug_scof at juno.com>
To: coblist at deatech.com <coblist at deatech.com>
Date: Sunday, August 16, 1998 7:13 PM
Subject: Re: Cob Carpet where no carpet's been before


>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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Doug, and wife,
I agree with your concerns re:air polutants.  I have lupus and severe
asthma, so my family and I are very careful what we use in our home , and
also what we wear, and the sinsitivities I have with the characteristics of
the concerns we have.
Not all of the products, bi-products of modern technologies.  We also seek
out green living, products to avoid similar symptoms..
We are living in the pacific northwest also, and are striving to build a cob
structure without gas
emmiting products. So far in design only phase and are researching very
carefully all options regarding building, and furniture and tiles  etc.
So I value your concerns and opinions along these lines. re:cob building..
Yvonne Vana