A GREEN BATHROOM REMODEL
Are you planning a bathroom remodel? How about a green bathroom remodel? It is one of the most used rooms in the home and it’s a room that your guests are almost guaranteed to see.
 It’s also the room that your guests will spend time in alone. For this reason, it’s important to have a great looking, efficient bathroom. And making your remodel "green" is, well, the right thing to do. Planning a green bathroom remodel means you should consider the overall picture and make sure you have the time and money to do everything that you have in mind. But take heart ... there are lots of inexpensive projects that can help you improve the look and function of the bathroom, be greener and save money. Designing for longevity is central to the issue of sustainability. A well designed green bathroom remodel means less maintenance and fewer repairs. It can even postpone the need for costly future remodels. While you're thinking and planning, the bathroom designs featured on this site might just be the spark you need! And, following are some ideas for your green bathroom remodel that can save you big bucks now and over the years. • Replace your toilets with a low-flow, energy efficient one:
If the toilets in your home are pre-mid-nineties, consider installing new low-flow ones to save on your water bills or possibly even adding a composting toilet. If every home in America replaced their old toilet with a new high efficiency one, nearly a trillion gallons of water would be saved each year! That's enough for over 10 million flushes, says the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). That's a real green bathroom remodel! All new toilets are now 'low-flow' toilets by law and they can use no more than 1.6 gallons of water per flush. Prior to 1994, most toilets used at least 3.5 gallons, or about 20 gallons of water per person per day. The reality today is; some low-flow models work well, others don't. The reason? To comply with the federal regulations on toilets' water use, some manufacturers in the beginning reduced the volume of water that discharges from the tank, without making the necessary incoming design adjustments. Today, most manufacturers have improved the performance of many models but, as stated, some haven't.
Click HERE for a FREEBIE ... a way you might be able to get a low-flow (or, technically, a lower-flow) toilet for free! Not all older toilets can take advantage of this tip, but if yours is one of those this will work on, this green bathroom remodel can have you saving money on your next water bill! • Can a countertop be black and green at the same time?
Products like Vetrazzo, (right) are entirely made from recycled glass and each, obviously, is unique. Most are smooth and flat, but some are slightly bumpy, which, for some, adds to the appeal. The look is new and unusual, with a depth and sparkle not available in other counter surfaces, and the rule about blues being more expensive does not apply, as all colors are basically the same.Comparable in strength, scratch resistance, thermal resistance, durability, and care and maintenance to granite, this product can be used wherever granite or other natural stone surfaces would be used for your green bathroom remodel. . Its made by combining recycled glass with a binder of cement, additives, pigments and other recycled materials. Note that these are not user friendly, meaning Vetrazzo does not sell directly to homeowners. You'll have to go through a dealer.
• How about a burlap, canvas and wood flour floor?
Linoleum, a resilient floor covering made of burlap, canvas, or felt and surfaced with a composition of (if you can believe it) wood flour, oxidized linseed oil, gums, other ingredients, and coloring. A green bathroom remodel you can almost eat! You can see in the image (left) the layers are pressed together to make this product. English rubber manufacturer, Frederick Walton, patented linoleum in 1863, replacing Kamptulicon (camp-TUL-ékon), a costly rubber composition. In the manufacture of linoleum, linseed oil is exposed to the air in a succession of thin films until it's a rubbery consistency, and then ground and mixed with pulverized wood and other ingredients. Because it's made of organic materials and is purportedly non-allergenic in nature, high quality linoleum is widely used in many places like non-allergenic homes, hospitals and health care facilities. So, its good for the environment, is healthy, easy and inexpensive to install. Hmmmmmmmm. • Paint your bathroom green!
Not green paint! GREEN paint! Environmentally friendly paint. Paint that's eco-friendly. Non-toxic paint. And there are many, many choices for a truly green bathroom remodel out there.According to the EPA, the concentration of pollutants inside your home is several times higher than what you’ll find outside. Without proper ventilation, airborne chemicals collect indoors and eventually cause damage to our bodies. Headaches, dizziness, fatigue, asthma, cancer, and heart disease are all potential side effects of indoor air pollution. Although the contamination cannot be attributed to any single source, paint and paint-related chemicals play a significant role inside a typical home. Conventional paints often contain heavy metals (lead, mercury, cadmium), insecticides, bactericides, mold inhibitors, binding agents, and formaldehyde. Your green bathroom remodel should maybe start here. New environmental regulations plus consumer demand have led to the development of low-VOC and zero-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints and finishes. Most paint manufacturers now produce one or more non-VOC variety of paint. These new paints are durable, cost-effective and less harmful to human and environmental health. And ... really, a green bathroom remodel should use these products. • Replace your faucets with water-saving alternatives Good low-flow or water-saving faucets and showerheads deliver what feels like full-volume water. They provide equal or better performance than conventional fixtures, while saving water costs, water heating costs, sewage costs, and more. Low-flow showerheads that are designed to federal standards (2.5 gpm at 80 psi) incorporate a narrower spray area and a greater mix of air and water than conventional showerheads. You now can even buy faucets that automatically shut off at pre-set times, are hands free, meaning they come on as your hand moves under them and are temperature set to deliver a pre-set temp each time they're turned on. Some new bathroom faucets are even installed with foot and leg controls just like the doctors use! There are atomizers that deliver water in small but abundant droplets to cover larger surface areas, pulsators that vary spray patterns with pauses between spurts or by pulsating between strong flow and light mist, aerators that mix water droplets with air to cover the desired surface area and regulators that can be set to reduce or stop the water flow when the homeowner needs (for shampooing, lathering, etc.). Living green means conserving water
wisely throughout the home.
Find out how. • Finally, overview your bathroom and see what you can improve on.Green materials and ecological design are the cutting edge ways to implement sound health and hygiene practices, ensuring that clean water, clean air and healthy environments remain available for everyone. Your bathroom is a great place to start getting green!
1. For an updated version of a classic look, look into recycled glass, ceramic or porcelain tiles for the walls—now available in every color and sheen imaginable. You even have the option of choosing eco-friendly caulk!2. Of course you should opt for environmentally friendly countertops. There are new products and materials coming on the market all the time. 3. For vanities and cabinets, avoid materials like particle board that contain formaldehyde. Instead, seek out sustainably harvested woods or rapidly renewable materials like bamboo, wheat straw, or sunflower plants bound with resins free of volatile organic compounds. 4. Effective ventilation makes for a more enjoyable and healthier bathroom. Operable windows and good ventilation systems are a good way to keep fresh air circulating through the space. 5. Consider what will flow out with the water as it leaves the bathroom. Live in compliance with your commitment to a clean environment and your green bathroom remodel by thinking about the use and disposal of cleaning and body care products before you buy them. 6. Think about low flow faucets for both the sink and the showerhead. As listed above, this is a great way to save money while helping to save the planet. 7. If you don't like linoleum, there's other flooring choices to consider. Ceramic tile is less prone to damage from moisture, and its negative impact on the environment during the manufacturing process is low. Also, there's finished bamboo, which will give your floor a new, edgy look. 8. A low flow toilet (as described above) might be your first consideration, as the savings are there immediately and will continue. If you have a home built in this century, however, you may just have the right one already. 
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