.How to Ensure your Garage is Eco-Friendly
Guest Blogger #534, Entry #1206, May 22, 2012
Creating an eco-friendly garage space is not quite as simple as installing a recycling center complete with bins and biodegradable trash bags (although this isn’t a bad place to start). In fact, there are so many options to modernize your garage in keeping with your environmental consciousness that you might be surprised you didn’t think of them before. So if you’re looking for a few ways to greenify when it comes to your garage space, here are some design tips that will help you to get it done from the ground up.
Image via: Houzz
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Flooring.
If you park your car in the garage you might be a little hesitant to install any type of “flooring” since it could be subject to destructive dirt, stains, and all manner of leakage. Some people choose to apply epoxy resins to the concrete, but the truth is that they’re not ideal if you have problems with moisture in your slab (and most people do) because they aren’t breathable. However, there is a great green option: Nature Stone floors. A member of the U.S. Green Building Council, this company takes steps to operate by the environment standards and sustainability concepts developed by LEED. Plus, their unique blend of river stones and epoxy resin creates a beautiful, permeable, and resilient foundation for your garage.
Walls and windows.
The name of the game here is insulation (although materials also play a critical role). While you can simply leave exposed studs if you want to, you should think about installing a non-fiberglass insulator (cotton fiber and recycled cellulose are two possible options) and then adding interior walls (try something like water- and mold-resistant Green E-Board instead of gypsum drywall). While you might not heat and cool your garage, a lack of insulation in this area could cause leaching where the garage attaches to your home. If there are no windows in your garage, consider adding a couple to let in light. Otherwise, stick with LED lighting options; they provide bright light while conserving energy, and they lack the toxic materials (mercury) found in other bulbs.
Image via: Bhg
Door.
The garage door is often a major source of air leakage. Look for replacements that seal tight, for starters (ask about the R-value, which signifies resistance to heat, to find out how efficient your garage door will be). Then consider that many doors are now made from recycled steel or aluminum, which may also be recycled down the road, making them uber-eco-friendly. P.S. Think about ways you might recycle your drafty, old wooden door when you replace it so that it doesn’t go to the landfill.
Hazardous materials.
Storage and disposal of hazardous materials may pose problems for many homeowners. In order to ensure that they’re not liable to cause any harm due to exposure, keep them in a locked cabinet. Consider getting a flammable storage locker for toxic items like mechanical fluids, paint, pest poisons, or any solvents you keep on hand. If you’re into green living you might not have too many of these products, but any you keep should be safely contained. And consider getting canisters that are OSHA or EPA approved for oily rags and waste products like used motor oil (since these items call for hazardous waste pickup rather than simple trash disposal).
Image via: Houzz
Your car.
Unless you hire a Los Angeles, New York, or Boston limo service to drive you around you likely house some type of personal automobile in your garage. If you want to make this the greenest room in your home you can easily do so by getting yourself an electric car and installing a charger. These two items will reduce your carbon footprint like gangbusters and ensure that your garage and its contents are eminently eco-friendly.
For more eco-friendly ideas on Stagetecture, click here.
