April 28th, 2008 · No Comments

The Chudas have enlisted many famous people to help them. The board of directors for Healthy Child Healthy World includes Olivia Newton-John, a close friend of the Chudas, and Erin Brockovich Ellis, whose story of uncovering a corporate source of toxic drinking water, which harmed many people, was told in the film Erin Brockovich. Meryl Streep is on the group’s advisory board, and Kelly Preston acted in an educational video created by the organization. Several other celebrities, including actresses Amy Brenneman and Laura Dern, have supported their work to reduce chemical and pesticide exposure to children, pregnant women, the elderly and other vulnerable populations.

With the Rollingwood house, which was open for tours from April 20 to 27, visitors walked through a beautiful, contemporary space and saw how attractive sealed cement floors, for example, can be. Unlike carpet, which collects dust and allergens and can grow mold, or even hardwood or laminate laid down with toxic chemical glues, the concrete floors were installed without chemicals and can be maintained without them. Each room in the house has many windows, so there is plenty of natural light and not much need to use the electric lights.

Peter Pfeiffer, the architect, said Stanley Lerman gave him “a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate the ultimately green and ultimately safe house, in a refreshingly different architectural style.”

How the home is insulated and sealed is central to its success as a green home, Pfeiffer said. On the one hand, huge doors next to the open patio and pool allow air to circulate freely through the house. On the other hand, if the home’s eventual owner has allergies and wants the air filtered, the house has an advanced air-conditioning system which can purify the air and keep it from becoming too humid. The air-conditioning system and ductwork are located within the sealed envelope of the house – this makes the system more energy-efficient than if the ductwork was located in a hot attic.

Austin has a very warm and humid climate, which makes controlling humidity of particular concern to homeowners. This house has timed vents in each bathroom which run for 15 minutes after a shower ends, to make sure the bathroom humidity doesn’t spread to the rest of the house.

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