Eco Friendly Bath Design
BATHROOM CABINETRY
As is the case with eco kitchen design, there are numerous wonderful, eco friendly cabinetry options for the bathroom. Vanity Flair, a Canton, Georgia manufacturer of bathroom furniture, has crafted an environmentally friendly vanity and medicine cabinet made from Bamboo plywood (Plyboo). The contemporary styled Avalon bathroom vanity (shown below) provides stylish storage in an eco-savvy fashion.
PLUMBING FIXTURES
Napola dual flush toilet by Wasauna (shown on left) solves the dilemma often associated with environmentally safe toilets – low flow flush. Those low flow toilets sort of defeat the purpose of being environmentally friendly if one has to flush them repeatedly. Another great option in the eco-toilet category is from TOTO. TOTO has three categories of high efficiency flushing toilets that provide a1.28 (water) gallon per flush: Dual Double Cyclone Flushing System, E-Max Flushing System and Dual-Max Flushing System. A typical non-high efficiency toilet uses on average 5.5 gallons per flush, and according to TOTO for “a household of 3.2 people over 365 days” that equates to 32,120 gallons of water used. Replacing the non efficient toilet with a high efficiency toilet can add up to a water savings of 24,665 gallons per year – leaving a positive impact on your household budget and the environment.
BATHROOM ACCESSORIES
Some of the eco bath designs discussed here have a sizeable expense associated with them. So what to do if you want to Green your bathroom but a bathroom remodeling or new plumbing fixtures aren’t in your home’s future? You can still Green the bathroom by decorating with eco friendly bathroom decor like the sophisticated. black and white Patrick McMullan “So 80s Studio 54” PEVA shower curtain (shown on left) from Izola Shower. The shower curtain is made from PEVA (polyethylene vinyl acetate) instead of PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) , is biodegradable and durable. According to the Healthy Building Network, the critical difference between PEVA and PVC is the chlorine molecule – absent in the PEVA. The Healthy Building Network notes that :
Chlorine is the source of many of the environmental health concerns with PVC, such as the generation of dioxin, a highly carcinogenic chemical produced in both the manufacture and disposal of PVC. Due to its persistent and bioaccumulative nature (it travels long distances without breaking down and concentrates as it moves up the food chain to humans) dioxin has become a global problem and an international treaty – the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants (POPs) – now prioritizes the elimination of processes that produce dioxin.
Some of the non chlorinated vinyls (EVA, PEVA, PVA and PVB) are now beginning to be used as direct substitutes for PVC.
TILES
The hand-made glass tiles from Bonfire Glass Tile (sample of tile colors shown above) are made from 90 percent post-industrial recycled materials. The recycled glass tiles are available in numerous patterns and designs. Custom tiles for the bath or kitchen can be commissioned.
Image credits and resources: Vanity Flair, Wasauna, TOTO, Izola Shower, Healthy Building Network, Bonfire Glass Tile.
