Indoor Air Quality is a particularly important subset of the Health category. Creating a healthy indoor environment is becoming an important focus. The trend towards making homes airtight is important to conserve resources, but makes the selection of interior material all the more important. EPA studies reveal that pollution inside a home is often found to be several times higher than out on a city street, and people spend much more time indoors than out. Our Green Building department carefully selects products that we know will keep your home environment safe. We carry paints and stains with no VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds are compounds that release from solid materials to become airborne, with varied health effects) or carcinogens. When a material contains adhesives, we make sure that they are formaldehyde free. Mattresses are made from untreated, unsprayed natural materials and also have a resistance to dust-mites, allergens and bacteria. Much of our product selection is made of unadulterated natural materials that control moisture, static electricity and air ion balance.We assess products using third party reports and certifications. We scour MSDS sheets and prefer to work with companies that offer full disclosure of their ingredients.We adopt standards from the Institute of Building Biology. Our goal is that all of our products be safe for people suffering from Multiple Chemical and Evnironmental sensitivities (MCS,) a debilitating health condition that is becoming increasingly common in our polluted world. Not only do we want to provide options for this group of people who have few other options, but we feel that if something is safe for the most sensitive people, it can only contribute positively to the health of everyone.