"Tell me and I'll forget; Show me and I may remember; Involve me and I'll understand."
These words are ones which best describe the Healthy-n-Green Bedroom Makeover that HealthyLiving Foundation sponsored for the Broward County Public Schools Asthma Program. The winner of an asthma poster contest winner got a bedroom makeover to help control indoor environmental triggers.
The bedroom is where our children spend 1/3 of their lives. In order to help promote awareness about healthy indoor air quality, HealthyLiving Foundation sponsored the complete makeover of Merkiyah's bedroom. With the various modificiations, now she and her siblings can breathe a little easier. Local and national sponsors helped make this room as healthy and green as possible. This was all donated at no cost to the Broward County Public Schools Asthma Management Program.
Some makeover elements included:
1) A chemical-free mattress was provided. Traditional mattresses off-gas formaldehyde as well as other fire-retardant chemicals which are a trigger for asthmatics. Dust mite covers on the bedding/pillow is important in addition to making sure all bedding is machine washable.
2) Hard surface flooring is very important to reduce dust mite exposure. What a great design feature to use Marmoleum flooring - and it is 100% natural. The click-installation is great for avoiding any adhesives.
3) Paint the walls and celing can transform any room - and using a no-VOC paint is imperative to an asthmatic. We then used some fun removable decals of butterflies on the walls.
4) After "re-designing" the space, we had enough space for a wall-unit to organize the room. It was painted with no-VOC paint as well, and a "green" feature is the desk made out of paper!
5) We had fun with the window dressings - using bamboo, minimal fabrics and bamboo window shades to filter the light.
6) As a "green" feature we re-used the solid pine furniture and painted with a no-VOC paint.
7) We provided green cleaners and some recipes for green cleaning, which is important for the maintenance of the bedroom.
8) Candles and other personal care products were removed. We replaced the candles with a candle which is battery-operated to give the same ambiance without any particulates.
9) An educational coloring book called "Healthy-n-Green is....Healthy Indoor Air" was given to the parents and children for further reference and reinforcement.
10) We were very fortunate to have such generous sponsors for this project and would like to recognize them: www.healthylivinginteriors.com , www.schraderbeds.com , www.ecosimplista.com , www.ecodecor.com, www.forbo-flooring.com, www.whitewingbn.com, www.MicrofibersUnlimited.com , www.gotgreencountertops.com
(TopPhoto: Before, Middle Photo: Painting of furniture, Botton Photo: After with the winner - Merkiyah, Adella Earle from the Broward County Public Schools Asthma Program and Denise Robinette from HealthyLiving Interiors, HealthyLiving Foundation and Healthy-n-Green
