Kara Eastman of Omaha Healthy Kids Alliance shares about the movement to create healthy homes in the metro area

1. The Movement
to Create Healthy Homes
in the Metro Area

2. About Omaha Healthy Kids Alliance

6. 8 Principles of a Healthy Home
 DRY
 CLEAN
 PEST-FREE
 SAFE
 CONTAMINANT-FREE
 VENTILATED
 MAINTAINED
 ENERGY EFFICIENT
National Center for Healthy
Housing

7. Keep it Dry
 Damp houses provide a nurturing
environment for mold and pests
 Even small gaps (between wall and
baseboard) can breed mold
 Killing or bleaching mold does not work
 There are no government standards for
mold (CA does have a new law)

8. Keep it Pest-Free
 Bed bugs may be allergy triggers and
exacerbate asthma
 Spraying for bed bugs does not always kill
them
 Cockroaches can live for only a week without
water
 Cockroach dander is an asthma trigger

9. Keep it Safe
 Concrete on the outside of the home can be
a trip and fall hazard as well as a way to let
water into the home
 The risk of child being injured as a result of a
result of a fall at home is twice the risk as at
as at child-care
 Almost every month, a child in the U.S. dies

10. Keep it Contaminant-Free
 Chemical exposures
radon
pesticides
volatile organic compounds
environmental tobacco smoke
carbon monoxide
lead
 Exposures rates are higher indoors than outside

11. Keep it Ventilated
 Most roofs may not be properly vented
 Ventilation reduces household allergens
 Fresh air supply in a home improves respiratory
health
 Opening your windows for 15 minutes a day can help
help to filter out the contaminants that may be
present in your home, including radon, a leading
leading cause of lung cancer, or formaldehyde, an air

12. Keep it Maintained
 Reduce the likelihood of household
fires and carbon monoxide poisoning
by having gas, oil or solid fuel heating
appliances professionally serviced
once a year
 Change your furnace filter every 3
months

13. Keep it Energy Efficient
 In the average home, 75% of the electricity used to power
home electronics is consumed while the products are
turned off. (Idle power consumes more electricity than all
the solar panels in America combined.)
 Properly designed and executed, energy-efficient new
homes have been shown to improve the general and
respiratory health of occupants when compared to new
homes built using traditional practices.
 Weatherized homes are at lower risk for fires, and their
residents have fewer respiratory illnesses

17. Before After

18. Before After

19. The Movement to Create Green and Healthy Homes in the Metro area…
• Have your home assessed for hazards
• Have your child tested for lead and allergies
• Make your own Healthy Home
• Volunteer to with us to help make other Healthy
Homes
• Partner with us
• Create an infrastructure that supports Healthy
Homes in the Metro area
• Walk or run the Rundee – August 27
• Attend our 10 year anniversary event – May 7