NH NATURAL HOME Journal

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Where do you turn when you don’t have the time to shop for hemp towels or research bamboo floor coverings?

Calling themselves environmental interior designers, organic landscapers, eco-friendly personal shoppers, or sick house analysts, environmental consultants do everything from answering questions about nontoxic paint to telling contractors what type of foundation to pour. Consultants can choose your clothing, demagnetize your house, or adjust its chi. You dream of it, and there’s probably a consultant who can make it a reality. The only problem is finding that consultant.

“I know the general public has no idea this exists,” says Mary Cordaro, president of Valley Village, California-based H3Environmental.

Many environmental consulting companies are small or specialize in certain disciplines or geographical areas. Consequently, they tend to rely on referrals from other clients, making them difficult to find if you’re not in the loop. “It’s always word of mouth,” Cordaro says. “Once in a while you’ll see an ad in the Yellow Pages.”

Cordaro specializes in baubiologie, a German discipline that focuses on healthy as well as green houses. Along with her partner, environmental interior designer Jeremy Singleton, Cordaro works with architects and builders to design nontoxic houses from the ground up. She also does healthy house remodels, inspecting for mold, chemicals, and electric fields.

Because their projects are extensive, Cordaro and Singleton work on only six to eight houses a year. But they will answer simple questions about healthy homes through a free resource and referral hotline, (818) 766-1787, or via email at their website, www.h3environmental.com.