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I am officially on winter break. Which means more time to blog! Anways, I am so proud of myself, I did really well this quarter. 

I'm usually really quiet about this, but I have been getting a lot of questions about my studies lately. Quite a lot of emails. A little advice, if you're planning on studying interior design, please, please make sure the school you have in mind has a CIDA-accredited program. Most schools do not have one! Bellevue College, the college I attend, is one out of three schools in the state of Washington that have a accredited program. I only say this to make sure you are getting the best education you possibly can, that's what is most important. 

As far as where my focus lies, I am very passionate about green-sustainable design. I plan on taking my LEED AP ID+C exam after finishing my current degree(along with the NCIDQ exam). 50% of the world's energy and materials are utilized in the creation, operation and disposal of the built environment. Yep, that's my industry. See why it's so important?! Most people don't understand that it's not only for the environment, but also for your health! Are you aware of the toxic chemicals and VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) you are constantly being exposed to? We think of organic things as being good for us, as organic food is. So why are VOCs bad? To a chemist, “organic” simply means a compound containing carbon. This includes everything that is or was once living–even petroleum. Besides containing carbon, VOCs also are volatile, which means they evaporate readily at room temperature. When refineries process crude oil, they heat it, capture the gasses, and distill them to produce a wide variety of chemicals that become building blocks for paints, plastics, fuels and many other products. The most volatile distillates evaporate at such low temperatures that they quickly get into the air when used in paints or adhesives. Distillates that are dangerous as well as volatile have high potential for harming air quality and causing health problems. Health effects such as headaches, nausea and respiratory irritation are greatest indoors, where concentrations of VOCs are 2 to 5 times higher than outdoors. VOCs include formaldehyde, many pesticides, solvents and cleaning chemicals, as well as some ingredients that are not considered particularly hazardous, such as propylene glycol and natural aromatherapy oils. Alright, I'll get off my soapbox for now, but if you are interested in more or anything else just email me.