Wood Preservatives are bad for the environment. Many contain pesticides which are nerve poisons and fungicides which are toxic. They damage the environment during their production and after they have been applied.

Think about how the wood you are using needs to be treated, if at all:

• If its not going to get damp, it doesn’t need treating

• Beeswax is a natural way to protect (and colour) internal wood

• Oils can only be used on softwoods and coarse-grained hardwoods

• Many hardwoods don’t need treating even if used externally

• Creosote is now banned – if you have any dispose of it responsibly (your local council will be able to help you with this)

• Copper Chromic Arsenic (CCA) sounds nasty and has also been banned

• Boron based chemicals are currently thought to be to best option for wood treatments

More information at Boron.org , and at the Green Building Store .