Lowtech Graph lists low-tech options for every need of a home. Here you can compare them, find tutorials to build them, and link them together into a circular system. Why low-tech?
Low-VOC / natural material selection
Passive
One of 2 ways to meet this need. Cost, carbon, footprint and rankings are relative to other solutions for the same need, not absolute.
Choosing paints, glues, floors and finishes made from natural materials or labelled as low in emissions. They release little or no chemical vapour into the rooms after they are fitted. The air indoors stays cleaner from the start, instead of having to be filtered later.
Build it
Nothing separate is built here: this is a choice about how the home is designed or used.
Cost
Medium
Upkeep
None
Skill to build
None
Lifespan
Not applicable in the usual sense, a material-selection criterion applied across all finishes, not a discrete product
Levels are relative to the other options for this need, not absolute. Fewer dots is lighter.
Low-VOC / natural material selection (This page) Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Medium · Skill to build: None · Upkeep: None · Change to daily life: None · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you want clean indoor air from the start, through what you build and decorate with.
DIY activated-charcoal air filter Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: None · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you want a cheap, homemade extra for one room’s air.
We don’t list sizing or quantities, as the yield of each technique depends on the quality of its build. The catalogue compares options but doesn’t dimension them. Regulatory notes are indicative, with a French example, and need to be confirmed locally.