Today we’d like to introduce you to Victoria Di Iorio.
Victoria, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
In 2004, when I was pregnant with my first child, my husband got sick. For almost a year he would suffer from flu-like symptoms that would begin with a stuffy or a runny nose, watery eyes, a cough followed by difficulty breathing, sleepless nights, joint pain, and exhaustion. The symptoms would last for a week at a time and then subside. Then he would experience another episode – over and over again. It was debilitating and interfering with his job as a general contractor. Multiple doctors’ visits including two to the ER provided no relief.
One day I watched my husband cover his nose and mouth with the sleeve of his shirt to run inside a newly built home. When he came back outside, after only a minute or two, he was wiping tears from his face and his eyes were bloodshot. It was at that moment, I realized that he was having a severe reaction to something inside the home. Immediately looking for answers about how to resolve my husband’s health issue, I dove into what would be a year-long research project. Shocked to learn about the vast number of chemicals in building materials and the potential dangers of these substances relating to human health, I was determined to find a way for Dior Builders to lower the chemical exposure for my family, all of our subcontractors, and ultimately, the homeowner.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
In 2005, persuading my husband and in-laws, Peter and Kathy Di Iorio (owners of Dior Builders) to change the way did business was the first insurmountable hurdle. Despite formulating a comprehensive business plan including new building material specifications replacing the most toxic culprits, it would take nearly 3 years and the devastating real estate crash for the plan to be taken seriously.
Peter Di Iorio, confronted with the toughest business environment he had ever seen, decided to take a huge risk. Dior Builders built the first “healthy home,” as a spec house in Long Grove. “You have to be open-minded to change, and I believed this was the wave of the future,” he says. Despite the depressed housing market, the home sold quickly at the asking price, proving the theory that prioritizing human health is good for business. Since then, Dior Builders has embraced the healthy home concept and it is a significant part of the new business as usual.
With this small success, the seed for the Healthy Home Initiative™ was planted. What began as a quest to change one family grew into the beginnings of a 10-year initiative to educate architects, builders, interior designers, manufacturers and the general public about the importance of prioritizing human health in the built environment.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Dior Builders story. Tell us more about the business.
Constructed by Dior Builders and the next home in a series of real-life, interactive and educational models for cleaner, greener, safer living, Healthy Home 2018 will be the very first in the country to be built under the American Lung Association’s revised Health House™ guidelines, featuring everything from energy-efficient products and innovative technologies, to green building materials and non-toxic furniture and accessories.
Created to showcase some of the highest standards of human health and environmental integrity, Healthy Home 2018 opens to the public when completed on January 25, 2018. We are going beyond the notion of what is sustainable and perceived to be healthy and creating a real-life model of what a truly healthy home should be, from foundation to food.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I am so thankful for my mom for giving me a sustainable foundation on which to build – lead by example, read labels, avoid ingredients you can’t pronounce, eat real food, shop locally, and ultimately, be a good steward of the resources that have been entrusted to you. She is my biggest supporter.
Christopher Gavigan (former CEO of Healthy Child Healthy World) was an early and steadfast supporter and the unique partnership forged with Healthy Child was instrumental in launching the Healthy Home Initiative. Fueled by the inconceivable loss of their beautiful five-year-old daughter Colette, Jim and Nancy Chuda founded Healthy Child Healthy World (formerly known as Children’s Health Environmental Coalition) with a mission to protect children all over the world from invisible environmental toxins.
Jim and Nancy built one of the first green, non-toxic homes in Los Angeles, CA (2005) – a cumulative effort of their lifelong work. Their wisdom has been one of my greatest sources of inspiration. Harold Wimmer, President, and CEO of the American Lung Association for his support and dedication to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease, through research, education and advocacy and the American Lung Association Health House™ program.
It is an honor to partner with this incredible organization, building the first demonstration project under the newly revised Health House™ guidelines and forge the path for other builders all across the country.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1055 Glencrest Drive, Inverness, Illinois
- Website: www.diorbuilders.com www.healthyhome2018.com
- Phone: (847) 934-1500
Image Credit:
Healthy Home Initiative
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