Photo credit:
HBN | November 2022 | Newsletter
Healthy Building Network is grateful for the continuous progress being made towards our collective vision that all people and the planet thrive when the environment is free of toxic chemicals. To our partners, friends, family, and all who work to make the world a safer place, we are most thankful for you.
HBN | September 2022 | Newsletter
Hot-off-the-presses! HBN’s new waterproofing and dampproofing product guidance! Use this guidance to select product types that are yellow or above to decrease toxic chemical exposures to people and the planet. Products in green are the best options while products in red should be avoided. Those in-between provide intermediate, and meaningfully better options from a health hazard perspective as you advance up the color rankings. In short, strive to get out of the red-zone.
HBN | September 2022 | Newsletter
Who do you think would win at the sustainability tug-o-war? Team safer materials or team low-carbon products? Find out in our recently published study highlighting building products that optimize material health and lower their carbon footprint.
Rebecca Stamm | September 2022 | Newsletter
Insulation is an integral part of our buildings, and better insulating buildings to decrease energy use is an important part of climate solutions. However, the current approach, singularly-focused on carbon fails to account for other harmful emissions associated with the life cycle of insulation materials—toxic pollution that disproportionately burdens Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC), and/or low-income communities. Healthy Building Network, in partnership with NRDC and Energy Efficiency for All, recently released a series of reports exploring who is harmed by toxic chemicals along the supply chain of building insulation, and how to make more equitable policies and products.
Roberto Valle Kinloch | April 2022 | Newsletter
HBN recently completed a project in partnership with United Renters for Justice (IX), a nonprofit working to transform the Minneapolis housing system, to reduce tenant exposures to toxic chemicals used in building products. Funded through a grant from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), the collaboration provided the unique opportunity to co-create resources to help tenants and building managers make informed decisions about the products used in their housing units and common areas. HBN and IX are now excited to make these resources available to you!
Austin Wiebe | April 2022 | Newsletter
HBN is excited to welcome Monica Nakielski as our new Board Chair in 2022! A longtime champion of healthy buildings and spaces, Monica is the Vice President of Sustainability at Advocate Aurora Health. Learn why Monica is passionate about healthier materials and hear her vision for HBN in the coming years.
HBN | April 2022 | Newsletter
You’ve probably heard us talk about the hazardous chemicals that can exist in your paint, flooring, and other building products. But chemicals of concern lurk in a great many products, from food packaging and computer monitors to lipstick and sunscreen. Learn how Restricted Substances Lists in HBN's chemical hazard database Pharos help manufacturers in a variety of sectors lead the market with safer chemicals.
HBN | March 2022 | Newsletter
If you’re reading this article, chances are you are familiar with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), chemicals emitted from products into the surrounding air. Perhaps you even know that choosing zero- or low-VOC products is a good first step in selecting healthier building materials. But did you know that products labeled as zero- or low-VOC can still contain hazardous volatile compounds or other chemicals of concern?
HBN | March 2022 | Newsletter
This Women’s History Month, we’re celebrating an incredible leader in the green chemistry and healthy materials space: our very own Chief Research Officer Teresa McGrath! Learn why she’s a champion for safer chemicals and healthier products and hear her perspective on the industry today.
HBN | March 09, 2022 | Announcements
HBN Founder Bill Walsh will be joining the Passport Foundation as their new Executive Director in April 2022. He will succeed Janet Maughan, who led the Passport Foundation since its inception in 2008.
