Take an inside look into emerging markets and trends. Gain valuable new perspectives from HBN experts and our partners. Be inspired to know better.
Bill Walsh | November 2018 Newsletter
With apologies to T.S. Eliot, October was the “cruellest month.” On October 7, 2018, the global scientific consensus on climate change was revised by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to conclude that catastrophic climate disaster is irrefutably underway and requires a level of “rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society.”
Five days later, the world pumped more oil and petroleum liquids than ever before. And the International Energy Agency forecast that “the largest driver of world oil demand” will soon be petrochemicals, led by plastic materials. Building materials are the second-largest use of plastics after packaging.
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Gina Ciganik | November 2018 Newsletter
We are proud to announce that Healthy Building Network will serve as the new home for MaterialWise, a project originally initiated by, and recently spun out of, the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute (C2C PII). This partnership will accelerate the development of healthier materials and the movement toward green chemistry.
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Gina Ciganik | November 2018 Newsletter
A letter from Gina Ciganik, CEO and Bill Walsh, Founder and Board President
Reflecting on 2018, we think of two words: Progress and Possibility. We’ve achieved great momentum toward our vision, which we know you share—a future where all people and the planet thrive when the environment is free of hazardous chemicals. And we see the potential for acceleration toward a healthier world.
As we celebrate progress together, we also imagine the possibilities that will arise as we collectively Know Better. Your contribution will help fund the research, education, and initiatives needed to advance human and environmental health and inspire critical product innovation in the building industry and beyond.
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Gina Ciganik | November 2018 Newsletter
On October 16, WE ACT recognized HBN founder and board president Bill Walsh at its 30th Anniversary Awards and Gala. WE ACT for Environmental Justice, which operates in both New York City and Washington, D.C., seeks to build healthy communities by ensuring people of color and/or low-income residents participate meaningfully in the creation of sound and fair environmental health and protection policies and practices. The group honored Bill for his outstanding work to advance the environmental and social justice movement over the past 25 years.
WE ACT’s deputy director, Cecil Corbin-Mark, noted that HBN’s work to transform the building industry and create healthier affordable housing for all is more important than ever. Congratulations, Bill, on this well-deserved recognition.
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Billy Weber | November 2018 Newsletter
Healthy Building Network is excited to announce our new partnership with Housing Partnership Network (HPN) and its procurement platform, HPN Select. Our aim is to leverage our combined strengths and expertise to make affordable housing environments healthier for residents and for the practitioners who build and maintain them.
By merging the power of the Select marketplace with HBN’s research and our HomeFree initiative’s in-depth information about the health impacts of building materials, we’ll increase our capacity to shape innovative solutions and encourage the adoption of healthier materials throughout the affordable housing sector. This, in turn, will create solutions for everyone—not just those with financial means.
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Bill Walsh | November 2018 Newsletter
Last month, HBN Board Member Brad Grant moderated a panel at NOMA Unbounded, the annual conference of the National Organization of Minority Architects. The panel coincided with recent studies by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that found race, more than poverty, was most closely associated with the heaviest pollution exposure from the fossil fuel industry; and a National Academy of Sciences report that found blacks and Hispanics endure greater exposure to toxics from industrial facilities, while gaining fewer jobs from those facilities than white populations. How can we close these gaps?
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Rebecca Stamm | November 2018 Newsletter
Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal of paint companies in a California case where the state appeals court ordered Sherwin-Williams, NL Industries, and Conagra to pay about $400 million for the cleanup of lead paint in old homes. Several cities and counties in California brought the suit, saying that the companies and their trade associations promoted lead paint well after they knew it was harmful. “This is a very significant victory for the tens of thousands of California children who have been poisoned by lead paint,” said Greta S. Hansen, a Santa Clara County lawyer.
Santa Clara brought the lawsuit on behalf of 10 cities and counties including San Francisco, San Diego, and Los Angeles. The decision serves as an important reminder to manufacturers of the need to understand the contents and associated hazards of their products and to be transparent about those hazards to customers. Because of the argument used in this case, the ramifications may well extend beyond building products.
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Bill Walsh | October 2018 Newsletter
When celebrated Victorian painter Edward Burne-Jones learned that a favorite pigment—it was called Mummy Brown—was in fact manufactured from the desecrated Egyptian dead, he banished it from his palette and bore his remaining tubes to a solemn burial in his English garden. Once you know better, you have to do better. Transparency in the supply chain can reveal inconvenient truths about favored products. Take the fly ash that’s used to gain recycled content credit in LEED and the Living Building Challenge . . . .
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Gina Ciganik | October 2018 Newsletter
We’re proud to announce that Bruce Green has joined HBN’s leadership team as Chief Operations Officer (COO). With 33 years experience in business operations, change management, and software development, Bruce will advance our organizational systems and lead our technology and data platforms into their next chapter. Prior to joining HBN, Bruce was COO of Navitaire (within Accenture LLP), an airline SaaS business he helped grow into a global industry leader. There, he led day- to-day business operations, helped increase product quality, and drove customer satisfaction to over 95% of target. He also led the 20-month, $830M carve out sale of the Navitaire business from Accenture into Amadeus. Bruce holds a BS in Computer Science from the University of North Dakota.
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Rebecca Stamm | October 2018 Newsletter
Proper techniques and protection are necessary during the installation of insulation to achieve optimal product performance, but also to protect the health of workers and residents. Because incorrect installation can lead to compromised performance and safety, it’s critical to carefully follow installation protocols for any product. Most product literature suggests the use of some level of personal protective equipment (PPE) when installing insulation products, but the level of protection required varies widely among different types of insulation. Because the most effective way to avoid hazardous exposure is to eliminate hazardous chemicals altogether, the controls currently recommended by the SPF industry provide the lowest tiers of protection. In this article, you’ll find background on installation considerations for fiber glass, cellulose, and spray foam insulation.
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