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Billy Weber | August 2018 | Newsletter
As part of our HomeFree program, Healthy Building Network partnered with Capitol Hill Housing (CHH) on a pacific northwest demonstration project at their Liberty Bank Building. The partnership provided information and research for CHH to explore and select healthier, alternative materials, and led to a renewed, organization-wide commitment to health and their creation of a Healthy Homes Initiative.
Gina Ciganik | August 2018 | Newsletter
Join us at the International Living Future Institute for the fourth Living Product Expo; September 11th-13th in Pittsburgh, PA. On Thursday the 13th, at 3 pm, Bill Walsh and Jim Vallette, along with Simona Fischer of MSR Architects, will present their session titled, Healthy & Affordable Building Materials: Strategic Transformation Opportunities, We hope to see you there.
Gina Ciganik | August 2018 | Newsletter
More and more people are interested in incorporating healthier products into their homes as a way to decrease their exposures to toxic chemicals. In his book Home for Health, Hilton Tudhope chronicles his journey to build a healthy home – a “sanctuary for healing” and respite for his wife who battles debilitating chemical sensitivities. He used Healthy Building Network’s Pharos database as a resource. We’d like to thank Mr. Tudhope for sharing this practical, hands-on information and his inspiring story, and encourage you to check out the book!
Gina Ciganik | July 2018 | Newsletter
Knowing better is the first step to doing better. Our updated tagline - Know Better - is part of Healthy Building Network’s new brand and website, and captures the essence of our work. Our research, data tools, and education related to the impacts of human and environmental health from toxic chemical use, provide you the opportunity to avoid chemicals and products that expose you, your children, and your planet to unwanted and unnecessary health implications.
We invite you to explore our new website and learn from our resources. Together, it is possible to achieve a healthy future for all of us, and the generations to come.
Wishing you good health,
Gina Ciganik, CEO - Healthy Building Network
Rebecca Stamm | July 2018 | Newsletter
In our 2017 report, Eliminating Toxics in Carpet: Lessons for the Future of Recycling, HBN identified toxic chemicals and materials that are commonly found in carpet. We also outlined pathways to optimize these products for lower health impacts and improved recyclability. Ensuring the use of materials with lower toxicity and designing carpet for recyclability is key for California to responsibly reach its mandate of doubling the rate of carpet recycling by 2020. Several recent steps in California show promise in this optimization process.
Bill Walsh | July 2018 | Newsletter
This year, Greenbuild has created a People’s Voice track, and HBN has proposed a session that we hope will earn your vote: the first conference presentation of our forthcoming global inventory of chlorine and PVC production.
Billy Weber | July 2018 | Newsletter
The JPB Foundation has awarded Healthy Building Network funding to continue and expand the work of our pioneering HomeFree initiative, which improves the health of marginalized communities by advancing and accelerating the adoption of healthier materials in affordable housing. HomeFree connects the dots between the toxics in our built environment and human health implications – like asthma, developmental delays, cancer, and more. This funding will allow us to build capacity through new educational options, co-create actionable solutions with our regional and national partners, and scale our impact.
Rebecca Stamm | July 2018 | Newsletter
Healthy Building Network has introduced a new sealant category on HomeFree, our national initiative supporting affordable housing leaders who are improving human health by using less-toxic building materials. The new recommendations and hazard spectrum were developed by HBN for the Energy Efficiency for All (EEFA) Healthier Affordable Building Materials project.
Tom Lent | July 2018 | Newsletter
The Healthy Building Network (HBN) has rolled out a new tool for identifying chemicals of concern and finding less hazardous alternatives. The Chemical Hazard Data Commons combines the power of HBN’s Pharos Chemical and Material Library with new tools for visualizing hazard scoring, comparing hazards for chemical lists, staying on top of changes, finding safer alternatives, surveying other databases, and tapping the wisdom of the Data Commons community to collaborate on problem solving and solutions.
Michel Dedeo | July 2018 | Newsletter
The Pharos Chemical and Material Library, our flagship database, extends its reach as the unmatched tool for researching chemical hazards with the addition of hazard data for 26,000 previously uncharacterized chemicals. The bulk of this data (almost 50,000 distinct hazards for 25,000 chemicals) are modeled hazard associations using QSAR (Quantitative Structure Activity Relationship) from the Danish Environmental Protection Agency. This type of computer modeled data is used extensively by the pharmaceutical industry to predict beneficial and non-beneficial impacts of chemicals. The hazard data for an additional 1,000 previously uncharacterized chemicals were submitted by manufacturers to the European Chemicals Agency under the EU law known as REACH (European Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals).
