Take an inside look into emerging markets and trends. Gain valuable new perspectives from HBN experts and our partners. Be inspired to know better.
Take an inside look into emerging markets and trends. Gain valuable new perspectives from HBN experts and our partners. Be inspired to know better.
Teresa McGrath | January 2020 | Newsletter
A circular economy is an essential strategy to reach carbon reduction goals, reduce waste, and reduce the impact of resource extraction. Use of recycled content can also re-introduce legacy chemicals of concern into new products. By knowing where recycled content is coming from and testing for common contaminants of concern, we can encourage a safer and circular economy, while increasing the value of beneficial recycled feedstocks. A new pilot credit in LEED rewards project teams that use “safe & circular” products.
HBN | December 2019 | Newsletter
Current climate action plans are bold, they are necessary, they feel impossible, and they are coming into the consciousness of all concerned (and unconcerned), decades after the early reports should have been taken seriously. At this point, there is an urgency because people are experiencing the effects of a warming planet (storms, fires, rising tides, health impacts from warmer temperatures, etc.).
HBN | December 2019 | Newsletter
If we say climate change, what is the first thing that pops into your head? It’s probably not the impact of toxic chemicals on the environment. Some people can probably name a chemical that contributes to climate change, whether that is carbon dioxide or methane. But what about other chemicals that you are not as familiar with? In the building materials world, these may include fluorinated blowing agents used in some foam insulation. The agents either have high global warming potential (GWP) or use chemicals in their production that have high GWP.[1] Another example is the release of the toxic, global warming, and ozone-depleting chemical carbon tetrachloride in the enormous supply chain of vinyl products, otherwise known as Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC).[2] Purveyors of vinyl products, you may unwittingly be contributing to global warming!
HBN | December 2019 | Newsletter
Two important initiatives are gaining momentum in the green building movement. One seeks to reduce the embodied carbon of building products. The other seeks to increase inclusion, diversity and equity in the green building industry, addressing, in the words of the LEED “Social Equity” Pilot Credit, “social equity from the perspective of everyone who is touched or impacted by a building.”1 It is critical that these efforts align their goals lest, once again, the latest definition and marketing of “green” building products overlooks and overrides the interests of the front line communities most impacted by both climate change and toxic pollution.
HBN | December 2019 | Newsletter
As part of their Energy Efficiency for All (EEFA) campaign, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) partners with Healthy Building Network (HBN) and our HomeFree initiative to integrate healthier materials strategies to meet core energy program goals and achieve targeted health equity outcomes. These forward-thinking organizations are on the leading edge of holistic climate strategies that result in stronger outcomes for people and the planet. Through research and community action, they’ve learned that breaking down silos to inclusive policy interventions, is both efficient and effective for creating comprehensive change.
HBN | November 2019 | Newsletter
The holidays are approaching swiftly. And so is a very special new year’s eve—Healthy Building Network is turning 20 years old in 2020.
I find myself more deeply committed to our vision—where all people and the planet thrive. As I reflect on the loved ones I’ve lost from cancer, and those battling for their lives today, I want to do better for them. I want to do better for the children who carry the permanent effects from toxic exposures to their young and developing bodies. I want to do better for the women struggling with infertility as an outcome of chemical exposures. I envision an alternate, healthier path for everyday employees whose quality of life is impacted right now because of the hazardous chemicals with which they’ve come into contact while simply trying to make a living.
HBN | October 2019 | Newsletter
HBN is keeping pace with changes in insulation product offerings with updates to our insulation hazard spectrum. We're also supporting our users by providing on-demand educational materials to match. HBN’s latest course released on our HomeFree Campus is titled Selecting Healthier Insulation with HomeFree.
HBN | October 2019 | Newsletter
Healthy Building Network (HBN) has free fall workshops in San Francisco and the Twin Cities. Even if you are not in the area, you’re in luck. We are holding online webinars, too! HBN’s HomeFree program is your guide to reducing and eliminating toxics in the materials you choose for your projects, big or small. These courses provide a fundamental understanding of toxics in materials, their impacts on human health, and US toxics regulations.
HBN | October 2019 | Newsletter
HBN will share research and offer guidance in Atlanta next month at GreenBuild 2019. Founder and Board President Bill Walsh and Chief Research Officer Teresa McGrath will participate in two panel presentations offering solutions from HBN’s research, the Optimize Recycling Series.
HBN | October 2019 | Newsletter
Imagine a More Sustainable World
A world where the spaces in which we live, work, and play help us breathe easy, think clearly and feel more creative. Communities where all children thrive in schools, playgrounds and homes free of chemicals that harm developing bodies and minds. Factories and job sites that prioritize health and safety. An environment where the air is fresh, soil is rich, and oceans are crystal clear. A future when our collective health soars because of safer products.
It is possible. And it can start with you.
