Photo credit:
HBN | May 2020 | Newsletter
The COVID-19 pandemic is revealing what scientists have said for decades: when toxic chemicals undermine the human immune system, people are at grave risk. In this round-up of cutting-edge research and insights from our supporters, we see this truth through new evidence and reaffirm the critical mission of the Healthy Building Network.
HBN | May 2020 | Newsletter
Countertops, door handles, light switches. Now in the time of COVID-19, we are more aware than ever these high-touch surfaces need to be kept clean. But are building products advertised as containing antimicrobials such a good idea?
HBN | May 2020 | Newsletter
If you are an architect, specification writer, developer, or facility manager, it is easier than ever to select safer paints and flooring materials. Healthy Building Network (HBN) has several free resources to help you.
HBN | May 2020 | Newsletter
By popular demand, we are sharing the April 30 Pharos webinar recording that includes great resources and ideas to help you integrate Pharos into your formal or informal education initiatives. Meg Schwarzman, MD, MPH of University California, Berkeley and Jeremy Faludi, Ph.D., Delft University of Technology shared their success stories of using Pharos to support research and chemical alternatives assessment courses. We also provided example assignments and curriculum from the University of Victoria.
HBN | April 2020 | Newsletter
Healthy Building Network is thrilled to officially announce the latest release of Pharos! With a totally redesigned user interface, and exciting new features, it’s easier than ever to prioritize chemicals management and identify safer alternatives to chemicals of concern. Plus, check out two new case studies detailing how Klean Kanteen and University of Victoria use Pharos to improve their work, and see how Pharos is being used as a collaboration and research tool during this pandemic.
HBN | April 2020 | Newsletter
With the new release of Pharos you can better understand the chemicals that may be in your building products and identify safer alternatives to common chemicals of concern. Read more in this article or check out our quick and interactive tutorial.
HBN | February 2020 | Newsletter
Healthy Building Network’s Board of Directors recently convened to usher in our new Chair, Brad Grant, and to welcome Dr. Veena Singla and Mike Werner as new board directors. Their experience, achievements, and fresh ideas will help shape and guide HBN into new and bold directions.
HBN | February 2020 | Newsletter
If you’re an architect, specification writer, or developer and you want to specify healthier paint and flooring materials, the new HomeFree Specifications can help. HBN developed specification language in editable Word documents organized according to MasterFormat® standard divisions. In addition to drop-in specification language, the Specifications also provide examples of products that meet the spec requirements. Lauren Zullo, Director of Environmental Impact at Jonathan Rose Companies says, “The HomeFree Specifications are really clear documents that my team can pass along to our various architects and general contractors to help provide the reasoning behind WHY we’re asking for what we’re asking for, in terms of healthier materials. It not only helps increase awareness, but allows design teams to make more informed decisions with value engineered product selection.”
Bill Walsh | February 2020 | Newsletter
In Louisiana, the factories that make the chemicals and plastics for our building products are built literally upon the bones of African Americans. Plantation fields have been transformed into industrial fortresses. A Shell Refinery1 sprawls across the former Bruslie and Monroe plantations. Belle Pointe is now the DuPont Pontchartrain Works, among the most toxic air polluters in the state.2 Soon, the Taiwan-based Formosa Plastics Group intends to build a 2400-acre complex of 14 facilities that will transform fracked gas into plastics. It will occupy land that was formerly the Acadia and Buena Vista plantations, and not incidentally, the ancestral burial grounds of local African American residents, some of whom trace their lineage back to people enslaved there.3 Virtually every building product we use today contains a petrochemical component that originates from heavily polluted communities, frequently home to people of color. As the green building movement searches for ways to enhance diversity, inclusion and equity, how might it address the legacies of injustice that are tied to the products and materials we use every day?
Gina Ciganik | January 2020 | Newsletter
Healthy Building Network enters 2020 reflecting on our success over the past 20 years, and envisioning an exciting future.
