Health, Wellness & Sustainability Committee
Committee Statement:
To raise awareness, share information, and advocate for human-centric and sustainable design by promoting a built environment focused on optimal health, safety, and wellness for all.
Committee Goals:
- Share information and resources with ASID NY Metro membership
- Create a unified voice and shared language around these topics
- Share current advances in products and technologies
- Educate through offering CEU credits
- Curate panel presentation topics for membership meetings
- Provide leadership and guidance to membership on further educational avenues on this topic
Upcoming Events
Stay tuned!
Previous Events
Access Codes: ASIDNYMetro2021!
The Carbon Impact Inside | September 2022
**Different Passcode: 0FbK%k.b
Work From Home (WFH) Empowerment through Ergonomics with Humanscale | February 2022
A Must-See Design Documentary (Online Screening) – Built Beautiful: An Architecture & Neuroscience Love Story | January 2022
Angst-Free Holidays with Wabi-Sabi & Robyn Griggs Lawrence | December 2021
**Different Passcode: ASIDNYM2021!
Design Direction for Autumn 2022’s Color Trends with Colour Hive | November 2021
Jane Abernethy, Humanscale’s CSO on Making a Positive Social Impact in Manufacturing | October 2021
HPMKT® Spring Picks: What’s Hot & Healthy | June 2021
Sustainability Made Simple | May 2021
Circularity: Trash as Treasure with Sustainable Furnishings Council and IceStone | April 2021
Rethinking Materials for Design with Parsons Healthy Materials Lab | March 2021
Healthy Design Choices - Unraveling Facts from Fiction | February 2021
Easy Ways to Healthy Interiors with Annette Stelmack | January 2021
Committee Members
Resources
Bye Bye Mattress | A program that helps people easily dispose of their mattresses in a way that’s good for the community and the environment
Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) | An organization that develops market-based solutions for the recycling and reuse of post-consumer carpet and the increase of landfill diversion
The Good Future Design Alliance | A nationwide movement of design and built professionals who are willing to innovate their businesses for the planet’s sake.
Circularity | Material health research through the Healthy Materials Lab
FABSCRAP + donateNYC + Many Happy Returns | Instead of throwing your textiles away, donate or recycle them here
Material Health
Six Classes | Understand chemicals of concern and how to avoid their use
Healthy Materials Lab | Learn how to center your design choices around your client’s health
Healthy Buildings for Health | Learn about the effect indoor exposure to chemicals from building materials and products
HomeFree from Healthy Building Net | Guidelines on how to avoid toxic building materials.
Environmental Working Group (EWG) | An organization that shines the spotlight on outdated legislation, harmful agricultural practices, and industry loopholes that pose a risk to our health and the health of our environment
Transparency by Perkins&Will | Browse substances of concern on the precautionary list
The Red List from The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) | The “worst in class” materials, chemicals, and elements known to pose serious risks to human health and the greater ecosystem that are prevalent in the building products industry
GreenScreen® for Safer Chemicals | A method of identifying chemicals of high concern that provides options for safer alternatives
Health Product Declaration® (HPD) Collaborative | Aims for transparency and ingredient disclosures to become commonplace in the industry
Environmental Product Declarations (EPD®) - Looks at the environmental impact of a product
Material Sourcing
Ask these questions of each material/product sourced:
- What is it made of?
- How is it made?
- Where is it made?
- Does it require a finish?
- How will it be installed?
- Who will be exposed?
- Where does it go at the end of its useful life?
Cradle to Cradle Certified™️ Products Registry | Find products assessed for material health, material reuse, renewable energy and carbon management, water stewardship, and social fairness
Declare. International Living Future Institute | Find products that have an ingredient label and are assessed against the Red-List of chemicals
Healthy Materials Lab Material Collections | Looking for a healthier material or building product? Begin to specify healthier, sustainable choices starting with the examples in their collection.
mindful MATERIALS -Save time sourcing and compare product certifications
SPOT® UL | Helps automate the sustainable product selection process
Climate Smart Wood | Easily source Forest Stewardship Council (FSC®) certified products
Wood Furniture Scorecard | Rankings for responsible wood sourcing from The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC)
GOTS the leading organic textile standard - GOTS | Standard setters and certifiers of world-wide recognised organic textiles
OEKO-TEX® - Tailor-made solutions for the textile and leather industry | A portfolio of independent certificates and product labels for textiles that have been tested for harmful substances and social responsibility
Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC) | A coalition of manufacturers, retailers and designers dedicated to raising awareness and expanding the adoption of environmentally sustainable practices across the home furnishings industry
Spec This, Not That: Avoiding Toxic Chemicals in Commercial Building Projects | A guide to specifying for commercial projects by Building Green that is available for purchase
Expand your skills with additional credentials!
Healthier Materials & Sustainable Building Online Certification Program | A series of four, self-paced online courses offered by The Healthy Materials Lab at Parsons School of Design that bring consideration of human health to all aspects of design and building practices
WELL AP | Denotes expertise in the WELL Building Standard (WELL) and a commitment to advancing human health and wellness in buildings and communities around the world
LEED AP | Distinguishes those with advanced knowledge in green building, plus expertise in a particular LEED rating system
LEED AP Interior Design + Construction | Enables project teams who may not have control over whole building operations to develop indoor spaces that are better for the planet and for people
Living Future Accreditation | The professional credential that recognizes proficiency in the world’s most ambitious, advanced, and holistic sustainable design standards
TRUEAdvisor | Get recognized as a zero waste professional trained on the TRUE Rating System, understand the requirements of the rating system, help projects achieve TRUE certification, and commit to advancing zero waste values and policies
Fitwel Ambassador | Ambassadors are leaders and active participants in Fitwel’s healthy building movement. They are well-versed in the evidence-based connection between design and health, can integrate Fitwel’s strategies within projects, and are able to effectively navigate the Fitwel Portal to track progress and attain Fitwel Certification.
GREEN AP | 6-hour certificate course offered by Sustainable Furnishings Council that provides an excellent grounding in sustainability issues and offers practical solutions for growing an eco-friendly home furnishings business