Health, Wellness & Sustainability Committee

We are thrilled to be working for the greater good of our design community. Last year we provided 3.5 CEU credits centered around Ethical Sourcing and Neuroaesthetics. This year we continue to fulfill our goals as a committee, presenting opportunities for you to learn about new sustainable products, view a groundbreaking film, and earn a CEU. Watch your inbox for all our events this year! We look forward to seeing you.

We have compiled a great list of resources that we hope will prove useful as you work to improve the health, wellness, and sustainability of your projects. Scroll Down for Resources and to learn more!

Committee Members

Expand your knowledge!

Resources

Courses and 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

Living Future Courses  Individual online courses on popular topics from Biophilic Design to Declare to Zero Carbon that you can take at your own pace.  You can choose courses about regenerative buildings, sustainable materials and equitable organizations. 

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.

FSC-Certified Wood in Construction and Green Building | This course will educate you on the value of the FSC system, how it applies to major green building rating systems, such as LEED and Living Building Challenge, and the essentials of sourcing FSC-certified wood for your green building project.

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 effects of indoor exposure to chemicals from building materials and products

Informed (Healthy Building Network) | 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) | A list of the “worst in class” materials, chemicals, and elements known to pose serious risks to human health and the greater ecosystem that is 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 products

Material Sourcing

For each material/product you source, it’s helpful to ask these questions:

• 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 comparing product certifications

SPOT® UL | A search tool to help automate the sustainable product selection process

GOTS, the leading organic textile standard | 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

Circularity

Bye Bye Mattress | A program that helps people easily dispose of their mattresses in a way that’s good for both 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 growth of landfill diversion

The Good Future Design Alliance | A nationwide movement of design and build professionals who are willing to innovate their businesses for the planet’s sake

Circularity | Material health research from the Healthy Materials Lab

FABSCRAP + donateNYC + Many Happy Returns | Instead of throwing your textiles away, donate or recycle them here.

Climate / Carbon

Climate Toolkit for Interior Designers |  A guide to help interior designers reduce the carbon emissions of their work.

Additional Reading