The BE+ Health and Wellness Community brings together architects, designers, construction managers, and sustainability professionals to discuss issues related to healthy buildings.
Reach out to wellness@builtenvironmentplus.org with any inquiries, questions, or concerns.
Topics & Speakers
January 10, 2024 -- Greenwashing and Debunking Healthy Material Myths
Join us on January 10th for a roundtable discussion exploring types of greenwashing and the ways misleading marketing interferes with sourcing genuinely healthy building materials. The conversation will feature subject matter experts with experience navigating deceptive images and claims, hidden trade-offs, and common greenwashing tactics, and have some tips for doing your own fact-checking to find guaranteed, healthy products. We will also touch on how to respond to greenwashing and advocate for transparency in the healthy materials space. Bring your own stories, experience, and questions to share!
Subject Matter Experts:
Jill Maltby-Abbott | Sustainability Project Manager | MIRACORP, Inc.
Laurel Chadzynski | VP of Engagement | mindful MATERIALS
Amy Musanti | Director of Sustainable Design Solutions | ASSA ABLOY Group
November 7, 2024 -- Advocacy at the A&D Level: Everyday Influences
Join us on November 7th for a roundtable discussion where we’ll explore stories of everyday advocacy in the built environment. A few subject matter experts will share their experiences in pushing the boundaries to create healthier spaces for both occupants and the environment. We invite attendees to bring their own stories of material health advocacy, showcasing how their influence made a positive impact.
Subject Matter Experts:
Tanya Eagle | AIA Materials Pledge Working Group Co-Chair
Christine M. Vohringer | Firmwide Sustainability Specialist | Perkins Eastman
Bas van Genderen | President / C.O.O. | Duracryl International INC
Mitch Sackett | Business Development Manager – Northern United States | Duracryl International INC
Candon Murphy | Sustainability Materials Specialist | HOK
September 13th, 2024 - Material Health Through the Contractor’s Lens - An Industry Wide Perspective
- How can architects/designers/
sustainability consultants streamline specifying healthy materials to be successfully installed on a project? - Do you notice a difference in air quality when working on projects that specify healthy materials?
- Do you see a pattern between different building types or various scales when it comes to executing healthier materials? (subs, cost, lead times, procurement)
- When working with subs, do you find healthy material education is required, or do most subs understand this process?
- How are you able to pivot between different green building certifications on projects? Do you have in-house experts?
Subject Matter Experts
Kena David | Director of Sustainability | Consigli Construction Co., Inc.
Mary Elizabeth Liggio | Pre-Construction Estimator | Turner Construction
Conor McGuire | Director of Sustainability | Columbia Construction Company
Jennifer Taranto | Vice President of Sustainability | STO Building Group
May 10th, 2024 - How Architects and Designers Select Healthy Materials
Featured Subject Matter Experts:
Alexandra Gadawski, HMFH
Keihly Moore, Studio G
Xoey Teixeira, Perkins Eastman
May Hyatt, Bergmeyer
Dieter Cartwright, Dutch East Design
March 8th, 2024 - Open Mic Lunch! H&W Resource Sharing
Experts
Matt Root (Integrated Eco Strategy) – Red 2 Green
Barbara Batshalom (SPI) – Operationalizing the CMF using BuildingEase
Alexandra Christiana (HMFH) – Mindful Materials Lighting advocacy letter
Brent Ehrlich (BuildingGreen) – BuildingGreen Suite material vetting
Michelle Granick and Matt Miller (PCA) – Material Label Decoder
Mandy Miller (Elkus Manfredi) – Eco gatekeeping
Kristen Fritsch (Elkus Manfredi) – Chair scorecard tag
Michael Munn (The Green Engineer) – WELL material tracking tool
January 2024 - PFAS in Materials Specifications
A continuation of the Health & Wellness Community’s PFAS in the Built Environment Series. In this session, we’ll be focusing on materials specifications, highlighting processes, tools, and case studies on how to eliminate PFAS from our building materials. We’ll also explore how to treat PFAS in our waste streams after demolition and deconstruction.
Watch the PFAS in the Built Environment webinar (Aug. 2023) here.
Subject Matter Experts:
Lisa Goodwin Robins | Architect/Specifier | Kalin Associates Inc.
Mikhail Davis | Director of Technical Sustainability | Interface
Amanda Garvey | Vice President | Thornton Tomasetti
Rebecca Hatchadorian | Director, Sustainable Built Environment | Harvard University
Jack Dinning | Senior Materials Specialist | Brightworks Sustainability
January 12th, 12-1pm, virtual. Register here.
November 2023 - PFAS + Water
Is it feasible to filter or eliminate PFAS in water at the building level? What role can LEED and WELL play in PFAS mitigation in our buildings’ water systems? Are there things people are already doing to mitigate PFAS contamination in water in our building projects? These are all questions we’ll explore at the November Health & Wellness Roundtable focusing on PFAS + Water. We’ll be joined by a group of experts on the issue who may have some answers.
Subject Matter Experts:
Sergio Cahueque | Organizer | Defend Our Health
Lindsey Lawson | Sustainability Consultant | The Green Engineer
Jennifer Pederson | Executive Director | Mass Water Works
Patrick Wittbold | Research Engineer | Water and Energy Technology (WET) Center, UMass Amherst
November 17th, 12-1pm, virtual. Register here.
September 2023 - PFAS in the Built Environment - Informative Event
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are chemicals that don’t break down in the environment and can harm our health. This session focuses on raising awareness of PFAS in the built environment, looking at all stages: the overarching science, manufacturing, introduction into building, presence in turf fields, environmental effects in drinking water, and end of life in deconstruction. The conversation will include multiple speakers from a variety of backgrounds, bringing more attention to the issues surrounding PFAS.
Learn more and register: https://builtenvironmentplus.org/event/health-wellness-pfas-in-the-built-environment-informative-event/
May 2023 - Induction Stoves in Housing, Health Impacts of Gas in Buildings
Topic description and Subject Matter Experts TBA
March 2023 - Creating Healthy Environments: Work and Academic Spaces
How do we create healthy environments to both encourage in-person collaboration in offices and universities and to adapt to meet remote and hybrid needs?
There has been a shift in the ways we work and collaborate. Policies and design changes can be implemented to help bring people back to the office/academic spaces while embracing flexibility. How can health and wellness strategies from rating systems like WELL and Fitwel adapt to this new hybrid work environment?
Subject Matter Experts:
Jeff Hyman, Chief Sustainability Officer | Green Hub Sustainability Agents LLC
Dan Schnitzer, Program Manager for Sustainability | Red Hat
January 2023 - Intersection of Light and Wellbeing
Lighting has a direct influence on the well-being of its inhabitants. This roundtable aims to hear from experts in the field about what they believe to be the benefits and importance of lighting and how it affects us. Topics could range from electric lighting and daylighting, circadian rhythm, color temperature, quality of light, and glare control. This is an interactive discussion and encourages everyone to participate and share things they may be struggling with, as well as success stories.
Featured Speakers:
Chad Groshart | Lighting Design Director at Atelier Ten
Josh Feinstein | Co-Founder and Principal at Sladen Feinstein Integrated Lighting
Jake Wayne | Associate Lighting at Arup
2022
November – Biophilia
September – Intersections with Passive House
July – Affordable Housing
May – Existing Building Retrofit
March – Owner’s Perspective
Alexandria Real Estate Equities Develops and owns extensive life sciences properties throughout the Greater Boston region. They cater to a demanding life science sector that demands Class A space. Health and Wellness is one of the important aspects of these developments.
Rick Malmstrom is the Executive Director – Sustainability Operations at Alexandria, and will talk about their approach to delivering healthy buildings.
Featured Leaders:
Rick Malmstrom | Executive Director, Sustainability Operations at Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.
January – Reflection and Year Ahead
2021
December – ???? Bright Ideas in Lighting
Lighting, both natural and manufactured, is essential to human health and wellness. The roundtable speakers will share their work in the field, with a discussion of the whole life cycle impacts of lighting, as well as the idea of “perception……” Please join us to learn, and to share your ideas and experiences in the realm of light
Featuring Lighting Leaders:
Alexandra Gadawski AIA, LEED AP BD+C | WELL AP – Architect / Sustainability leader at HMFH Architects
Keith Yancey IALD, AIA, LC, P.E. | Principal at Lam Partners
Melissa Mattes LC, LFA, | Senior Lighting Designer at Sladen Feinstein Integrated Lighting Inc.
November – Big Wins and Challenges in Building Rating Certifications
More info to come – Presentations of built projects by local leaders discussing the successes and challenges when using various rating systems to drive health and wellness in the finished design.
September – Member Input & Planning Meeting
August – Materials Universe
The products we use to construct our buildings and create engaging interior spaces are expected to do more than serve a function or aesthetic. Today’s materials are being asked to have healthier ingredients, lower embodied carbon and promote circularity, and, if they’re really well conceived, address inequities and injustice throughout their supply chains.
Building and product certifications, as well as commitments like the 2030 Challenge or AIA Material’s Pledge provide us with frameworks for setting materials goals. Research continues to evolve to support, or even challenge, the use of certain materials. It’s a lot to stay on top of given that product selection is likely only one facet of our work.
Jack Dinning of Brightworks Sustainability, and a materials consultant to Harvard’s Office of Sustainability, has been regularly mapping the building products ecosystem, and is looking to engage practitioners at all levels of experience to share information and strategies for pursuing optimized materials goals.
Note: Attendees will get access to a Miro board prior to the session that will be the focus of the collaborative discussion and once complete, can serve as a resource for accelerating the work of optimized materials.
Community Stewards
Community Leadership
Carrie Havey
Co-Chair
Principal at The Green Engineer
Lindsay Bach
Co-Chair
Interior Designer NCIDQ, LEEP AP ID+C at PCA Design
Rebecca Rahmlow
Board Liaison
Senior Associate and Sustainability Consultant, Thornton Tomasetti
Jennifer Taranto
Board Liaison
Vice President of Sustainability at STO Building Group
Rebecca Schofield
Board Liaison
Developer at Pennrose
Resources:
Collaborate with us to navigate the complex healthy-materials universe in the building industry.
Catch up by reviewing the August 2021 roundtable recording below, and visit the Materials Universe Miro. Tell us where you are from, check out all the resources, and we invite you to add to this board too!