About • MateriallyBetter

About Materially Better

IES’ team of professionals help answer the question “Which materials should I use?” for building owners, architects, designers, engineers and consultants seeking to build outstanding, healthy buildings. We provide education, software tools and project consulting that guides our clients in evaluating, selecting and ensuring the use of healthier building materials based on their chosen criteria of concern.

Founded in 2010, IES’ expertise is grounded in years of experience collaborating with, and assisting, major corporations, nonprofits and universities. Our team of dedicated sustainability analysts, software developers, healthy materials specialists, researchers and others is dedicated to environmental leadership. Their work, along with that of independent sustainability teams and consultants nationwide, is supported and streamlined through the use of the IES software platform Red2Green,the world’s leading healthier materials management system.

IES provides an array of industry-leading green building consulting services, facilitating sustainable and regenerative building design, renovation and construction for projects including the Science and Engineering Complex at Harvard University in Boston, MA, Living Village at Yale Divinity School, New Haven CT, the Class of 1966 Environmental Center and Fort Bradshaw Hall at Williams College, Williamstown, MA; R.W. Kern Center at Hampshire College, and Hitchcock Center for the Environment, both in Amherst, MA; The Ecology School, Saco, ME; and Lloyd Center for the Environment, Dartmouth, MA.

Our Mission and Values

IES’ stated mission is to “Catalyze Better Buildings for People and Planet.” A Just® organization, we value a positive and proactive work environment and a culture that promotes clarity and honesty. IES is committed to improvement and, perhaps above all, we want to be a fun place to be and work.

The Living Building Challenge

Our work is based upon years of expertise with the Living Building Challenge (LBC) for major corporations and universities. LBC, from the International Living Future Institute (ILFI), is often described as the “world’s most rigorous” green building standard, exceeding even the more well-known LEED standards.

Whether or not a project seeks Living Building Challenge certification, we believe that all projects can benefit from the work done by ILFI to identify the 817 chemicals of concern listed on the LBC “Red List.” We recommend avoiding or minimizing the use of these chemicals, such as PVC, Phthalates, BPA, polycarbonate, and Teflon. It doesn’t have to be difficult to find alternatives for them or to use them. Many times, the alternatives cost the same as potentially harmful products.