Category: Perspectives
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Making It Easier: Collaborative Approaches for Better Choices
By Charley Stevenson There is always a level of hopefulness and excitement being in conference rooms and breakout sessions with professionals across many disciplines addressing sustainability in the built environment. We all gather to discuss solutions for making information and processes more accessible to everyone to ensure a healthier environment for all. And though we… Read more
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How do I Reduce Embodied Carbon in My Building?
By Amy Johns “Embodied carbon” refers to the greenhouse gases released in the manufacturing and transportation of something. As a rule of thumb, if a material requires combustion or melting in its manufacturing (think glass, concrete, steel), it’s high in embodied carbon. Plant-based materials tend to be lower in embodied carbon—or even carbon sequestering, depending… Read more
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Why Are We So Sick—and What Can We Do?
As many of us age, some start to wonder why we don’t feel so good anymore. Millions experience chronically occurring diseases and conditions that have developed in us over our lifetimes. Health care costs alone, according to PLANSPONSOR magazine, are estimated at $285,000 for a retired couple! Read more
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How Healthier Products Embody Social Justice
The Materially Better Team believes that seeking healthier building products presents substantial opportunities for addressing social, racial and environmental justice issues. Here is why: Read more
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Flame Retardants: A Cautionary Tale
We all have moments when our personal and professional lives intersect. For me a particularly poignant moment involved a couch and my first Living Building Challenge project. I was just starting research on products, learning about chemicals of concern and, more important, exactly where they are used in building products. Including furniture. Read more
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Building with Healthier Materials: It’s Not Just Concrete and Gypsum Board
According to a 2020 AIA analysis of sustainability trends, 80% of architects would like to specify more sustainable materials. Yet, the study also showed that only one in three architects believe they are now meeting this responsibility. Read more
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ECON 101: Healthier Materials Edition
True progress on climate change requires government action, a notion perhaps best summarized by environmentalist Rev. Fred Small, “Changing a light bulb is good. Changing a senator is better.” Read more
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A Letter to the Design Community: How Do We Commit to Using Better Materials?
It’s time for new beginnings. Let’s talk about our work — and I mean all of us — in achieving better building products for people and the planet. With the AIA’s recently reiterated Materials Pledge, we have heard the buzz around the design build community. Read more
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Buildings Are Easy; People Are Hard: Reflections on Living Future 2024
By Matt Root Living Future 2024 (LF24), hosted by Living Future in the bustling capital of Atlanta, Georgia, proved to be a wellspring of insight and inspiration. With industry leaders offering their expertise on pressing issues—climate, health, equity, and innovation—LF24 was an event buzzing with a call for action oriented solutions. Requiring more than academic… Read more