News
Do Antimicrobial Building Products Protect Against COVID-19?
Countertops, door handles, light switches. Now in the time of COVID-19, we are more aware than ever these high-touch surfaces need to be kept clean. But are building products advertised as containing antimicrobials such a good idea?
Read MoreNew COVID-19 Resources Page
HBN recently launched our new COVID-19 page. There you will find links to resources from HBN and trusted partners that can help you make informed decisions about how to use disinfectants and antimicrobial products, or not, in accordance with guidelines from the CDC.
Read MoreTools You Can Use: HomeFree Specifications for Healthier Paint and Flooring
If you’re an architect, specification writer, or developer and you want to specify healthier paint and flooring materials, the new HomeFree Specifications can help. HBN developed specification language in editable Word documents organized according to MasterFormat® standard divisions. In addition to drop-in specification language, the Specifications also provide examples of products that meet the spec requirements. Lauren Zullo, Director of Environmental Impact at Jonathan Rose Companies says, “The HomeFree Specifications are really clear documents that my team can pass along to our various architects and general contractors to help provide the reasoning behind WHY we’re asking for what we’re asking for, in terms of healthier materials. It not only helps increase awareness, but allows design teams to make more informed decisions with value engineered product selection.”
Read MorePetrochemical Companies are Burying Black History. The Building Industry Can Help Resurrect It.
In Louisiana, the factories that make the chemicals and plastics for our building products are built literally upon the bones of African Americans. Plantation fields have been transformed into industrial fortresses. A Shell Refinery1 sprawls across the former Bruslie and Monroe plantations. Belle Pointe is now the DuPont Pontchartrain Works, among the most toxic air polluters in the state.2 Soon, the Taiwan-based Formosa Plastics Group intends to build a 2400-acre complex of 14 facilities that will transform fracked gas into plastics. It will occupy land that was formerly the Acadia and Buena Vista plantations, and not incidentally, the ancestral burial grounds of local African American residents, some of whom trace their lineage back to people enslaved there.3 Virtually every building product we use today contains a petrochemical component that originates from heavily polluted communities, frequently home to people of color. As the green building movement searches for ways to enhance diversity, inclusion and equity, how might it address the legacies of injustice that are tied to the products and materials we use every day?
Read MorePicking a Safer Paint is Easier Than You Think
Selecting the right paint for your project can be challenging and identifying a paint that reduces your exposure to toxic chemicals on top of that can be even more daunting. The good news is that transformation continues to happen in the paint market, providing developers, architects, and consumers more options for choosing less toxic paint products. Moreover, at Healthy Building Network (HBN), we continue working with our partners to help simplify the process of selecting a safer paint.
Read MoreHBN Helps Guide New Green Communities Materials Criteria
Enterprise Community Partners has just released the next generation of their Green Communities Criteria. The only national green building standard designed specifically for affordable housing projects, the Enterprise Green Communities Criteria has a major impact on how affordable housing properties are constructed. HBN is proud to have contributed to the development of the new 2020 Green Communities Criteria. Krista Egger, senior director of initiatives at Enterprise Community Partners, acknowledged HBN’s contribution, saying, "Significant improvements were made to the Materials section of the Green Communities standard thanks to the leadership of HBN."
Read MoreThe First of Three HBN Webinars Kicks-Off Next Week, Offering Practical Advice On Healthier Materials Selections for Your Next Project
You make all the difference in making healthier and affordable housing more accessible! Get the knowledge you need for healthier materials selections in these three webinar offerings. Choose one or all three webinar topics, where you’ll learn the importance of healthier building materials selection, and get actionable steps for choosing better paint and flooring for your next project. The first webinar, live next week on November 12, is titled Welcome to HomeFree: Why Materials Matter. Keep reading to learn more and to register.
Read MoreWhat’s New at HomeFree? Resources to Help You Select Healthier Insulation
HBN is keeping pace with changes in insulation product offerings with updates to our insulation hazard spectrum. We're also supporting our users by providing on-demand educational materials to match. HBN’s latest course released on our HomeFree Campus is Selecting Healthier Insulation with HomeFree.
Read MoreLooking to Strengthen the Equity Conversation? How About Including Building Materials!
Wondering what makes building materials a public health issue? The word equity plays a big role! Equity and buildings seem worlds apart, but Healthy Building Network is changing that paradigm through research, education, and our HomeFree initiative.
Read MoreQuantifying the Impact of Product Choices
We know intrinsically that hazardous chemicals have the potential to do harm and that they commonly do so throughout a product’s life cycle. For champions of the healthy building cause, that understanding of the precautionary principle is enough. But others still need to be convinced and often want to quantify the impact of a healthy-material program. How can healthy building champions start to talk about and quantify the impacts of material choices?
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