Healthy Indoors Magazine - USA Edition

16 | FEATURE— May 2018 toxic to fish, or are persistent in the environment—and to pro- mote continuous improvement toward safer chemicals. HPD: The Healthy Product Declaration Collaborative is a not-for-profit, member organization that is continuously im- proving the building industry's performance through transpar- ency, openness and innovation in the practices of reporting, disclosure, specification and selection of building products. Google: The Google Healthy Materials Program evaluates all building products and materials through a rigorous screen- ing process and uses criteria based on established industry standards that value transparency and material health. Prod- ucts that meet these criteria are available to be specified and procured for Google design and construction projects around the globe. The Google initiative means consumers can know all the ingredients of every product ─ from chairs and sofas to the paint and finishes ─ just like the nutrition labels on the food you buy at your neighborhood grocery store. The tighter the better Meanwhile, in Seattle, Tadashi Shiga from Evergreen Certified, consults builders on zero energy homes (ZERH) and Passive House construction. In doing so, he is con- stantly searching for ways to tighten the home envelope and make it as tight as possible. By doing so, it reduces energy demand. Shiga recommends his clients seal the home envelope with advanced framing and insulation strategies, including the use of Aerobarrier. Shiga says, "With AeroBarrier we are able to make the home nearly leak free, which allows us to control the living environment and make indoor air bet- ter than the outdoors. The occupants of such homes report fewer allergies and breathing easier — literally." AeroBarrier received the 2018 Edison Award, the top honor for product innovation — beating out runner-up Dow. Shiga reports ACH levels as low as 0.2, therefore, he Evaluator certifications from the Building Performance Institute (BPI). BPI develops the technical standards for home energy audits and for energy efficiency, health, and safety improvements. How do we know what is in a building product or finish? Krell says product transparency is the future of green building. This is consistent with the message from the American Insti- tute of Architects, advising architects to ask, does a manufac- turer promote transparency and disclose ingredients? Finding products that promote transparency is made easier through key resources, including: The Quartz Project: Quartz aims to bridge the gaps be- tween information, knowledge, and action, leading to less toxic, lower-impact building materials; using a consistent and transparent methodology, our database includes com- position, environment, and health hazard information on 102 common building products. Information is critical for market transformation towards less toxic and lower-impact materi- als. With open data, we can begin to measure, demand, and design better products, buildings, and communities. Healthy Building Network: The HBN was founded in 2000 to reduce the use of hazardous chemicals in building products as a means of improving human health and the en- vironment. Cradle to Cradle: The Cradle to Cradle Products Innova- tion Institute, a non-profit organization, educates and empow- ers manufacturers of consumer products to become a positive force for society and the environment. The Institute adminis- ters the publicly available Cradle to Cradle Certified™ Product Standard, providing designers and manufacturers with criteria and requirements for continuous improvement, labeling prod- uct contents and manufacturing methods. GreenScreen: GreenScreen for Safer Chemicals is a publicly available and transparent chemical hazard screening method to help move our society quickly and effectively toward the use of greener and safer chemicals. GreenScreen allows users to evaluate chemicals based on their inherent hazards — for example, to determine if they are linked to cancer, are "We are able to make a home nearly leak-free, which allows us to control the living environment and make indoor air better than the outdoors. The occupants of such homes report fewer allergies."

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