Director of Sustainable Practice MSR Design Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minimizing chemical hazards and embodied carbon in the materials we put into our buildings can feel impractical when faced with budgetary considerations, energy performance goals, and sifting through greenwashing claims. In this session we will introduce tools, principles and workflows that can be used at a high level to identify product types that typically contain less hazardous content than others within the same product category (e.g. insulation). We will then present case studies demonstrating the tools, design details and product selections demonstrating the implementation of affordable, low carbon and healthy materials in practice. Last, we will discuss how to avoid the feeling of overwhelm when faced with many choices and the prevalence of greenwashing in the industry.
Learning Objectives:
By attending this session, attendees will:
Describe tools and methodology for understanding the chemical impacts of building materials throughout their life cycle
Describe how a product category approach may be used in lieu of specifying specific products in order to meet material health and embodied carbon goals
List specific types of building materials that minimize both human health impacts and embodied carbon
