EPA Actions Offer More Support for LEED 2012 Approach to Chemicals of Concern: Comment Period Ends 3/20/12

Two actions from the US EPA last month reaffirm the serious and unique negative health impacts of the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic lifecycle. For the green building community, the Agency's latest evaluations of PVC and dioxin affirm both the US Green Building Council's 2007 conclusion that PVC is not a healthy building material, and lend further support for a proposed LEED credit that would reward the avoidance of chemicals of concern, including halogenated plastics. It is clearer than ever why halogenated plastics such as PVC should be avoided in green buildings, and we urge your support for the draft "Chemicals of Concern" credit in LEED 2012. [You can read my colleague Tom Lent's comments on LEED 2012 and add your own here in ...

Today, thirty leading building product manufacturers will open the door to the Age of Radical Transparency as they begin working with their customers to test and improve the Health Product Declaration (HPD) Open Standard, a voluntary format for disclosing product content and related health concerns that are typically not reported even when a product, or a building, is certified "green."

The HPD Pilot Program is rigorous, designed to maximize disclosure and accuracy of building product data, and ensure that it is reported in a fair and consistent manner wherever it appears. The Pilot Program challenges designers, specifiers and building owners to define the critical information that they need to make informed...

I think you're really going to like Pharos v2.

I could talk about how improved user interface and workflow features will save your firm time and money, while increasing your control over your building product specifications throughout the construction schedule. But you can read about that in our press release. Or better yet, take a free trial and see for yourself.

What I really want to talk about with Pharos subscribers and blog readers is why these tools really matter, to you and us. Let's not confuse the means with the ends. In the end, Pharos is not just about making you more efficient in your work, it's about making you more effective in your mission: transforming the building materials market to be a driver for best environmental, health and social equity practices.

You have made clear, and we agree,...

Last year the USGBC introduced two new Pilot Credits[1] that reward precautionary action, the avoidance of certain classes of chemicals in the face of mounting evidence that they present significant threats to human health.[2] Industry trade groups fought these measures as they fight all chemical regulation, with the argument restrictions or disincentives against chemical use must be based upon "sound science" that proves the connection between a specific chemical and a specific health problem beyond a shadow of a doubt. But due to a catch-22 in current US law, the EPA must prove potential risk or widespread exposure before it can get the data it needs to determine the extent of hazard, exposure or risk.[3] If we want to make green buildings healthy buildings, merely following the law will lead us in circles.

To fully appreciate the importance...

Today at the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Chicago, the Healthy Building Network and BuildingGreen announced a strategic partnership that will provide architects, designers and specifiers with an unsurpassed source of trusted, authoritative, independent information about building products. Effective immediately, the two organizations will link our web-based green building research sites, GreenSpec and the Pharos Project, creating unprecedented ease of use between the two tools, and push-button access to the combined product research of the two organizations. In addition to the new product offerings, we will also be establishing a new research...