Healthy, Honest, Happy
Healthy Buildings is deeply passionate about sustainability, a word misused, abused, and generally misunderstood. Daily we strive to create healthier, more functional and profitable buildings around the world. As I wrote about in a previous blog, one of the big steps we made as a company was becoming a B Corp, but it can’t stop there. It is our mission, through this blog, social media, and our every-day work, to help share the promises of sustainability and encourage other companies alike to take action in creating a better community, culture, and civilization. This means having honest business practices and straying away from false marketing, advertising, or greenwashing.
Energy efficiency, green building consulting, indoor air quality, and water efficiency are the fundamental pillars that hold the Healthy Buildings flag high, and in the past we have used very little to no marketing or advertising to help generate business. Our clients work with us because we have an established relationship or were recommended by a trustworthy source. We have a strong community of leaders in the built environment and it has encouraged steady and healthy growth. As a representative of the sustainability department at Healthy Buildings, we are making a conscious effort to share, collaborate, and grow with others in the greater community. It is through this avenue that we will pave a new road for the built environment. Leading by example, sharing our experiences, and co-creating are just a few opportunities for growth, so share with us! Reach out to us and let us know how we can better serve our towns, cities, states and countries around the world!
USGBC-OC Kicks off the New Year
2013 Davis Magnet Greenovation and Vendor Faire – Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach CA
To B or not to “B Corp”
A large component to sustainability is supported by profits. If it doesn’t make money, then it probably doesn’t make sense. The balance of profit, people, and the planet poses interesting conversations, collaborative efforts, and intuitive innovations within the corporate community – especially the green building industry. What supports each of the three pillars to sustainability is ethics. How we accomplish this balance says everything about our intention, our motivation, and our ultimate goal. Today, over 600 companies have taken the B Corp vow to support an ethical transformation of the corporate world. These 600 companies, in 15 different countries and a variety of industries, have collaborated with a mission not commonly associated with corporations: to rediscover what business success looks like and put their money where their mouth is.
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Laozi
The B Corp website explains that, “B Corp certification is to sustainable business what Fair Trade certification is to coffee or USDA Organic certification is to milk.” This is the new-age way of identifying which companies go the extra mile for sustainability. A Benefit Corporation is required by law to create general benefit for society as well as employees and shareholders. Moreover, B Corps must publicly report their social and environmental performance using the established third-party standards. To become a B Corp is to say “nay” to greenwashing.
Potential B Corps are reviewed and certified by the nonprofit “B Lab“, which holds these companies to the highest standards of environmental performance, transparency, and social responsibility. The criteria to become a B Corp revolves around five key categories: Accountability, Employees, Consumers, Community, and Environment. Back in 2011, when Healthy Buildings officially became a B Corp, there were roughly 400 certified companies and 20 months later the momentum continues to grow. This, is the change that we seek. Check out the Healthy Buildings B Corp profile HERE.
From Recycling to E-Cycling
Now that the gift-giving season is coming to a close and all of our new goodies are properly installed around our households, it is time to reflect and think about what happened to our waste and what we could have done differently. Many old electronics are thoughtlessly discarded, destroyed, and unfortunately land filled, but this does not have to be the case! People around the world are learning about new ways to donate, recycle, or even re-purpose or up-cycle their old electronic goods.
Websites such as Guzu.com, Buymytronics.com, government entities such as the EPA, and other local entities around the world are responding to the massive increases in waste – especially in the technological cycle. TVs, computers, laptops, iPods, iPads, and much more are all items that have a large amount of embodied energy. In other words, the electronics of the 21st century take a large amount of energy and resources just to produce a final product, not to mention what it takes to collect, haul, and dispose of such products. As Bill McDonough may suggest, it is important to consider what our products are made of, where they come from, and how we dispose of them. Imagine the entire life-cycle of the materials in each product. Metals and other raw materials used to build computers, cameras, and TVs can be disassembled, re-purposed, and at the end of the day potentially UP-cycled from the older, “out-of-date” product. Read More…
Our Industry and AB 1103
The aim of reducing California’s energy consumption has been a hot topic of conversation for decades. The talk around greenhouse gas emissions has led to world-wide events, new initiatives, sky scraping goals, and, our favorite, legislation. The EPA has been on the forefront of encouraging environmental change, and their infamous ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager is the tool for bench-marking a buildings’ energy performance.
Commercial building operators, facility managers, real estate brokers, as well as owners and consultants need to become familiar with this new law and understand how it may effect them. AB 1103 was originally proposed to take effect in January 2011, but has experienced quite a bit of push-back. The CEC decided to postpone the launch until July 2013. The requirement for California commercial buildings to disclose, or benchmark, their energy use information is on the horizon and must be completed prior to the sale, refinancing, or leasing of the building.
Healthy Buildings Achieves Climate Registered Status
For the third year in a row, Healthy Buildings achieved Climate Registered™ status by successfully measuring its carbon footprint according to The Climate Registry’s best-in-class program, having it third party verified, and reporting the data on The Registry’s website. Healthy Buildings joins other leading organizations across North America in adopting a truly sustainable approach to business. Carbon footprint measurement includes a detailed investigation into energy consumption, operational procedures, and company culture.
About The Climate Registry
The Climate Registry is a non-profit organization that operates the only carbon footprint registry in North America supported by states, provinces, territories and tribes. The Climate Registry helps hundreds of public and private organizations measure, report and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions with integrity. For more information, please visit the Climate Registry Website.
Brandon Kaysen
Gwen Merkin
Simon Turner
Jennifer Porter
Meg Meiklejohn
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