Skip to main content
Username
Matt Root
Proposer First Name
Matthew
Proposer Email
matt_root@alumni.brown.edu
Proposer Last Name
Root
Proposer Phone
(508) 887-5253
Proposer Job Title
Senior Project Manager
Proposed Session Description
Carbon emissions can be offset, health impacts cannot. For too long, making buildings healthier has focused primarily on occupant health, a narrow view neglecting manufacturing workers and fence-line communities around the factories. Truly healthier materials must be free from chemicals of concern throughout the supply chain. Over 50% of American PVC production requires an asbestos filter. That means today, there is someone, probably in Russia, Kazakhstan, or China, mining a mineral known--back to the Roman Empire--to cause its own unique form of lung cancer (and still not banned in the US). Outrage over the injustice embodied in unhealthy products is valuable only if it spurs action. Action for healthier materials means designing out bad product types and pushing manufacturers for safer materials. Your project cannot be Red List free (yet!). But you can contribute positively to the movement by lending your voice and your project’s buying power, because committing to healthier materials only matters if you back it up with informed product selection and advocacy. This session features insights and proven strategies gleaned from experience with more than 50 healthier building projects, providing the tools needed to take essential steps at a pace appropriate for any project.
Why is this session important?
This session is important because success in moving the marketplace toward healthier material requires participation from projects. But right now many design and construction teams are not participating because they are overwhelmed and don’t know where to start. We will get people started.
Diversity and Inclusiveness
This presentation directly addresses equity and environmental justice. We seek to expand the conversation on healthier materials beyond occupant health--to include installers, manufacturer workers, and fence-line communities. These people are often the ones most severely impacted by the consequences of our building product supply chain.
Learning Objectives
Discuss the environmental justice impacts of building products
Explain the value of advocating to manufacturers with a unified, consistent message
Outline action steps to begin measurable progress toward healthier materials goals
Identify opportunities to avoid lagging Product Types
Has this session been presented before?
No
Target Audiences Level of Expertise
Level 1 - No prior knowledge needed.
Session Format
Interview or structured conversation among panelists

Strongest Content Connection - NYC 2021

Reviewer 1
Royan, Monisha
Reviewer 2
Bayer, Sara
Curator
Bayer, Sara
Proposal #
140
Session #
209
Committee Decision
Accepted