Indoor Air Pollution Near Busy Roads Freeways and other busy roads are sources of elevated auto emissions and Indoor Air Pollution. These emissions can be harmful to human health for both people on the roads and people working, walking, and living nearby. Nearly 20% of the United States population lives near a high volume road,

San Francisco Green Building – Exploratorium Case Study Being an environmental inspector at Healthy Building Science it’s not surprising that I have an interest in buildings, science and the environment. So as I watched the sunrise from the rooftop of the Exploratorium for the first time during one of my moonlighting shifts as an Exploratorium special

What are Sustainable Construction Documents? Everything you’ve always wanted to know about Sustainable Construction Documents, but were afraid to ask. An Architects Explains Sustainable Construction Documents From time to time I find myself explaining the process and make up of sustainable construction documents to various people. So it recently occurred to me that it would

The Science of Biomimicry: How to Use Nature’s Teachings to Thrive The science of Biomimicry recognizes that we have strayed too far from the wildlife that we’ve coevolved with and asks for a return to the source. Those who practice it observe what other life forms have done to survive and then apply the underlying

The Architectural Industry In early summer 2012, when I joined HBS, I also transitioned from working as an architect myself, in the mainstream architectural industry, into a consultant to architects. Since then, I have worked with many architectural firms of all sizes, on small to very large projects. This gave me the unique opportunity to really step back

For Our Home, Our Health, and Our Environment: Green Cleaning Products A regular and thorough cleaning regime is important in maintaining a healthy indoor environment. The cleaning products we use, however, can have adverse health effects. Most household cleaners can contain a plethora of chemicals. Overexposure to these chemicals can cause a variety of health

Top 10 tips to look for Water Damage and Mold in Buildings Every year the rains return, soil dampens, leaks pop up, and especially mold in buildings is much more prevalent than during the dry times. This winter’s forecast “El Niño” may bring more rain and possible flooding than California has seen in a decade. Many of our buildings are

Piping for New Construction: Plastic vs. Copper What Do We Know – What Should We Do? Water, it has been revered since the beginning of time. It sustains and nourishes us; we couldn’t live more than three days without it. Fortunately, in the Western World, it is readily available. It is so seamlessly intertwined with

Lessons learned while working on LEED Projects   I am lucky in that I have had the opportunity to work on such a wide array of LEED projects in so many different LEED rating systems and versions. While most LEED professionals, especially those that work in architectural firms, have seen the design side of the

Healthy Building Material Research Let’s Prove that the Good Guys Don’t Finish Last! Building material manufacturers are trying to clean up their act. Leading companies are disclosing more chemical ingredients than the laggards, and if your healthy building material research relies solely on an MSDS you may be fooled into choosing a less healthy building material.