Green Building Tours - Stay tuned for our upcoming virtual events!
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Be sure it’s heard in the 2020 Election!
by Pamela Berns
www.flickr.com/photos/theresasthompson/
The November election may be the most important election in our nation’s history and for our planet’s future, and Covid-19 does not need to be a deterrent.
This year registered voters in New York State have three options:
While the state is offering a plethora of ways to help meet the needs of many voters, for some, the choices can make the process seem overwhelming or difficult to follow. We’ve tried to simplify it here, so you can vote easily and safely and help others join you in getting the vote out.
People living in other states in the US can find voting details for their states at https://www.usa.gov/election-office
and //www.vote.org/.
There are three steps to voting in New York State:
By Tamanna Mohapatra and Pamela Berns
After a long spring and summer of streaming and one too many Zooms, many city dwellers started craving something three-dimensional, organic and more nurturing to the body and soul. One therapy that emerged was growing our own herbs and vegetables at home—or at least trying to. We’ve used whatever spaces we’ve had—unused corners in small apartments, windowsills, kitchen counters, balconies (for those lucky enough to have one), and whatever little patches of lawn we could possibly cultivate. One Upper West Sider even appropriated a former city street tree planter to sprout corn stalks. (more…)
We spend 90% of our lives indoors, as reported by a 2001 EPA-funded study. Flash forward to 2020, it’s safe to say that we have been indoors even more lately. But what you may not know is that your interior finishes and furniture may contribute to toxic indoor air quality in your home or office. These indoor pollutants impact our health, productivity, and hormonal balance without us realizing it. Moreover, toxins that are not good for human health, usually also negatively affect the environment. How can we make healthier and more sustainable choices if the toxins are silent, invisible, or odorless? Join us for a discussion on making better material choices.
Date: Wednesday, August 19, 2020
Time: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Place: Online
Speakers for this event include:
Kalli Solby // Senior Analyst at the International WELL Building Institute
Mikhail Davis // Director of Technical Sustainability at Interface
Scott L. Aker // Architect and Professor of Interior Design at The New School and the University of Pennsylvania
By Lara Pes
We are all materialists. Whether we are choosing or using clothing or food containers, building blocks or paving, at every moment a wide range of materials are an integral part of our lives. Technology has allowed creation of sophisticated materials with specific characteristics, with improvements usually driven by a desire for practicality and lower costs. However, both synthetic and traditional materials have impacts on the environment and on human health that we need to be aware of and understand. These impacts can manifest at different stages of a product’s life cycle, either during raw material sourcing, the manufacturing stage, its use, or at the end of its life. We provide examples of each below, focusing on the built environment.
