Max the dog and I take a walk in the woods each morning. He runs from leaf pile to stump, sniffing out wildlife. I breathe deeply and appreciate the natural beauty around me. Still, I feel a tinge of melancholy, because I can’t help but notice that the trees are stressed, as shown by various leaf diseases and decaying trunks. Just as trees need a healthy environment to thrive, so do people.
It is easy to forget that people are part of this ecosystem, that we are neither separate from nor owners of it. Just as the health of the forest depends on a system of relationships, human well-being is influenced by the environments we inhabit.
In our commercial interior design practice, growing client interest in workplace wellness suggests that businesses are paying more attention to how the built environment affects the people who use it. One of the primary responsibilities of professional interior designers is the health, safety and well-being of the people inside the spaces we design. This is one of the reasons sustainability is integral to the design profession.
The design community has made progress in developing a common sustainability language, shared goals and better collaboration. This matters, because real change requires scale rather than solitary or fractured efforts. The American Institute of Architects Materials Pledge, Mindful Materials core impact areas, and the Interior Design Pledge for Positive Impact all identify and define key sustainability goals in similar ways.
These frameworks share five sustainability categories: human health, climate health, ecosystem health, social health and equity, and circularity. The life cycle of every material we specify, from natural resource extraction to end-of-life disposal, affects these areas. Each category contains a range of criteria, targets, data points and certifications.
This structure helps us organize and answer questions like: which materials contain toxic chemicals? which interior finishes have recycled content? how is the product manufactured, where and by whom? It’s a complex web, and it can be frustrating when existing material choices, budgets, performance metrics and supply chains don’t align with sustainability goals.
However, through common language, shared goals and collaboration, we have an opportunity to drive smart, healthy change. When owners, occupants, design and building professionals, manufacturers, policymakers and others work together, asking thoughtful questions, expanding expectations and innovating solutions, we will make the progress that’s needed.
Our firm regularly requests transparency, data and programs from the manufacturers of the interior materials we specify, so we can move beyond “green” marketing and offer effective solutions. For example, if a material is labeled as recyclable, we want to know: what is its life span? who initiates the recycling process, and where does it happen? is there a cost to the owner? which components need to be separated? can all parts be fully recycled? how many times can it be recycled?
Sustainability must be more than reducing harm; it must create conditions in which the ecosystem, and the people within it, thrive. Achieving ambitious standards in all five impact areas is critical to this success, but perhaps the ultimate goal is reciprocity: What we take is balanced by what we give back, leaving our communities, our climate, our economy and our ecosystem healthier than we found them.
My walks in the woods are a daily reminder of the urgency of this challenge, and also of what we have the opportunity to protect, restore and nurture.
Genella McDonald is the president of Stibler Associates, a commercial space planning and interior design firm in Bedford. She lives in Canterbury. New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility produces “Sustainability Spotlight” monthly for NH Business Review.
It is easy to forget that people are part of this ecosystem, that we are neither separate from nor owners of it. Just as the health of the forest depends on a system of relationships, human well-being is influenced by the environments we inhabit.
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