[GRRN] Fwd:Feb 2000 Healthy Buildings Conference

Christopher_Chow@ci.sf.ca.us
Mon, 8 Nov 1999 11:02:48 -0800


Chris, Please redistribute. Thanks.

Please note, the conference, "Healthy Buildings: Alternatives to Toxins i=
n
Construction" is February 3, 2000, not 1999. We apologize for the confusi=
on.

Healthy Buildings:
Alternatives to Toxics in Construction

February 3, 2000
12 noon =96 7 PM
Koret Auditorium
Main Public Library
100 Larkin
San Francisco, CA
Enter through the Grove Street entrance. =

This event is wheelchair accessible

What do GM, Baxter Healthcare, the Sydney 2000 Olympics, HOK Design, Nike=
, and
the American Public Health Association all have in common?....

=2E.. they are all seeking to phase out the use of PVC.

Find out how and why an increasing number of architects and industrial de=
signers
are finding healthy alternative materials to PVC (polyvinyl chloride or "=
vinyl"
plastic) and a range of other toxic materials in their buildings and prod=
ucts.
This workshop will feature sustainable design experts, physicians and
scientists, environmental policy experts, and government officials discus=
sing
how you can help make buildings more environmentally friendly. Exhibits o=
f
healthy building materials will help you find the right alternatives you =
can
use.

Get involved in the effort to make our buildings part of the solution to =
our
health and environmental challenges.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

Architects, specifiers, material producers/marketers, contractors, develo=
pers,
purchasers, building owners & managers, building inspectors, labor
representatives in the building trades, students of design and building s=
cience,
fire fighters, health and environment activists, government officials and=
any
one else concerned with the health and safety of our buildings.

WHAT WILL YOU GAIN?

Learn about the growing interest in environmentally healthy buildings as =
well as
the changing landscape of government regulations. Put yourself in the fro=
nt of
this important trend.

After registration, you will receive information by e-mail and the opport=
unity
to ask questions of the speakers to fuel the discussion at the conference=
=2E

ISSUES COVERED IN THE WORKSHOP

=B7 Incorporating health and environmental concerns into architectural an=
d
material design, including case studies. =

=B7 Understanding dioxin and other toxic problems throughout the PVC life=
cycle =

=B7 Specifying environmentally preferable alternative materials =

=B7 Learning about the highest impact healthy building actions you can ta=
ke
- Getting involved to eliminate the health threat from some of the worst =
toxics
in buildings

YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Your choice of materials has a big impact on the health and safety of occ=
upants
and your environment. For example, many particle boards out gas formaldeh=
ydes
for years causing respiratory, digestive and reproductive problems. VOCs =
and
other additives in many paints cause smog and can trigger chemical
sensitivities. Pressure treated lumber can leach arsenic and chromium int=
o the
soil and ground water, causing respiratory, skin and nervous system probl=
ems. In
each case there are affordable healthy alternative materials. This confer=
ence
covers a broad range of issues related to material selection and the desi=
gn of
healthy buildings, but provides a special focus on PVC (polyvinyl chlorid=
e)
vinyl plastic.

WHY FOCUS ON PVC?

The problems with PVC provide an excellent example for the broader topic =
of
sustainable materials and design. PVC has been perceived in the building=
trades
as a convenient, versatile, and low cost material. PVC is also considered=
by
some experts to be one of the most environmentally harmful synthetic mate=
rials
used in construction today. Its production and disposal produces dioxins,=
a
class of highly potent carcinogens. In a building fire it also creates de=
adly
hydrochloric acid. Highly toxic plasticizers used in some applications of=
PVC
can out gas or leach out during use as well.

Concerns about the hazards of PVC are building in the United States. For
example, the American Public Health Association has issued a resolution
encouraging hospitals to avoid the use of PVC due to its disposal hazards=
=2E A
national coalition of hospitals, doctors and nurses organizations, trade =
unions,
and environmentalists, called Health Care Without Harm, has embarked on a=

nation-wide project to make hospitals more environmentally friendly, and
eliminating PVC from hospitals is one of their main concerns.

The cities of San Francisco and Oakland have joined hundreds of European =
cities
and several major US design firms and manufacturers such as GM, Nike, HOK=
Design
and Baxter Healthcare in committing to get PVC and other dioxin sources o=
ut of
their projects. Find out how you can too.

"The question is not whether to phase out PVC but how PVC should be phase=
d out."

[Anna Lindh, Swedish Minister for the Environment, November 1995]

AGENDA

12:00 =96 1:00 Exhibits with Box lunch available in the exhibit area =

1:00 =96 5:30 Speakers and panels in the Koret Auditorium
5:30 =96 7:00 Exhibits with Reception =

FEATURED SPEAKERS

Anthony Bernheim, FAIA, Principal, SMWM, San Francisco, CA, =

Green architect of the San Francisco Main Public Library =

David Gottfried, CEO WorldBuild Technologies, San Francisco, CA
Founder of the US Green Building Council
Ken Geiser, Lowell Center for Sustainable Production, University of
Massachusetts =

Expert on the life cycle of PVC and other building materials
David Kibbey, Environmental Building Consultant, Berkeley, CA =

Healthy building inspector
Ted Schettler, MD, Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility, Boston, M=
A =

Expert on the health effects of dioxin =

Victoria Shomer, Building Concerns. San Rafael, CA =

Green interior designer,
Greg VanMechelen, ADPSR, Berkeley, CA =

Green building architect
Francesca Vietor, Executive Director, San Francisco Department of the
Environment, SF, CA
Managing resource efficient building ordinances =

Deborah Wallace, PhD, Environmental safety researcher, Consumers Union, Y=
onkers,
NY
Expert on toxic effects of building materials in fires

SPONSORED BY:
Greenaction
Center for Environmental Health
San Francisco Department of the Environment

COSPONSORS:
American Institute of Architects San Francisco Chapter Committee on the
Environment
Architects/Designers/Planners for Social Responsibility of Northern Calif=
ornia
Alameda County Public Health Department
Building and Construction Trades Council of Alameda County, AFL-CIO
California Communities Against Toxics
Commonweal
Merritt College Environmental Studies Program
Wallace Stegner Environmental Center at the San Francisco Public Library

REGISTRATION

Thanks to the sponsorship of the Wallace Stegner Environmental Center and=

generous individual donations, the conference will be free of charge. =

Space is limited, however, so we ask that you register in advance.
=

For more info about the Healthy Buildings conference or to register:

call: 510-594-9864 =

or 415-252-0822

or e-mail: healthybuildings@igc.org

or fill out this form and mail or fax to:

Healthy Buildings
528 61st Street
Oakland, CA 94609
510-594-9863 (fax)

Yes, I want to attend the Healthy Buildings Conference on February 3, 200=
0

Name ________________________________________________________________
Organization_____________________________________________________________=
___

Address________________________________________________________________

City __________________________ State _________ Zip _________________=
___

Phone _______________________________ Fax _____________________________=

Email ________________________________________________________________

There will be a web page on the conference available shortly at =

http://www.greenaction.org and http://www.cehca.org