Health and Wellness at Home | Chez Laurence S2E7 | EarthX - video Dailymotion

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EarthX Website: https://earthxmedia.com/   Property development is incorporating innovative and effective circular processes to make residential homes safe and sustainable for inhabitants.   About Chez Laurence:  Designer Laurence Carr meets manufacturers and brands who are employing circular, regenerative, and sustainable practices. See how they're seeking to change the end-of-life concept with eco-friendly techniques.    EarthX  Love Our Planet.  The Official Network of Earth Day.    About Us:  At EarthX, we believe our planet is a pretty special place. The people, landscapes, and critters are likely unique to the entire universe, so we consider ourselves lucky to be here. We are committed to protecting the environment by inspiring conservation and sustainability, and our programming along with our range of expert hosts support this mission. We’re glad you’re with us.     EarthX is a media company dedicated to inspiring people to care about the planet. We take an omni channel approach to reach audiences of every age through its robust 24/7 linear channel distributed across cable and FAST outlets, along with dynamic, solution oriented short form content on social and digital platforms. EarthX is home to original series, documentaries and snackable content that offer sustainable solutions to environmental challenges. EarthX is the only network that delivers entertaining and inspiring topics that impact and inspire our lives on climate and sustainability.       EarthX Website: https://earthxmedia.com/    Follow Us:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earthxmedia/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/earthxmedia  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EarthXMedia/  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@earthxmedia  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EarthXMedia      How to watch:   United States:   - Spectrum  - AT&T U-verse (1267)  - DIRECTV (267)  - Philo  - FuboTV  - Plex  - Fire TV    #EarthDay #Environment #Sustainability #Ecofriendly #Conservation #EarthX

Transcript

00:00🎵

00:29Our homes are the underlying systems supporting our health and wellness, and residential property

00:41developers are adapting to meet the growing demand for this approach from increasingly

00:47informed and aware consumers.

00:50Whether in a new build or a renovation, sustainable and wellness-enhancing features like natural

00:58light, energy and water efficiency, healthy materials, automation, connection to nature

01:04and more are a high priority for consumers and property developers alike, while certifications

01:12such as LEED, WELL, and Passive House help enforce the highest of standards.

01:18After all, what's more comfortable than the peace of mind of knowing that you and your

01:24family are living in a space designed with your health and wellness in mind?

01:30John Opperman is the Executive Director of the Earth Day Initiative, which mobilizes

01:37a billion people in 193 countries.

01:41His interest in the earth extends to his work as a real estate broker and consultant specializing

01:48in green homes right here in New York.

01:52Let's speak with him now about how property developers are placing an increased emphasis

01:58on comfort, air, energy, nature, light, and community in their work to meet the growing

02:05demands of consumers for health and more eco-responsible homes.

02:12Hello John, thank you for meeting me here.

02:15It is New York City and it is such a beautiful day.

02:19Well, thank you for having me at a beautiful location.

02:22So you work on sustainable homes.

02:25Would you please describe how you got involved in this?

02:29We connect people to a lot of different things that they can do in their own lifestyle to

02:33green their lifestyle, to make a positive sustainable impact.

02:36Through my work at Earth Day Initiative, we have a green buildings publication that talks

02:41about trends and developments in green buildings.

02:44And the more that I worked on that publication, the more I realized that there's really a

02:50disconnect between the green building industry and the general public.

02:54So people hear green building and they honestly have no idea what that means.

02:58They think, oh, there's solar panels on the roof or maybe there's a green roof.

03:01And yes, that might be one of the things that goes into making a building more sustainable,

03:06but it's honestly only one of maybe like a thousand things that could make that building

03:10more sustainable, healthier.

03:12You could have better air quality, better light quality, less exposure to toxic materials,

03:17better energy efficiency, all of these different things that go into making a home more sustainable

03:22and healthier for you and your family.

03:24So then I started working with some colleagues around building out a real estate brokerage

03:29practice and consulting firm to connect people to all of these amazing homes that are out

03:33there that they just honestly don't know exist.

03:36So John, what defines a green building?

03:40So there are quite a few definitions of green buildings and sustainable homes and healthy

03:44homes. And we have a few that we can take a look at as we walk.

03:47Let's go.

03:49So this is one good example of sustainable building that will achieve LEED certification

03:56once it's finally done.

03:58One example that you can see from the outside that could be part of that green design is

04:02the great exposure to natural light that you get.

04:05So there are green certifications like LEED where you get credit for giving people exposure

04:11to natural light.

04:12So a certain percentage of the indoor space needs to have exposure to natural light.

04:18Yes.

04:18It's taking into account that natural light is good for you.

04:21Exposure to sunlight is good for you.

04:23Nature views is also good for you.

04:25There are studies that show that just views of nature are good for your mental health

04:29and your general well-being.

04:31So that's one thing that can go into green, healthier homes.

04:36Wonderful. Because we really like the curvature of the windows.

04:40Beautiful.

04:41And what I also like with buildings like this is it does show the diversity of buildings

04:48that are built to a more sustainable standard.

04:50Sometimes people think a sustainable building is going to be this sort of boxy, throw some

04:56solar panels on the roof.

04:58They all look the same.

04:59Kind of this like prefab construction that people are used to seeing if they think of

05:04sustainable home.

05:06That's sort of of the past.

05:08This is something that actually shows the great diversity of buildings that could be

05:13built to a more sustainable standard like this one is, taking into account all kinds

05:18of different factors like health and wellness, energy efficiency, non-toxic materials, things

05:23like that.

05:25So how do you define a green or sustainable home?

05:29And what do you look for in the construction?

05:32There are a lot of different things that can go into making a building sustainable.

05:36And there are a lot of different definitions of sustainable.

05:39It doesn't necessarily have to be a certification or a standard.

05:42Usually it's a good rule of thumb to sort of trust that, oh, this is a building that

05:46has gone through some sort of rigorous process to become more sustainable.

05:50So LEED, for instance, uses a credit system that you get credits for different things

05:56that you put into the building in terms of material sourcing, practices, performance,

06:00energy efficiency measures, things like that.

06:04A passive house really focuses in specifically on creating an airtight seal so that you control

06:11the environment really carefully and then implementing ventilation systems that passively

06:16heat and cool the air as it enters and leaves the building.

06:20In some cases are reducing energy usage by up to 90%.

06:24So you are not only creating this energy efficient space, but you're also really controlling

06:28the indoor environment, which is a good side effect of having good indoor air quality,

06:34which is healthier for your family.

06:35Then there's the WELL certification, which is more explicitly focused on health and wellness.

06:41So you get credits for different things that implement a healthier and safer environment

06:47in the home.

06:48And then there's a lot of sort of sustainable facets that bleed over into that, but it's

06:53more explicitly focused on health and wellness, which in our current day and age, that's become

06:57increasingly popular.

07:16John, it was a fantastic tour today here in New York.

07:20Let's get into more details.

07:22So the more I dug into it, the more folks in the green building industry I talked to,

07:26they kind of agreed that there's really been a lack of communication to the general public

07:32about the benefits of sustainable and healthy homes.

07:36Since the pandemic, did you see like a real, you know, increased demand since then?

07:41Health is very top of mind since COVID.

07:44People are really concerned about air quality in a way that they never have been.

07:48The silver lining to that is that has opened up a lot of conversations about the health

07:52of our built environment.

07:54So there's a bigger conversation around airflow, filtration systems, fresh air intake.

08:01So how is that impacting our health?

08:03People are increasingly aware of things like sick building syndrome, when you really trap

08:07pollutants in buildings so that you're exposed to it on a regular basis.

08:13And that's what's happened as we've made our homes more and more airtight without proper

08:18ventilation.

08:19So health and wellness is really top of mind for a lot of people in the real estate market.

08:24And that's really a lesson that we've learned from other sustainable industries too, with

08:28sustainable food being really the first wave of sustainability, sustainable fashion or

08:33hygiene products being the next one.

08:35And what I hope is that real estate could be the next one that people are talking about

08:38and really asking those questions about.

08:41One demographic that we think a lot about is, for instance, young parents.

08:46So young parents that think so much about how can I create the best environment for

08:50my child to grow up?

08:52Maybe you're obsessing about organic food and non-toxic toys and the clothing that's

08:57made out of organic materials, but they don't think about the fact that their child might

09:01be crawling around on floors that contain formaldehyde or eating off of countertops

09:05that contain formaldehyde.

09:06Do you see the shift in sustainability originating from the New York City government?

09:12When it comes to our built environment?

09:14It's obviously a bit of push and pull.

09:16So a city like New York might have more ambitious regulation around climate change and sustainability

09:22than another place because the population cares about it.

09:25It's a pretty progressive place where people care about climate change.

09:28They want to address it.

09:29They want to see robust climate action.

09:32And then the city responds to that and then it's top down.

09:36So people are now responding to the regulation that does exist and they're realizing, oh,

09:41we really need to get up to this code.

09:43There's this impending deadline of us implementing energy efficiency measures to get up to code.

09:49We're going to get hit by fines if we don't get up to code.

09:53So a lot of people across the country are used to letter grades on restaurants and now

09:57the same thing is happening in buildings.

09:59So if you purchase in a building that is super energy inefficient, you're going to have to

10:04pay for that at some point, either in fines or getting it up to code through retrofits.

10:11And the hope is that that conversation will really drive supply.

10:16So developers and the folks in real estate will actually respond to that and say there's

10:21a market for this.

10:22There's a market for more energy efficient homes.

10:25There's a market for healthier homes.

10:27In general, we should move in that direction across all segments, not just the high end,

10:32but really across all segments, because that's something that people will want more and more

10:36going forward.

10:38So how does affordability play into the conversation of sustainable homes?

10:43I do think that the affordability conversation as it intersects with sustainability is a

10:49fraught one because historically a lot of more sustainable options have been associated

10:55with higher prices.

10:56So as the market expands and the technology improves, a lot of the costs associated with

11:02building a high performance building or more sustainable building are coming down.

11:07And it's not something that's just of concern for the super wealthy.

11:12These practices are being implemented in all kinds of projects from high end luxury real

11:17estate to affordable housing.

11:20So a lot of cities, for instance, are interested in more sustainable homes because it diminishes

11:26their operating costs.

11:28The options do exist wherever you live and the built environment is a large part of your

11:33own environmental footprint and your own impact on your health and wellness.

11:54Rick Frelizzi is the executive chairman of the International Well Building Institute

12:00and was the founding chair and CEO of the U.S. Green Building Council.

12:05These two institutions created, manage, and administer the most globally recognized and

12:12used standard today, WELL and LEED, for built environments that are sustainable and foster

12:19health and wellness.

12:24Would you please explain how both LEED and WELL cater to the residential home buyer?

12:31Essentially, what both of them are, are two independent and separate rating tools for

12:39real estate from residential to office buildings, interiors, industrial processes.

12:47All of the real estate we know can, in fact, be enhanced and be enhanced in a way that

12:54it's better for human beings.

12:57LEED is a rating tool that was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.

13:03It's actually an acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

13:08And what LEED is, is a tool that actually looks at real estate through the lens of planetary

13:14health.

13:15So you're looking at things that are related to energy and water and waste, materials,

13:22How the planet can be enhanced by building a building that is more in tune with what

13:29the planet needs.

13:33WELL is a rating system developed by the International Well Building Institute.

13:38A very strong focus on the areas of human health.

13:44So along with the ideas of energy, water, and waste and what that's doing to the planet,

13:51it looks at water from the standpoint of how clean it is and how healthy it is for the

13:57human being that's drinking it.

13:59It looks at air quality from the same lens, understanding how clean the air is, how humid

14:05the air is, what toxins may be hiding within the air.

14:09It looks at acoustics.

14:11It looks at nutrition, fitness, a variety of wellness attributes that allows the human

14:18being in that particular building to have a really good sense that they're being either

14:23respected and taken care of or not.

14:27You cannot take the human being out of the environment.

14:30And ultimately, I think it provides a very solid end result for not only the people that

14:36are a part of those buildings in every conceivable way, but the future we have in front of us.

14:42And it's a very interesting future that's ahead for all of us.

14:47Fantastic.

14:49What trends are you seeing in the residential demand regarding sustainability?

14:55How much distance do you think we have to go with embracing both LEED and WELL principles

15:02and certifications?

15:04We have two almost unthinkable crises in front of us right now.

15:11On the sustainability side, we have the issue of climate change, horrific storms, global

15:17migrations, things that we haven't even thought of happening before.

15:22There's a connection between climate change and the increase of viruses and crop failures.

15:28And the sustainability agenda is something now that has gone from nice to do that absolutely

15:34must do.

15:36Understanding the intricacies of biophilia and understanding how that affects us as humans,

15:43all of these things are coming together now based on global climate change finally getting

15:49to a place where people can no longer ignore it, even if they want to.

15:54And ultimately, we start moving towards a much healthier end solution for all of us.

16:01To what degree do you see momentum coming from buyers in demanding internal environments

16:07that are sustainable and promote well-being, especially since the pandemic?

16:13People are paying more attention to climate and to health and wellness than at any other

16:18time in their lives.

16:21And this increased awareness is leading people to doing really big things with their investments,

16:27their ability to buy houses, to lease office space, to lease apartments.

16:33The people that are the decision makers are, they're finding that it's easier to market

16:39these products, these houses and apartments and buildings.

16:43They're leasing much faster than they ever did before.

16:46So it's a business opportunity.

16:49I think it's absolutely appropriate for an organization to claim that they're a capitalist

16:54and an environmentalist.

16:56And if we incentivize these organizations to understand they can become more successful

17:03as a result of their investments, I think we've made a very, very good decision.

17:09Because that means the market is paying attention.

17:12People are paying attention.

17:14People are deciding, I want my family to live in a healthy home.

17:19I want to put my employees in a healthy building.

17:23People that aren't paying attention to the signs of what's important these days related

17:28to climate and related to human health, they have their heads in the sand.

17:33And we can't live like that anymore.

17:35It's a dramatic tipping point right now for all of us.

17:39We can no longer forget the most important things to reducing our carbon from our atmosphere,

17:47creating jobs and economies around green and clean technologies, understanding circular

17:53economies and how that will benefit all of us in a very short period of time if we all

17:58engage in those practices.

18:07Elegant with authentic materials from inside out.

18:12That's the promise Veralen makes to high-end residential clients who commission their goods.

18:19Company founders, John and Sabine Veralen, have always focused on sustainability and

18:24circularity in producing their upholstered furnishings using responsibly sourced lumber,

18:31recycled metal coals and packaging materials, plant-based foam cushions and more.

18:38The pandemic only served to strengthen that commitment as they rose to meet each challenge.

18:48Tell us about the global supply constraint and how it affected your work and what are

18:53the silver linings?

18:55What did you learn from there and what innovation practices will you take from that?

18:59It started of course with fabrics, fabrics which are 70% sourced out of Europe.

19:06COVID took a larger toll initially in Europe, so plants and mills were shut down for a longer

19:13period than or way before we did in the US.

19:16So we had a tremendous amount of back orders.

19:18For example, you need inspectors to inspect all the yarns.

19:21The inspectors decided not to come back to their old jobs.

19:25They couldn't find sewers because the sewers decided not to come back because they were

19:30moms and some of the kids were still not back in school, so they couldn't hire, they couldn't sew.

19:37One of the main lumber suppliers to our industry, not just to us,

19:41they had a massive fire, so they were shut down for three weeks.

19:43So we couldn't get some of our Baltic birch, so that was an issue.

19:50What we've learned is the silver lining is, I mean, business got through the roof.

19:54People decided to stay home as we all know in our industry.

19:57Entertaining happened at home.

19:59Our industry is shot through the roof.

20:01I mean, business is three to fourfold what it was prior to the pandemic.

20:05We're doing a massive expansion on the plants.

20:07We're doing another 40,000 square foot expansion.

20:09We're getting more machinery in.

20:11We are bringing as much as we can in-house from finishing, so we don't have to rely on a finisher.

20:17We're going to start making our own cushions, so we don't have to rely on them.

20:20So just bring it as close as you can.

20:23Number one for the footprints, but number two,

20:25because you need to rely on yourself as much as you can.

20:28And the trucking's an issue also.

20:30Even if they leave our facility, they are gathered into these massive warehouses that,

20:36you know, they're just there for weeks and sometimes months at a time

20:39because they don't have the trucking.

20:40We looked at actually getting our own trucking,

20:42because you have such a backlog of orders and you can't really consolidate,

20:45but to buy tractor trailers right now, it's a two-year wage, so you can't do that either.

20:49So it's like, that's whack-a-mole.

20:51Today it's this problem, tomorrow it's that, that keeps it interesting.

20:56How do you use sustainability in your branding and marketing?

20:59How has the company grown since you intentionally did?

21:03As an entrepreneur, it's beyond exciting to create a product, right?

21:09But you got to market it, you got to sell it, you got to deliver it,

21:13and you got to collect on it so you can pay the bills

21:16and hopefully put a few points at the bottom line,

21:18which makes it sustainable because you want to be around tomorrow.

21:21So it's very important that you create a product

21:24that's going to be not just that fast fashion.

21:27We want somebody that's something that's going to be around for generations to come.

21:31We're creating pretty much for all the different generations,

21:34and some people want to see it a little bit higher,

21:36some people want to be a little bit lower,

21:38some a little bit more deeper like the Europeans,

21:41some of a little bit more American depth, which would be maybe 39 inches or so.

21:46We're trying to cater to all those markets,

21:49but still have an awesome, well-made, stunning, sexy product.

22:10While we've seen tremendous progress in recent years,

22:13there is still much to be done.

22:16In terms of educating consumers and professionals,

22:20further developing benchmarks like LEED,

22:23well and passive house certifications,

22:26and innovating healthier, safer materials to use in our homes.

22:32Thanks to increased education and demand from consumers,

22:37and an enhanced focus from property developers,

22:40the homes of the future will be built on a foundation of health and wellness

22:46to protect the people dwelling within and the environment beyond.

22:51Until next time, I am Laurence Gare, designing a more circular future.

Health and Wellness at Home | Chez Laurence S2E7 | EarthX

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