The Surgeon General’s Greenbuild Debut

Health will be front and center at Greenbuild in New Orleans! The conversation begins with two pre-conference Summits and continues right through Friday.

Tuesday, October 21 will be an especially big day: the Materials and Human Health Summit and the Affordable Homes and Sustainable Communities Summit will draw connections between health, sustainability and housing affordability. The two summits will run in parallel most of the day, coming together late in the afternoon for a joint closing plenary presented by the Acting Surgeon General of the United States.

“The Surgeon General’s message will aim to enlist architects, engineers, facilities managers, property owners, and allied professionals into preventive medicine.”

Acting U.S. Surgeon General Rear Admiral Boris D. Lushniak is the United States “top doc.” He is tasked with protecting and promoting the health of the nation. In his remarks, Dr. Lushniak will connect the design, construction, and operation of buildings and communities with the U.S. National Prevention Strategy. The Strategy emphasizes “Healthy and Safe Communities as a pillar of efforts to advance public health. This also complements Dr. Lushniak’s long-standing support for walking and walkable neighborhoods.

Public health isn’t new to green building or Greenbuild. But, this year’s conversation takes things to another level. The Surgeon General’s message will aim to enlist architects, engineers, facilities managers, property owners, and allied professionals into preventive medicine. This coincides with and reinforces a growing desire across the green building industry to become more intentional and demonstrably effective in addressing the issues of health, wellness, and experience. At the same time, colleagues in public health and health sciences are expressing unprecedented levels of interest in understanding how to influence the processes connecting people and built environments.

It’s an exciting time to engage, and I’d recommend three specific opportunities in New Orleans:

Attend a Summit and listen to the Acting Surgeon General’s call to enlist in the movement to advance preventive medicine.
Check out the educational sessions, notably presentations by Dr. Matt Trowbridge and Drs. Judi Heerwagen and Esther Sternberg.
Learn more about all the health-related events throughout the week. Read Larissa Oaks’ Guide to Materials and Human Health at Greenbuild 2014