Sustainability Begins with the Building
As the cannabis industry booms, and more and more facilities are built nationally and internationally for cultivation, manufacturing, and retail, we must consider the occupant’s health and well-being, whether it is an employee, or a customer. Recently due to the pandemic, we have all become very aware of the effects our built physical environments have on our health. Of course, always in consideration are the economic disparities between people who work and live in buildings—all of whom deserve the highest possible standards of environmental health that any business can provide. And on the larger scale, the health of the planet is critical to consider. Each action we take to improve every human being’s environment has a direct positive effect on the planet. From micro to macro, we must be responsible and dedicated to improving our lives on this planet and for future generations.
How do we begin? What are our resources for learning and implementing positive, sustainable change?
There are available resources that you can find below; education is key to implementation. Below are knowledgeable resources that focus on human health in the built environment and sustainable change.
WELL Building Standard™
The WELL Building Standard™ is the first building standard to exclusively focus on the health and wellness of the building's occupants. WELL is an evidence and performance-based system for measuring, certifying, and monitoring features that impact human health and well-being in the built environment through air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort, and mind. There are several levels that companies can achieve based on the requirements fulfilled.
The International WELL Building Institute ™ (IWBITM) certifies professionals dedicated to supporting human health and well-being in the built environment. These professionals are called WELL Accredited Professional (WELL APTM) and are qualified to guide any company to become certified in WELL™ at whatever level suits the project. This qualification could support a cannabis operations Positive Impact Plan, which is something the CCC requires for cannabis operations In Massachusetts and other states as well.
WELL focuses on seven features that support human health: air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort, and mind. There are different levels of WELL certification to be granted, and this is dependent on meeting specific requirements within each feature.
Recently, the IWBI™ supplied a new entry-level certification called The WELL Health Safety Rating™, which allowed more businesses to start on the path to creating a healthier, more sustainable built environment—assuring employees and the public that the company cares about the safety and health of those within. WELL™ certifies all kinds of buildings, including buildings for purposes that align with cannabis facilities.
There are numerous organizations that focus wholly or in part on human health in the built environment, listed below are a few more:
Sustain.Life: User-friend carbon calculation and sustainability management software for businesses.
Many states apply a social equity lens when issuing cannabis licenses. We need to take the interests of climate justice communities into consideration to ensure that cannabis supply chains—from agricultural operations to logistics—don’t harm vulnerable communities. Cannabis industry leaders, united through the Sustainable Cannabis Coalition, are partnering with Sustain.Life to ensure that cannabis industry operations are aligned with critical climate justice objectives.
Emerging cannabis companies increasingly also need to navigate complex regulatory requirements. That includes abiding by various states’ differing environmental requirements. That’s where Sustain.Life comes in — enabling cannabis companies to easily understand and adjust to environmental regulations in different states so that they can both become more sustainable and meet their business goals.
Sustain.Life’s platform allows businesses to calculate estimate their carbon footprint in minutes, and provides thoughtful and accessible guidance on how to reduce emissions and environmental. Their 100+ Actions across key impact areas including energy, water, waste, environmental justice, and more and deliver consulting grade recommendations to support business taking a holistic approach towards sustainability. Sustain.Life has partnered with the Sustainable Cannabis Coalition (SCC), and offers members discounted pricing. Contact SCC for a discount code.
Human Factors and Ergonomic Society (HFES): Any time you’ve engineered a product, process, or system to work more efficiently with humans, you’ve practiced human factors. Human factors aim to reduce human error, increase productivity, and enhance safety and comfort with a specific focus on the interaction between a human and the thing of interest.
Green Building Certification, Inc.: GBCI is the premier organization for independently recognizing excellence in green business industry performance and practice globally through third-party verification services for certification and credentialing.
BREEAM-Sustainability Assessment Method: BREEAM is the world’s leading sustainability assessment method for master planning projects, infrastructure and buildings. BREEAM does this through third party certification of the assessment of an asset’s environmental, social and economic sustainability performance, using standards developed by BRE. This means BREEAM rated developments are more sustainable environments that enhance the well-being of the people who live and work in them, help protect natural resources and make for more attractive property investments
For more information on WELL™ please visit: https://www.wellcertified.com/about-iwbi/
