Drawing from our community-based collaborative projects, we have begun working with local women and Winona LaDuke’s Honor the Earth organization to develop new housing on the White Earth Reservation in Northern Minnesota.
Together, we will propose designs for new homes that celebrate the long lives of the women, enhance their current work, build places of sanctuary for themselves, their grandchildren, and future generations on their own land. Instead of being beholden to others, the nation will chart its own future through innovative local construction. The first homes will be constructed of hemp combined with local lime to create new models of sustainable, healthy homes. We will test new construction systems and propose training programs that will create new jobs. Through this process we will create models of prototypical housing for the future: healthy homes for all people.
“We were told that we would come to a point in our lives as Anishinaabe people, where we would be faced with a path with a fork in it...In the Time of the Seventh Fire, which is the time that we are in now, we are told that we would have a choice between two paths: one path they said would be well worn, but it would be scorched, and the other path would not be well-worn, and it would be green. It would be our choice upon which path to embark. I'm pretty sure that this moment in time is now, where we must take the initiative and have the courage to make that green path.” Winona LaDuke, "Material Health : Design Frontiers"
Reviewing the design in White Earth, MN
Researchers, Meryl Smith and Eric Hu, and Co-Director Alison Mears, are designing healthy affordable homes for local elders. This ongoing project is beginning with a newly constructed home for a grandmother and her four grandchildren, designed to provide security and respite for the family for generations to come. The home will be situated on forested land, purchased from the reservation, with views out to a pond beyond. This accessible and healthy home will have walls constructed of locally sourced wood framing and hemp bale insulation, with a wood rainscreen on the exterior and a plaster finish inside. The interior is designed with healthier finish materials: a kitchen made of formaldehyde free plywood, mineral paints and healthy floor finishes. The interior also provides space for the family to come together at meals and around the fireplace, a kitchen that can be used to cook meals as a family, and a playful kid’s room where the grandchildren can retreat to play or produce artwork with their grandmother. Once completed, the house will provide an example of a new form of sustainable residential construction.
On site with Winona LaDuke
Winona LaDuke’s Farm
The building site for a newly constructed healthy home
The existing Snellman Store will be renovated using hemp and lime
Visiting a local lumber mill
Since June 2021, HML’s co-directors, Alison Mears and Jonsara Ruth, have visited White Earth, in Northern Minnesota, to speak with Winona LaDuke about hemp production, visit a local lumber mill, meet the women who are in need of housing and learn more about the specific needs of families and the community. During their visits we learned that there are multiple opportunities to invigorate local industries, from the manufacturing of industrial hemp for various uses to the production of wall hung solar panels that are made locally. In the summer and early fall we created a range of architectural designs that were reviewed by the future residents. October 2021, we returned to White Earth to meet with the new homeowner, and with her input finalize the designs for the houses and begin construction documentation. Along with the drawings for construction, we will also create a construction manual that illustrates novel construction techniques to support the local team during construction. We will specify and source healthier materials for use in construction. The construction will provide on-site training for builders to learn novel construction techniques that can be used on future projects. We are also working with Honor the Earth to create and present one of the lessons on Hemp Building for the Inaugural Tribal Hemp class in collaboration with Anishinaabe Agriculture Institute.
Elder Housing with Hemp
6 products
About Our Collections
The goal of our collections is to help promote transparency in the material ingredients of building products by fostering knowledge and awareness of products and materials for which life-cycle information is available, and that have environmentally, economically, and socially preferable life-cycle impacts.
Keep an eye out for the following symbols:
A Healthier Affordable Building Product
Products with the designation of "Healthier & Affordable" were specified and installed in at least one of our Case Studies of healthier affordable housing.
Available at the Donghia healthier Materials Library
The Donghia healthier Materials Library library is open to Parsons student and faculty. Learn more about access and opening hours here.
Low Embodied Carbon
“Embodied Carbon” is the total amount of carbon emitted during the process of making a material. *HML refers to a manufacturer's EPD to determine whether a product's A1-A3 carbon emissions falls within HML's threshold for Low Embodied Carbon.
New Product
This product has been added to the collection within the past six months.
Ingredient Disclosures
There are several ways of evaluating a material’s health that we include with product information. Disclosures are reports by manufacturers about product ingredients, impacts, or other attributes.
Key Disclosures include:
Health Product Declaration (HPD)
A voluntary technical specification for reporting information on product contents and associated health information, intended to be the health-analogue to Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs).
Declare Label
Declare is a transparency platform and product database that answers three questions:
1. Where does a product come from?
2. What is it made of?
3. Where does it go at the end of its life?
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)
A standardized format for communicating the environmental effects associated with a product’s raw materials extraction, energy use, chemical makeup, waste generation, and emissions to air, soil, and water.
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
A reporting format that provides basic information about a material’s chemical ingredients, the potential safety hazards to installers, and recommended practices for installation.
Other
| Manufacturer | Product | Ingredient Disclosures | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dimensional Surface | Plywood | Columbia Forest Products | PureBond Hardwood Plywood |
PureBond Hardwood PlywoodA Healthier Affordable Building ProductAvailable At the Donghia Materials LibraryColumbia Forest Product's PureBond hardwood plywood is formaldehyde-free, and is instead made with a soy-based binder. This North American-made product is also cost-competitive with standard plywood products, making it a fantastic healthier alternative. It contains 95% Biobased content according to Bioprefered.gov. CategoryDimensional Surface, PlywoodManufacturerColumbia Forest Products
Material composition*Wood Dust 95.65%, Other components below the reportable levels, (the specific chemical identity and/or percentage of composition has been held withheld as a trade secret) <1% *as reported by the manufacturer AVAILABLE SIZING2’x 4’, 2’x 8’, 4’x 8’, 4’x 10’ Panels - available in standard thickness COLORSVariety of wood species CERTIFICATIONS & DISCLOSURES
Health Product Declaration (HPD)
Declare Label
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
Other
FSC Certification
Rainforest Alliance Certification
Biopreferred
Additional DocumentsLast UpdatedSeptember 26, 2016 |
| Dimensional Surface | Plywood | Columbia Forest Products | PureBond Classic Core® Plywood |
PureBond Classic Core® PlywoodA Healthier Affordable Building ProductAvailable At the Donghia Materials LibraryClassic Core® is a combination core panel construction where cross bands of thin MDF are utilized in place of veneer cross bands. Classic Core® can be manufactured with bonded crossbands which do not contain added formaldehyde. PureBond Classic Core® may contribute to LEED® 2009 credit IEQ 4.4 and conforms to CARB II exempt emission requirements called for in LEED V4. It contains 95% Biobased Content according to Bioprefered.gov. CategoryDimensional Surface, PlywoodManufacturerColumbia Forest Products
Material composition*Wood Dust 98%, Polymerized Methylenediphenyl-Diisocyanate <10% *as reported by the manufacturer AVAILABLE SIZING4’x 8’, 4’x 10’ Panels - 1/2”, 5/8”, 3/4”, 1” and 1-1/4” thickness COLORSVariety of wood species CERTIFICATIONS & DISCLOSURES
Health Product Declaration (HPD)
Declare Label
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
Other
FSC Certification
Rainforest Alliance Certification
Biopreferred
Additional DocumentsLast UpdatedSeptember 26, 2016 |
| Tile | Porcelain | Daltile | Keystones |
KeystonesA Healthier Affordable Building ProductDaltile’s Keystones Collection is a colorbody porcelain mosaic line, suitable for indoor and outdoor use on floors, walls, as well countertops. A multitude of patterns allow for many expressive, aesthetic choices. Per DalTile's factory EPD, the Keystones Mosaic line meets HML's criteria for low embodied carbon. The majority of these tiles are produced in Gettysburg, PA making this best suited for projects in the Northeastern United States. CategoryTile, PorcelainManufacturerDaltile
Material composition*Kaolin clay 20-55%, Nepheline Syenite 0-50%, Talc 0-40%, Feldspar 0-15%, Mica 0-5%, Quartz 0-30% *as reported by the manufacturer AVAILABLE SIZINGvarious mosaic patterns and sizes CERTIFICATIONS & DISCLOSURES
Health Product Declaration (HPD)
Declare Label
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
Other
Last UpdatedDecember 01, 2021 |
| Dimensional Surface | Solid Stone | Coldspring | Granite Countertop |
Granite CountertopA Healthier Affordable Building ProductColdspring Granite Countertops are made from 100% natural granite. Stone is one of the most durable materials that you can use for any application - when specified and detailed correctly, these countertops can last for hundreds of years. Their long life results in granite countertops’ very low embodied energy levels. Coldspring is also committed to sustainable manufacturing practices that maximize the utilization of resources while minimizing energy use. CategoryDimensional Surface, Solid StoneManufacturerColdspring
Material composition*Granite 100% *as reported by the manufacturer AVAILABLE SIZINGCustom Sizes - available in 3/4” thickness COLORSAvailable in a variety of granite types CERTIFICATIONS & DISCLOSURES
Health Product Declaration (HPD)
Declare Label
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
Other
Declare | Red List Free
NSF/ANSI 51 Certification
Additional DocumentsLast UpdatedSeptember 26, 2016 |
| Sealant / Stain | Oil_Linseed | Rubio Monocoat | Oil Plus 2C |
Oil Plus 2CRubio Monocoat's Oil Finish is a healthy option for wood finishing. A single layer of this product will protect wood from water, heat, and daily wear and tear trough molecular binding with the wood fiber. It is great for use on hardwood flooring, wood furniture or any other wood product. This product creates a finish that is easy to maintain, and it is free of VOCs and solvents. *Note: This product is sold in two components. Component A is the oil finish and Component B is an accelerator, which speeds the drying process. Although it helps with convenience, we recommend the product to be used without the accelerator as it contains isocyanates, listed as asthmagens and potential carcinogens by OSHA CategorySealant / Stain, Oil_LinseedManufacturerRubio Monocoat
Material composition*Linseed Oil, Carnauba Wax, Beeswax, Plant Based Pigments *as reported by the manufacturer AVAILABLE SIZINGAvailable in 350 ml, 1.3 L and 3.5 L cans. COLORSAvailable in 14 colors CERTIFICATIONS & DISCLOSURES
Health Product Declaration (HPD)
Declare Label
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
Other
Additional DocumentsLast UpdatedAugust 01, 2019 |
| Oil Paint | Linseed Oil | Ottosson | Linseed Oil Paint |
Linseed Oil PaintLinseed oil paint offers a healthy, durable alternative to acrylic products. Ottosson’s product is manufactured at their facility in Genarp, Sweden, which was established in the late 1980s. The technique used in making their paints, however, dates back to the 16th century. Cold-pressed raw linseed oil and natural pigments are ground in a triple-cylinder mixer, incorporating the pigments evenly into the linseed oil. The result is a linseed oil paint that creates a breathable, easy to maintain surface that doesn’t peel or bubble up. *NOTE: Ottosson Linseed Oil Paints contain zinc oxide, a natural fungicide. It adds hardness to the paint finish and is a necessary additive in several North American climates. Zinc requires a warning label due to potential aquatic toxicity under Swedish law. When disposed of responsibly and used as directed, it poses no threat to the health of humans or the environment (as reported by Earth and Flax https://www.earthandflax.com/) CategoryOil Paint, Linseed OilManufacturerOttosson
Material composition*Boiled Linseed Oil 25-50%, Pigment 1-50%, Zinc Oxide 2.5-25%, Zirconium, dipropylene glycol iso-Bu alc. neodecanoate propionate cobalt complexes <0.01% *as reported by the manufacturer AVAILABLE SIZINGAvailable in 4 ounce, 1 Liter, and 3 Liter buckets COLORSAvailable in a wide range of colors CERTIFICATIONS & DISCLOSURES
Health Product Declaration (HPD)
Declare Label
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
Other
Last UpdatedJuly 10, 2019 |
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