HMFH Architects
HMFH Advocates for Holistically Sustainable Lighting
As part of an ongoing effort to increase the use of healthy products in lighting design, our own Alexandra Gadawski and a small group of industry leaders launched the Lighting Advocacy Letter. Inspired by the 2019 AIA Materials Pledge, the Lighting Advocacy Letter is a call for the lighting industry to develop and promote holistically sustainable lighting products as the industry standard.
For years, sustainability goals in the lighting industry focused primarily on optimizing energy efficiency. However, to design a building that is truly sustainable, designers must look holistically at the products they specify and assess their impact throughout an entire life cycle, not just in operation. Beyond energy use, carefully evaluating criteria such as embodied carbon and material health contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of a product’s impact, encouraging informed, environmentally responsible lighting specifications.
Directed toward manufacturers, the letter urges careful consideration of environmental impact in the design and production of lighting products. Structured around five areas of concern–human health, climate health, ecosystem health, social health and equity, and circular economy–the Lighting Advocacy Letter establishes a framework for sustainability goals in the lighting industry and urges increased transparency among professionals by sharing resources and information.
Hosted on mindful MATERIALS, an online material database that promotes material transparency, optimization and health, the Lighting Advocacy Letter is already yielding positive change. HMFH is proud to be one of many firms in the AEC industry who have already pledged their commitment to specifying holistically sustainable lighting.
Read and sign the Lighting Advocacy Letter here and sign up for an upcoming webinar Lighting the Way: Advocacy + Action for Lighting Design for more information on how the goals laid out in the letter can be translated into action items.