Environmental Health

We’re working with the Natural Resources Defense Council to address questions of performance, costs, and feasibility of healthier energy efficiency materials through analysis of building energy data, surveys, and interviews with contractors performing building retrofits. We’re collecting information to compare the energy performance of buildings retrofitted with standard materials versus healthier materials. Surveys and interviews with contractors that use standard materials, healthier materials, or who recently switched to healthier materials will reveal how material choices are made on the ground. The surveys and interviews will also identify information channels, content, and critical drivers that are most influential on material choices to inform education, outreach, and policy advocacy.

We will publish research results and healthier material and policy recommendations in a “Guide for Healthier Energy Efficiency Retrofits.” The long-term goal is to make the use of healthier building materials mainstream in energy efficiency retrofits to reduce toxic exposures to workers and occupants, improve indoor environmental quality, and make buildings more energy efficient.

The Comprehensive Lead Education, Reduction, and Window Replacement (CLEAR-WIN) program was a State of Illinois-funded window replacement program to remove a major source of lead dust in homes for eligible Englewood and West Englewood residents. Windows and window frames in homes can be a major source of lead hazards for children. Opening a window that has worn paint on and around the window frame can create hazardous dust when consumed or inhaled. Older houses and apartments built before 1978 may have paint that contains high levels of lead. On average, residents gave the program high marks, reporting that they were very satisfied with the window replacement work (87% of homes).