Sustainability Enthusiast

March 25, 2018

GreenBiz 2018: The New Carbon Economy and Other Observations

This year at GreenBiz, our Chief Sustainability Officer Erin Meezan participated in a panel called “Building a New Carbon Economy: Strategies for Turning Waste Carbon from Liability to Asset.” We sat down to unravel what that really means and how businesses can work alongside academia, non-government organizations and government to build this new “economy.”  …

March 2, 2018

Addressing Ocean Plastics with NextWave and the Circular Economy

There is an African proverb that states, If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want go far, go together. This is certainly true in the circular economy. We are increasingly seeing companies realise the power and value of collaboration. Just recently, a cross-industry consortium of companies joined forces to tackle the global…

February 1, 2018

Top Sustainability Trends for 2018

To state the obvious, 2017 was quite the unpredictable year. While sustainable business leaders and climate advocates knew there’d be inevitable changes with a new U.S. presidency, few could have anticipated just how volatile the past 12 months were. From the U.S. federal administration’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Accord to the Environmental Protection…

August 30, 2017

Biophilic Design – The Key to Successful Designs in Hospitality

Just two years ago, Interface released a third-party verified research report titled “The Global Impact of Biophilic Design in the Workplace,” now known as the Human Spaces report. Our research results were astonishing. With over 7,500 people surveyed across the world, there was a reported 15% increase in perceived wellbeing and creativity and a 6%…

September 15, 2016

Building Biomimetic Cities: An Interview with Melissa Sterry

Melissa Sterry is a design scientist and systems theorist. We interviewed her on biodesign, biomimetic cities, and more. Melissa is recognised as a world leading authority on the science, technology and thinking that could help build a better world. We tend to focus on the macrocosm of the city but you’ve shown there’s much to…

August 8, 2016

Biophilic Vietnam: A Perspective on Vo Trong Nghia Architects

Vo Trong Nghia Architects (VTNA) has grown up against the backdrop of a relentless tear-down-and-build in Vietnam that many have criticised as hasty and insensitive. The firm offers a perspective on green urbanism does yet not affect the planning of Vietnamese cities where there is instead evidence of a systematic stripping of blue-green cover and…

March 9, 2016

14 Patterns of Biophilic Design: Presence of Water

Water – from crashing waves to trickling streams, wading pools, and water fountains – enhances the experience of a place. Pattern 5: Presence of Water The Presence of Water biophilic design pattern has evolved from research on the health and wellbeing benefits associated with access to water, including reduced stress, lower heart rate and blood…

February 5, 2016

Are Green Buildings Biophilic? Why the Answer Matters, Particularly in Asia

The idea of ‘Green’ in Asia is dominated by certification tools. There are now some 14 national variants – not unlike LEED in the US – each offering tiered ratings at the building scale, some at the urban scale. The rating is determined by an aggregated score, the result of compliance with requirements that focus…