Healthy Buildings & Predictive Science with Dr. Christa Wright

The Green Building Matters Podcast with Charlie Cichetti

🎯 The Green Impact Report Quick take:

How can we protect people as our buildings face hotter climates and evolving chemical risks? Dr. Christa Wright from UL's Chemical Insights Research Institute shares how predictive science, empathy in research, and bio-based solutions are shaping the future of healthier indoor environments.

🎓 Meet Your Fellow Sustainability Champion

Dr. Christa Wright is the Senior Research Director at the Chemical Insights Research Institute, part of UL Research Institutes. A trained environmental toxicologist and strategist, she leads the Center for Toxicology and Human Health, where her team studies how chemicals in products and materials affect people — and how data and partnerships can create safer, healthier spaces.

🌱 Breaking Ground on Better Building

In this episode, Dr. Wright transforms how we think about healthy spaces — connecting human health, materials, and predictive modeling for a new era of safety science.

🧠 Key Insight #1: Heat Changes Chemistry Indoors

• The Challenge: Building materials were never designed for today's rising temperatures.
• The Solution: Research from Chemical Insights shows even a 2°F temperature rise can release higher levels of formaldehyde from paints, flooring, and drywall — prompting a call for new standards and smarter material choices.
• ROI: Healthier air, longer material lifespan, and proactive protection from climate-related indoor pollution.

🧠 Key Insight #2: Nature Still Works

• The Challenge: Pandemic-era health strategies leaned too heavily on chemicals and filtration alone.
• The Solution: Wright's team is testing hydroponic classroom systems in New York, exploring how plants can filter toxins and improve indoor air quality naturally.
• ROI: Better student focus, cleaner air, and green innovation that reconnects sustainability and wellness.

🧠 Key Insight #3: Forecasting the Next Risk

• The Challenge: Most safety research is reactive — waiting for harm before changing standards.
• The Solution: Wright's team uses predictive modeling, AI, and machine learning to forecast future chemical and environmental risks.
• ROI: A proactive path for architects, product developers, and policymakers to prevent the next crisis before it happens.

💬 Sustainable Soundbite

"Our behaviors drive our exposures — and understanding them is key to building healthier environments."

— Dr. Christa Wright

🏋️ Your Green Building Action Plan

Transform your next project with these steps:

1. This Week: Audit how your materials perform under rising temperatures. Identify potential sources of indoor pollutants.
2. This Quarter: Incorporate biophilic or plant-based filtration strategies into your next renovation or classroom design.
3. This Year: Build partnerships that integrate predictive data and AI modeling into sustainability planning and certification.

🔗 Connect & Learn More

🌿 Access full episode resources here

🗒 Read the transcript here

💚 Join the Green Building Movement: https://www.greenbuilding.news/subscribe

🔗 Connect with Dr. Christa Wright:

• Chemical Insights Research Institute (CIRI)
• Website
• LinkedIn

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