The design of health care in the U.S. is undergoing re-examination. As a sector that generates 5.9 million tons of waste yearly, and the nation's second largest energy consumer and chemical user, health care is grappling with the limits of its growth trajectory because of the disease burden and cost associated with it. The Triple Aim and the Affordable Care Act challenge health care to move beyond disease treatment to re-connect medicine with public and environmental health. Our material economy is a principal determinant of health, thus providing a critical intervention point to promote health. This session will explore emerging models that consider materials as part of a larger ecosystem, or "ecological metabolism." Speakers will consider the following questions: How can we transform the materials we use so they support the creation of resilient communities and individuals? How can the manufacture and use of materials help restore the degraded systems on which life depends?

Speakers:

Mr. Tom Lent - Healthy Building Network

Mr. Roger McFadden - Vice President, Senior Scientist - Staples

Tracey Easthope, MPH - Director, Environmental Health Project - Ecology Center

Dr. Mark Rossi PhD -Co-Director of Clean Production Action - Clean Production Action