TTE September Newsletter

   Interior Designer Kimberly Phipps-Nichol, owner of Blue Water Studio and Blue Water Style, is passionate about energy conservation and environmental responsibility. Writer/Editor Sue Rosenfeld recently talked with Phipps-Nichol about the role she plays as an Interior Designer helping people "Go Green" in their business.
   "The three areas I like to talk about with my clients are: operations, building and maintenance, and the human resources side of the coin," Phipps-Nichol says. She believes that not only does "Going Green" help the environment, it also helps a company's bottom line - making it not only an environmentally responsible thing to do, but also a fiscally responsible thing to do.

     On the operations side she suggests:

Tele-commute and encourage tele-commuting to help minimize the carbon footprints on the road
Use "recycled content" paper
Print on both sides of the paper
Recycle used paper
Turn equipment off at the end of the night (if your server does data back-up at night, brainstorm with your technology team on how to maintain data integrity and still conserve energy)
Give employees, as part of their hiring package, a refillable pen and pencil set (with refills provided by the company) instead of providing disposable pens and pencils
Use compact fluorescent bulbs instead of incandescent lights
Use natural light whenever possible
E-mail invoices rather than mail them
Brainstorm on what documents can be done in an electronic format
Carpool and use public transportation
Take advantage of applicable tax incentives

     On the human resources side, Phipps-Nichol sees the two areas above affecting both the bottom line cost and the people side of things. With healthier indoor environments, sick time cost is potentially decreased. With energy and building efficiency, jobs could be done more efficiently. Employee recruitment, retention, and turn-over could also be positively affected by having a "Green" building.
     Phipps-Nichol encourages business owners and managers who are thinking about retrofitting or building a new space to think about what their occupant health goals are, and to give that information to any designer or project team they choose to work with. She recommends doing research on potential designers, architects, and space planners to find out if they fit with your philosophy and goals.
     Phipps-Nichol also suggests looking for professionals who have training or certification in energy efficiency and environmental design. One credential she recommends professionals have is LEED AP (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional) from the U.S. Green Building Council.
     A LEED AP herself, Phipps-Nichol says of the holistic approach she takes with her design projects, "It's really having a pro-active team from the very beginning of the project. Even as the Interior Designer, I'm doing my part to understand the mechanical engineer's design goals and how those goals reinforce the client's goals."
     As part of the holistic approach, Phipps-Nichol also takes things like allergies, asthma, and eczema into consideration when designing. "All of my specifications, and all of my design considerations have to take into effect the health, safety, and welfare of the people that will be occupying that space. So, for me it's natural that non-toxic materials and appropriately designed mechanical and lighting systems be used."

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Kimberly Phipps-Nichol is a Certified Interior Designer and licensed in the state of Nevada. Phipps-Nichol has a LEED AP credential, along with additional training through the Green Guide for Health Care (GGHC) and the Collaboration for High Performance Skills (CHPS). She specializes in commercial projects and takes residential projects on a case-by-case basis.