The Carbon Impact Inside: How Interior Designers Can Fight Climate Change

Interior design has a significant impact on a building or home’s carbon footprint. Although interior materials contribute heavily to the embodied carbon of a building, until recently, they were disregarded in carbon calculations, which instead focused on architectural elements and operating energy.

As building shells and systems become more energy-efficient, the cumulative effect of interior build-outs and renovations – the lifeblood of Interior Design – can account for more than 50% of the embodied carbon of a building. All this means that interior design needs to take a front seat in making material selections that help reduce emissions.

This panel, cohosted by the New York School of Interior Design and the American Society of Interior Designers NY Metro chapter, will discuss interior design’s crucial role in reducing our embodied carbon emissions and provide considerations and steps to put words into action.

Panelists include faculty from NYSID’s Master of Professional Studies in Sustainable Interior Environments and ASID NY Metro’s Health, Wellness & Sustainability Committee.