Description: Our Sustainable Systems class was asked to identify a wicked problem and create a “toolkit” that could address it. The wicked problem I have chosen to address is poor mental health amongst employees in the workplace. This problem is comprised of various components, but a decent percentage of these actually have to do with the space’s interior and can be worked on through sustainable means. As my prototype (toolkit), I’ve created Green Spaces and Healthy Minds (GSHM). GSHM is a program set on encouraging business owners to use restorative environmental design – a building designmodel that combines sustainable building practices with building practices that benefit occupant health- when dealing with their own corporate buildings. All participating companies are shown on a public ranking board and plaques of certification are given to the top 10% annually. A company’s progress percentage (which is the determining factor for the company’s rank) indicates how far along they’ve come since initially joining the program and can vary year to year based off of building maintenance and continued implementation of health resources. Additionally, when a business owner first joins, they are asked to download the GSHM app (which provides a virtual handbook with recommendations on how to implement this type of design model). The three different tools/elements in my toolkit, then, are the ranking board, the plaque, and the app.
