Non Tox Talk 1 – 21.10.2025
Let’s explore what it means to build with care, and what kind of world we construct in doing so.
Tuesday, 21. October 2025 – 16.00
.In person
Event location: Healthy public living room, Trbovlje
Organised by: Non Tox Uni Kum and hosting by Library Trbovlje
• Event language: English
• Participation: No Fee
As part of the Non Tox Days in Trbovlje, we are preparing something truly special. ⚪️
The first in the series of conversations, “Non Tox Talk,” will host two remarkable experts from the Healthy Materials Lab at Parsons School of Design, New School New York. 🤍
Together with our guests Alison Mears and Leila Diana Behjat co-founders and directors of Healthy Materials Lab New York and HML EU gGmbH, we engage openly and sincerely about how we can create healthier spaces and a culture of design that cares for both people and the planet.
This will be a conversation without a stage. Among people, where real change begins. Woven with the principles of the New European Bauhaus – sustainable, inclusive, and beautiful. We will discuss how we can start with small steps, like this one. In the Healthy Public Living Room ( https://lnkd.in/dMEAZCP9)
of the Trbovlje Library, a space designed with care for health, sustainability, inclusion, and beauty. For everyone.
We will talk about how spaces we are surrounded with affect us. About healthier materials and how, sometimes the step towards a healthier environment can be really simple. What regenerative design means, and how and through the choice of materials we can create a world that supports life. We will discuss the importance of connection, availability of technologies and materials, wisdom we can draw from history, and how our local environment can provide high-quality, healthier materials.
This event brings together research, design, and responsibility into a shared vision of a healthier future. You are warmly invited to join us.
The event is free of charge. The conversation will be held in English.
We look forward to sharing this meaningful afternoon of dialogue, inspiration, and tea that connects.
.In person
Event location: Healthy public living room, Trbovlje
Organised by: Non Tox Uni Kum and hosting by Library Trbovlje
• Event language: English
• Participation: No Fee
As part of the Non Tox Days in Trbovlje, we are preparing something truly special. ⚪️
The first in the series of conversations, “Non Tox Talk,” will host two remarkable experts from the Healthy Materials Lab at Parsons School of Design, New School New York. 🤍
Together with our guests Alison Mears and Leila Diana Behjat co-founders and directors of Healthy Materials Lab New York and HML EU gGmbH, we engage openly and sincerely about how we can create healthier spaces and a culture of design that cares for both people and the planet.
This will be a conversation without a stage. Among people, where real change begins. Woven with the principles of the New European Bauhaus – sustainable, inclusive, and beautiful. We will discuss how we can start with small steps, like this one. In the Healthy Public Living Room ( https://lnkd.in/dMEAZCP9)
of the Trbovlje Library, a space designed with care for health, sustainability, inclusion, and beauty. For everyone.
We will talk about how spaces we are surrounded with affect us. About healthier materials and how, sometimes the step towards a healthier environment can be really simple. What regenerative design means, and how and through the choice of materials we can create a world that supports life. We will discuss the importance of connection, availability of technologies and materials, wisdom we can draw from history, and how our local environment can provide high-quality, healthier materials.
This event brings together research, design, and responsibility into a shared vision of a healthier future. You are warmly invited to join us.
The event is free of charge. The conversation will be held in English.
We look forward to sharing this meaningful afternoon of dialogue, inspiration, and tea that connects.
Every structure begins with a choice. Not only of form, but of matter, method, and meaning. To build differently, we must begin differently – with the questions we ask, the materials we choose, and the values we build into the process.
This event connects us with Alison Mears and Leila Behjat from Healthy Materials Lab, Parsons School of Design, New York — two leading experts in healthy materials and regenerative design.
It opens a conversation on how to move from awareness to action, and why building for health matters now more than ever.
This event connects us with Alison Mears and Leila Behjat from Healthy Materials Lab, Parsons School of Design, New York — two leading experts in healthy materials and regenerative design.
It opens a conversation on how to move from awareness to action, and why building for health matters now more than ever.
Special Guest:
Alison Mears
AIA LEED AP Associate Professor, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Parsons Healthy Materials Lab and Director and Co-founder of HML EU gGmbH.
About Alison Mears
Alison Mears AIA LEED AP is an Associate Professor, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Parsons Healthy Materials Lab and Director and Co-founder of HML EU gGmbH. She is also an Associate Professor of Architecture at Parsons School of Design. Alison leverages her practice-based experience as an architect and her knowledge and experience as a long-term academic leader to confront one of the more serious and often overlooked environmental challenges of our time: the health of the built environment. HML creates resources, educational programming, and prototypical innovative housing models for a new post-petroleum world.
Alison is the recipient of multiple grants and lectures widely disseminating current thinking within the field of material health. Alison Mears was awarded (with Jonsara Ruth) the 2022 Women in Architecture Innovation Award from Architectural Record and co-edited “Material Health: Design Frontiers”.
Special Guest:
About Leila D. Behjat
Dipl. Ing Architect Leila D Behjat combines her design expertise in construction with experience in using healthier, bio- and geogenic building materials in projects globally. As Director of Material Ecology at Parsons Healthy Materials Lab, she curates collections of healthier, low-embodied construction products and design methods to achieve regenerative, and toxic-free spaces that will serve coming generations and the planet well. This work also informs project consulting engagements with designers, organizations and municipalities. Leila heads the Lab’s partnership with the New European Bauhaus and is Co-Founder and General Manager of Healthy Materials Lab EU gGmbH with its seat in Wiesbaden, Germany. Leila is a DGNB Consultant. The work in material ecology helps Leila recognize the correlation between creating healthy spaces and communities as a collective cultural endeavor. Solutions must be considered in context of the oneness of humankind and in reverence to the Earth. She is the mother of two daughters.
Alison Mears
AIA LEED AP Associate Professor, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Parsons Healthy Materials Lab and Director and Co-founder of HML EU gGmbH.
About Alison Mears
Alison Mears AIA LEED AP is an Associate Professor, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Parsons Healthy Materials Lab and Director and Co-founder of HML EU gGmbH. She is also an Associate Professor of Architecture at Parsons School of Design. Alison leverages her practice-based experience as an architect and her knowledge and experience as a long-term academic leader to confront one of the more serious and often overlooked environmental challenges of our time: the health of the built environment. HML creates resources, educational programming, and prototypical innovative housing models for a new post-petroleum world.
Alison is the recipient of multiple grants and lectures widely disseminating current thinking within the field of material health. Alison Mears was awarded (with Jonsara Ruth) the 2022 Women in Architecture Innovation Award from Architectural Record and co-edited “Material Health: Design Frontiers”.
Special Guest:
Leila D. Behjat
Director of Material Ecology at Parsons Healthy Materials Lab, Co-Founder and General Manager of Healthy Materials Lab EU gGmbH , DGNB Consultant
About Leila D. Behjat
Dipl. Ing Architect Leila D Behjat combines her design expertise in construction with experience in using healthier, bio- and geogenic building materials in projects globally. As Director of Material Ecology at Parsons Healthy Materials Lab, she curates collections of healthier, low-embodied construction products and design methods to achieve regenerative, and toxic-free spaces that will serve coming generations and the planet well. This work also informs project consulting engagements with designers, organizations and municipalities. Leila heads the Lab’s partnership with the New European Bauhaus and is Co-Founder and General Manager of Healthy Materials Lab EU gGmbH with its seat in Wiesbaden, Germany. Leila is a DGNB Consultant. The work in material ecology helps Leila recognize the correlation between creating healthy spaces and communities as a collective cultural endeavor. Solutions must be considered in context of the oneness of humankind and in reverence to the Earth. She is the mother of two daughters.
Health Matters Trbovlje – 22.10.2025
The shift how we think about projects and how we relate to space, land, health and each other.
Wednesday, 22. October 2025
In person
Event location: Thermal Power Plant Factory Trbovlje – Termoelektrarna Trbovlje – Inside of the chimney
Organised by: Municipality of Trbovlje and Non Tox Uni Kum
• Event language: English
• Participation: Invitation only – No fee.
In person
Event location: Thermal Power Plant Factory Trbovlje – Termoelektrarna Trbovlje – Inside of the chimney
Organised by: Municipality of Trbovlje and Non Tox Uni Kum
• Event language: English
• Participation: Invitation only – No fee.
Materials Matter – Non Tox Day – 03.06.2025
A bridge between research, responsibility, and the reality of building differently.
Tuesday, 3 June 2025
Hybrid event
Event location: GZS – Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia (CCIS) – Dimičeva 13, 1000 Ljubljana Slovenia & Online
Organised by: Non Tox Uni Kum in collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia (CCIS) Division: Chamber of Construction and Building Materials Industry of Slovenia (CCBMIS)
• Event language: English
• Participation: No Fee
• Secure your spot:
▫️ Online attendance: register by 2 June 2025 – 12.00 CEST
▫️ In-person attendance: register by 30 May 2025 – 24.00 CEST
Hybrid event
Event location: GZS – Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia (CCIS) – Dimičeva 13, 1000 Ljubljana Slovenia & Online
Organised by: Non Tox Uni Kum in collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia (CCIS) Division: Chamber of Construction and Building Materials Industry of Slovenia (CCBMIS)
• Event language: English
• Participation: No Fee
• Secure your spot:
▫️ Online attendance: register by 2 June 2025 – 12.00 CEST
▫️ In-person attendance: register by 30 May 2025 – 24.00 CEST
Every structure begins with a choice – not just of form, but of substance, method, and meaning. If we want to build differently, we need to start differently – with the questions we ask, the materials we choose, and the values we embed in the process.
Bio-based materials offer more than incremental change. They shift how we think about projects, how we relate to space, land, and health.
This gathering brings together pioneers, researchers, doers, funders and facilitators to explore:
How do we move from innovation to real implementation – and why does it matter so deeply?
Bio-based materials offer more than incremental change. They shift how we think about projects, how we relate to space, land, and health.
This gathering brings together pioneers, researchers, doers, funders and facilitators to explore:
How do we move from innovation to real implementation – and why does it matter so deeply?
Event Agenda (All times in CEST)
10:30–11:00
Arrival & Welcome Coffee
Registrations and Meet & Greet – Coffee. People. Materials.
11:00–11:10
Opening Words
Mag. Gregor Ficko, Chamber of Commerce and Industy, Chamber of construction and building materials industry – GZS ZGIGM.
Introduction by the organiser – setting the tone for material culture, health and responsibility
Why it matters?
Petra Marinko, Architect & Founder, Non Tox Uni Kum
Introduction by the organiser – setting the tone for material culture, health and responsibility
11:10–11:15
The GREET CE Project
Valentina Kuzma, GZS ZGIGM
Presentation of the international I3 project GREET for establishing an eco-construction pilot, GZS ZGIGM.
11:15–12:00
Keynote Lecture – “Materials of the Future – From Innovation to Implementation”
Prof. Dr. Sascha Peters, Founder of Haute Innovation – Germany
A guided journey through plastic-free biomaterial innovations — with insight into what is ready now, and what has the potential to reshape the way we build.
12:00–12:10
Material Health Matters – Special Intervention
Leila Behjat, Director of Material Ecology, Healthy Materials Lab EU gGmbH – Germany
Why material health matters – and how it shapes the spaces we inhabit and the people within them.
12:10–13:05
Pitches and presentations: Good Practice in Action
Perspectives. Materials. Steps toward a better building culture.
• Mycological Biomineralisation for Self-Healing Concrete – Sabina Dolenec & Dr. Polona Zalar, UL BF & ZAG, Slovenia
• Mycelium-Based Systems for Construction and Packaging – Matjaž Božič, Mycopor, Slovenia
• Circular Approaches to Heritage Architecture – ACNT, Tradi-Innovation, Romania
• Hemp Cluster – Dusan Knezovic, Slovakia
• Building with Hemp: From Field to Wall, Primož Zorec, Cogreen, Slovenia
• Natural Fibre Materials for Sustainable Construction – Branko Kašman, KO SI, Slovenia
• House of straw – Marina Zajec, Arhitektura E.L.I., Croatia
• Bio-Stabilisation of Marine Sediments for Coastal and Terrestrial Use – doc. dr. Stanislav Lenart, ZAG, Slovenia
13:05–13:50
Panel Talk: From Potential to Practice
A moderated conversation with experts of their fields on what it really takes to scale biomaterials – from vision to regulation, production to policy.
Moderated by: Petra Marinko
Panelists: Prof. Dr. Sascha Peters • Dr. Andrej Kržan • Dr. Alenka Mauko • Marina Zajec • Primož Zorec • Matjaž Božič
13:50–13:55
Audience Q&A
An open floor for questions, reflections, resonances.
13:55–14:05
Break
14:05–14:15
Designing for Endless Cycles – Cradle to Cradle in Practice – Special Intervention
Albin Kaelin, EPEA Switzerland
What if materials were never waste, but nutrients in a continuous loop of value creation? And what if we could trace every step of that loop—from origin to reuse?
14:15–14:45
Funding & Scaling Opportunities
• From national schemes to EU instruments – what’s available now, Katja Bučan, GZS, Slovenia
• Crowdlending for Green Construction – new finance tools for SMEs across Europe Manuel Nina, GoParity – Portugal
14:45–15:00
Closing Reflections
Valentina Kuzma, GZS ZGIGM And Petra Marinko, Architect & Founder, Non Tox Uni Kum
To shift not only how we build—but how we think projects. From materials to mindsets, from structure to story. Together.
15:00–16:00
Biomaterials Library & Lunch & Networking
Explore. Touch. Connect.
Curated material library to engage with, projects to learn from, people to meet.
Meet and greet with producers, researchers, and guests – hosted in an open, tactile atmosphere.
10:30–11:00
Arrival & Welcome Coffee
Registrations and Meet & Greet – Coffee. People. Materials.
11:00–11:10
Opening Words
Mag. Gregor Ficko, Chamber of Commerce and Industy, Chamber of construction and building materials industry – GZS ZGIGM.
Introduction by the organiser – setting the tone for material culture, health and responsibility
Why it matters?
Petra Marinko, Architect & Founder, Non Tox Uni Kum
Introduction by the organiser – setting the tone for material culture, health and responsibility
11:10–11:15
The GREET CE Project
Valentina Kuzma, GZS ZGIGM
Presentation of the international I3 project GREET for establishing an eco-construction pilot, GZS ZGIGM.
11:15–12:00
Keynote Lecture – “Materials of the Future – From Innovation to Implementation”
Prof. Dr. Sascha Peters, Founder of Haute Innovation – Germany
A guided journey through plastic-free biomaterial innovations — with insight into what is ready now, and what has the potential to reshape the way we build.
12:00–12:10
Material Health Matters – Special Intervention
Leila Behjat, Director of Material Ecology, Healthy Materials Lab EU gGmbH – Germany
Why material health matters – and how it shapes the spaces we inhabit and the people within them.
12:10–13:05
Pitches and presentations: Good Practice in Action
Perspectives. Materials. Steps toward a better building culture.
• Mycological Biomineralisation for Self-Healing Concrete – Sabina Dolenec & Dr. Polona Zalar, UL BF & ZAG, Slovenia
• Mycelium-Based Systems for Construction and Packaging – Matjaž Božič, Mycopor, Slovenia
• Circular Approaches to Heritage Architecture – ACNT, Tradi-Innovation, Romania
• Hemp Cluster – Dusan Knezovic, Slovakia
• Building with Hemp: From Field to Wall, Primož Zorec, Cogreen, Slovenia
• Natural Fibre Materials for Sustainable Construction – Branko Kašman, KO SI, Slovenia
• House of straw – Marina Zajec, Arhitektura E.L.I., Croatia
• Bio-Stabilisation of Marine Sediments for Coastal and Terrestrial Use – doc. dr. Stanislav Lenart, ZAG, Slovenia
13:05–13:50
Panel Talk: From Potential to Practice
A moderated conversation with experts of their fields on what it really takes to scale biomaterials – from vision to regulation, production to policy.
Moderated by: Petra Marinko
Panelists: Prof. Dr. Sascha Peters • Dr. Andrej Kržan • Dr. Alenka Mauko • Marina Zajec • Primož Zorec • Matjaž Božič
13:50–13:55
Audience Q&A
An open floor for questions, reflections, resonances.
13:55–14:05
Break
14:05–14:15
Designing for Endless Cycles – Cradle to Cradle in Practice – Special Intervention
Albin Kaelin, EPEA Switzerland
What if materials were never waste, but nutrients in a continuous loop of value creation? And what if we could trace every step of that loop—from origin to reuse?
14:15–14:45
Funding & Scaling Opportunities
• From national schemes to EU instruments – what’s available now, Katja Bučan, GZS, Slovenia
• Crowdlending for Green Construction – new finance tools for SMEs across Europe Manuel Nina, GoParity – Portugal
14:45–15:00
Closing Reflections
Valentina Kuzma, GZS ZGIGM And Petra Marinko, Architect & Founder, Non Tox Uni Kum
To shift not only how we build—but how we think projects. From materials to mindsets, from structure to story. Together.
15:00–16:00
Biomaterials Library & Lunch & Networking
Explore. Touch. Connect.
Curated material library to engage with, projects to learn from, people to meet.
Meet and greet with producers, researchers, and guests – hosted in an open, tactile atmosphere.
About Prof. Dr. Sascha Peters
Prof. Dr. Sascha Peters is one of Europe’s leading experts in sustainable materials and emerging technologies. He is the founder of the Berlin-based agency Haute Innovation and a long-standing advisor, author, juror, and educator in the field of biobased innovation, circular design, and future production systems.
About Healthy Materials Lab EU gGmbH
A European non-profit sister organization to the
Prof. Dr. Sascha Peters is one of Europe’s leading experts in sustainable materials and emerging technologies. He is the founder of the Berlin-based agency Haute Innovation and a long-standing advisor, author, juror, and educator in the field of biobased innovation, circular design, and future production systems.
About Healthy Materials Lab EU gGmbH
A European non-profit sister organization to the
Our collaborators and supporters:
