At the third of four lectures in the 2016 Encourage Health Education Series, Denise Grabowski will present “10 Ways Buildings Affect Your Mission to Healthy Life” on Tuesday, August 30 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The lecture will be hosted at the Auditorium of the Savannah Morning News, located at 1375 Chatham Parkway in Savannah.

On average, 90 percent of our time is spent indoors. In this session, the audience will learn about how the buildings we occupy affect our physical, mental and social well-being.

A healthy lunch will be provided. Attendance is free and open to the public, but RSVPs are required at Healthy Savannah’s website, http://healthysavannah.org/event-sign-up-page/.

Grabowski will introduce the WELL Building Standard, which based on medical research is comprised of seven components: air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort, and mind. She started Symbiosctiy,a planning firm dedicated to maximizing mutually beneficial relationships between the built and natural environments. She works with several clients on a variety of projects including community master plans, mixed use developments, redevelopment plans, local government consultation, and public participation.

In addition to Symbioscity, Grabowski is also a co-founder of Designing4Health, a collaboration of diverse professionals working to increase the understanding between public health and community design.

Grabowski has presented at several national and regional conferences on smart growth and sustainable development, including the American Planning Association and the National League of Cities.

Locally, she serves on the Design Review Council, SCAD Architecture and Urban Design; Savannah State University Urban Studies and Planning External Advisory Committee; Community Council for Savannah Technical College; and is a member of the Metropolitan Savannah Rotary. On a larger scale, she serves on the national U.S. Green Building Council Board of Directors and is a previous member of the Georgia Planning Association Board of Directors.

Grabowski has a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from Furman University and a Master of City Planning from Georgia Tech. She is a graduate of the Institute for Georgia Environmental Leadership and Leadership Savannah. In 2009, she was named to Georgia Trend’s “Top 40 Under 40: Georgia’s Best and Brightest" list.

During Grabowski’s presentation, Savannah Tree Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on preserving, protecting and planting canopy trees in Chatham County, was selected to receive the $1,000 enmarket Encourage Health grant.