The 13th annual Living Future unConference was a hugely successful event packed with workshops, summits, game-changing announcements, and most importantly, incredible people! The event, set in Seattle’s new Hyatt Regency hotel was host to over 1,300 of our closest friends, making it the most attended event yet. Keynote speakers Bill McKibben, Mustafa Santiago Ali, and Mary Robinson brought to the stage their own unique blends of inspiration and sobering views of the future in their calls-to-action against Climate Change.

Among the big announcements at Living Future was the Core Green Building Certification, a new gateway certification program that aims to bridge the market gap between the highest levels of established green building certification programs and the aspirations of the Living Building Challenge. ILFI also announced a bold new update to the Challenge itself, Living Building Challenge 4.0. With LBC 4.0 ILFI will begin the process of volume certification with newly announced pilot organizations Google, PCC Community Markets, King County, The BLOCK Project, and Community REBuilds.

The unConference featured 15 Minutes of Brilliance addresses from speakers such as Jamie Margolin, founder of ZeroHour, Sara Sanford, founder of Gender Equity Now, Mark Chambers, Chief Sustainability Officer for New York City as well as over 100 speakers throughout 30+ sessions.

With the launch of LBC 4.0 and Core, a streamlined documentation process, and with special thanks to the Living Future Accredited Ambassadors leading the program’s expansion into more than 70 nations, ILFI’s now decade-old Challenge is market-tested, refined, and rapidly scaling.

It was clear that this year’s record-breaking Living Future unConference marked a palpable shift in the sustainability movement, with many attendees keen to register projects right away. Sessions and office hours with technical program staff were packed, with the conference selling out earlier than in past years. Conversations with clients and owners about certification at the event were consistent: “I’d like a Living Building. Where do I start?” Luckily for them, they were in the right place to do so, and you too can get started – reach out to us today at lbc.support@living-future.org to learn more.

ILFI: How can the environmental movement be more inclusive and diverse?

Lawerence Pitre: Work with other cultural communities to enable and empower them to be more knowledgeable. Allow them access to the tools and resources to be an active participant in the movement. There needs to be a redistribution of wealth, resources, and power. Our communities are still on the outside looking in. We want this movement to be inclusive and sustainable yet our communities have little to no say in the decision-making process.

We also have to take responsibility for ourselves. We need to be promoting engineers, mathematicians, tech professionals, architects, and designers within our own communities. To create the type of environment that enables us to contribute and not be entirely dependent on others.

ILFI: How can artists create a new narrative for change?

LP: By challenging the system. By giving themselves that opportunity to look beyond what’s in front of them. By exploring new methods, new technology and incorporating that into their artwork. Whether it be dance, music, theatre. Don’t settle. I just created a new canvas. Made out of mud. Literally. Don’t be afraid to explore. Some of the greatest inventions come from not even knowing what you’re doing. That’s how I came up with the mud technique. I was working on a different project and I was trying to figure out a way to hold something down so that it wouldn’t would rip up the paintings. By not knowing what you’re doing, you’re already innovating.

ILFI: Can you describe how the intersection of the sustainability movement and the social justice movement are important?

LP: You can’t make a pie without filling. But I would have to rephrase that. I’m not really sure if we’re using social justice in the right way. My social justice might not be the same as my counterparts. My social justice may be hitting you over the head with a rock. You can’t tell me I’m wrong? But if we’re talking about humanity and creating a better way of life, I don’t even know if I want to use the word justice. I would want to say survivability, because we like to dumb things down. And the reality is we don’t have anything without each other.

As a human species, we have come to a crutch in our lives where we have depleted our resources for our own personal existence. We have polluted our waters, killed off our fish, food chains are being broken, and we’re still trying to figure out how to no longer use coal. I’m trying to figure out if this is just a game or if the rich just don’t get it. But they intersect in one way, and that’s life. If we don’t do something, we are going to die and something tells me that might just be the plan. Our species has a funny way of killing ourselves off. We have reached critical masses in our existence. The world also changes in its own way. If we don’t change and adapt with it, then guess what happens? We become extinct. So, at this intersection, there has to be a point where we can either increase our numbers or allow fate to take its course. Do we allow nature to take its own course to a point of extinction? Or do we help ourselves and take responsibility for our own actions?

Humanity is at a crossroads right now. We have to be honest about the conversation. No one seems to want to have the honest conversation. We talk about life. But we hardly talk about death.  We have to be accountable and we need to hold others accountable. We have to force people to change. We need to look at it not as a movement but as life itself. It has to be a way of life!

Lawrence will be discussing his work and more next week at Living Future ’19, April 30-May 3. unconference.living-future.org

1. Mary Robinson, Former President of Ireland and UN Special Envoy on Climate Change

One of the world’s most respected advocates for climate justice and Ireland’s first woman President, Mary Robinson leads the Mary Robinson Foundation—Climate Justice, a center for thought leadership, education and advocacy for the poor and disempowered in the world that are disproportionately threatened by climate change. A sought-after speaker whose TED Talk received a standing ovation, President Robinson has moved audiences around the world with her passionate and hopeful call for all nations to work together to fight for a sustainable future. Her upcoming book, Climate Justice, has received glowing reviews from former world leaders and the environmental and human rights community. Barack Obama, awarding Robinson the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom, praised her as an “advocate for the forgotten and the ignored”, noting that she has “not only shone a light on human suffering, but illuminated a better future for our world.”

2. Mustafa Santiago Ali, Senior Vice President of Climate, Environmental Justice, & Community Revitalization, Hip Hop Caucus

Mustafa Santiago Ali is a renowned speaker, policy maker, community liaison, trainer, advocate, and critical thinker. Mustafa specializes in social and environmental justice issues and is focused on a utilizing a holistic approach to revitalizing vulnerable communities. He joined Hip Hop Caucus in 2017, after working 24 years at the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), where he most recently served as Senior Advisor to the Administrator for Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization. Throughout his career he has worked directly with over 500 domestic and international communities to improve lives by addressing environmental, health, and economic injustices. He holds a honorary doctorate degree from both the Vermont Law School and Green Mountain College.

Portrait of Bill McKibben, author and activist. photo ©Nancie Battaglia

3. Bill McKibben, Founder, 350.org

Bill is the founder of the environmental organization 350.org and was among the first to have warned of the dangers of global warming. He is the author of fifteen books, including the bestsellers The End of Nature, Eaarth, and Deep Economy. He is the Schumann Distinguished Scholar in Environmental Studies at Middlebury College and the winner of the Gandhi Prize, the Thomas Merton Prize, and the Right Livelihood Prize. He lives in Vermont.

4. Collaboration+Abundance

The Living Future unConference brings together the leading minds of regenerative design, green building, and sustainable architecture. This is where introductions are made, ideas flow, and inspiration is sparked. Don’t miss out on this once-a-year opportunity to meet peers and thought-leaders alike who value the planet and each other. From chatting between sessions to meeting on the afterparty dance floor, there are ample opportunities at Living Future to make connections that last.

5. Stay at the New Hyatt Regency in Seattle

Seattle’s new downtown hotel is walking distance to the city’s most iconic attractions, including the Space Needle, Pike Place Market, and Chihuly Garden and Glass. Venture farther and immerse yourself in the Pacific Northwest’s incredible landscapes, like Bainbridge Island, Mount Rainier National Park, and beyond.

Register for the Living Future unConference, April 30-May 3, 2019, online at unconference.living-future.org/registration. We’ll see you there!