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The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) and New Buildings Institute (NBI) today announced a partnership that will streamline and strengthen the tracking and certification of zero energy (ZE) buildings in order to drive broader market adoption, codification and standardization of ZE technologies in everyday buildings. “NBI and ILFI are aligned in our shared vision for a future where high performance,…

The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) today kicked off the 2017 unConference, a sold-out gathering of 1,000+ experts in green building, place making and regenerative design who are celebrating the “Genius & Courage” of a movement that is fast gaining momentum. Van Jones is opening the conference today, and Naomi Klein is the Friday morning keynote. “We look to our…

As the tenth building in the world to achieve full Living Building Challenge certification, the Brock Environmental Center continues to draw attention for its sustainable, resilient design. The center has been named among the Top 10 recipients of the American Institute of Architects COTE (Committee on the Environment) Award in 2017. The Center is also the subject of the Living…

Vitro Architectural Glass (formerly PPG Glass) has been named the first founding sponsor of the Living Product Hub in Pittsburgh, opening April 18. The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) and Pittsburgh’s Green Building Alliance (GBA) are establishing the hub to accelerate the development of regenerative buildings and manufacturing. Co-located on Pittsburgh’s South Side with the GBA, the hub will serve…

The Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) and the International Living Future Institute (IFLI) released a new guidance document to streamline certification efforts for projects pursuing both Green Star and Living Building Challenge ratings. This follows a commitment by the two organisations in 2016 to work collaboratively to promote the design, construction and operations of positive and restorative buildings in…

For many of us it has been hard to cling to a sense of hope when we see basic human rights such as clean water, clean air, and freedom of religion under attack. Our work here at the Institute often requires courage as we seek to create a Living Future for all. Van Jones has been on the forefront of…

Pittsburgh is the birthplace of American manufacturing and a city with a vision to reimagine itself as a center for innovation, green manufacturing, and job creation. The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) is partnering with Green Building Alliance (GBA) to help make this vision a reality through the creation of a Living Product “Hub”. Co-located at GBA’s office in Pittsburgh’s…

The Desert Rain House located in Bend, Oregon, has become the first residential compound to earn Living Building certification, the most ambitious and optimistic international standard of sustainability in the world. Developed by the International Living Future Institute, the Living Building Challenge certification requires actual, rather than modeled or anticipated, performance across environmental, social and community impact. Therefore, projects must…

The International Living Future Institute announced that the Living Product Challenge and Declare are now recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in its Recommendations of Specifications, Standards and Ecolabels for federal purchasers. The recommendations, which help federal purchasers identify and procure environmentally sustainable products and services, include the Living Product Challenge and Declare as recommended standards for a range of…

The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) announced today that Jonathan Lash, president of Hampshire College and an internationally recognized sustainability leader, will join the ILFI’s Board of Directors.  Under Lash’s leadership, Hampshire’s newly constructed 17,000 square foot R.W. Kern Center is pursuing certification as a Living Building, a major part of the college’s broad initiative to transform its campus into…

A triumvirate team of Developer/Sustainability-Consultant, Architect, and General Contractor engaged in creating a standard plan prototype house for infill lots in downtown Phoenix. The three main goals were to: Create a prototype house inspired by the “case-study” homes of the 1960’s, designed with time and place in mind, and to the highest standard of sustainability possible. Create a low- to mid-cost home with…

1. Van Jones Van. Jones. Need we say more? The talented civil rights leader, former Obama White House advisor, and CNN political correspondent will be one of our keynote speakers. Van is the Founder and President of Dream Corps – an incubator, platform and home for world-changing initiatives that empower the most vulnerable in our society. Not to mention, he…

Mannington Mills rEvolve® Product Receives First Declare Label To Be Third Party Verified by GreenCircle Certified Consumers and specifiers alike are increasingly looking for transparency in products, whether it is to verify point of origin, to understand environmental impacts, or because they want to eliminate exposure to toxic ingredients. That’s why the International Living Future Institute created Declare, a ‘nutrition-label’…

In May 2009, San Juan County Building Department issued Final Occupancy Permits for Common Ground, Lopez Community Land Trust’s fourth affordable housing neighborhood and their first net-zero energy neighborhood in the state of Washington. Common Ground consists of 11 single-family affordable homes. Additionally, LCLT built an office and two affordable rental units. The 11 homes are under a cooperative ownership…

Humanscale, Bureo, Owens Corning and Garden Tower Project have received Living Product certification for new and redesigned products that meet the high bar of the Living Product Challenge, that is, to design and manufacture products that function as elegantly and efficiently as anything found in the natural world. Turning inspiration into action, these forward-thinking companies were awarded new certifications at…

A University of Oregon design team has won the first Living Product Prize in the Biomimicry Global Design Challenge for the Living Filtration System, an innovation that creates healthier soils by preventing nutrients from leaving fields in runoff. Their $10,000 Living Product Prize win was announced at the Living Product Expo in Pittsburgh, PA yesterday. “Living Filtration System has proven…