Issue 38 | Transparency Over Trade Secrets

This article was adapted from a similar post on The Kendeda Fund’s Living Building Chronicle web publication. In the closing days of construction on the Southeast’s largest Living Building Challenge project, work was hitting a familiar rhythm for veteran contractors. Most tradespeople had packed up and left, but those still on the job were tying up loose ends feverishly. Much…

In these uncertain times defined by low trust in institutions, rapid technological change, social tension and ecological breakdown, business leaders should understand that the expectations, concerns and hopes of stakeholders has never been more important. Given that 85% of a company’s value today is made up of intangible assets such as reputation and goodwill, business leaders are looking to understand…

Budding Environmentalists: Yes, you can sit with us. In fighting climate change, much is done to focus energy and attention on countries and markets with high gross domestic product (GDP) (Ostrom, 1999). This is because they are often the worst polluters, (Barchram, 2006) and also because they have the capital to support any costs that come with creating critical infrastructure…

We may be preaching to the green building choir with science-based facts re-stated for the umpteenth time, but I once heard from a well-respected marketing strategist that it takes hearing things 7 times, in a multitude of different ways before it truly hits home. Shall we start with building a solid foundation (industry-pun intended)?   The IPCC Special Report –…

Cover image: Pacific Point Affordable Family Housing. Image: Bruce Damonte The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) is proud to announce the launch of its new Living Building Challenge Framework for Affordable Housing. This second edition has been fully revised and expanded to include updated findings, inspiring and detailed case studies, and new strategies and approaches to financing, designing, building, and…

I am going to tell you a story about collaborative design and how it can help us find purpose and change how we approach our work and think about the built environment. Eight miles south of Portland, Oregon, is Lake Oswego and Lakeridge Middle School. The school is going through a rebuild. The new school’s story starts as many other…

ILFI is excited to announce that online courses are open for enrollment! Living Future Education is your go-to source for education on the Living Building Challenge, Living Product Challenge, Living Community Challenge, and all other ILFI programs, transparency labels, and initiatives.  Interested in achieving net positive water on your next project? There’s a course for that. Want to learn more…

Editor’s note: This article is republished with permission from Love + Regeneration, a publication from the regenerative design practice McLennan Design. On May 1st, 28 high school students and 4 chaperones, including myself, arrived in Seattle (Duwamish Territory) on a perfectly sunny, spring day after a 15-hour bus ride from Calgary, Alberta (Treaty 7 Territory, traditional home of the tribes…