Living Future believes that justice and equity are at the core of creating a regenerative future. Regenerative work creates a positive impact across social, cultural, and ecological systems. A truly regenerative future is one in which community members are intentionally and actively engaged in co-designing and co-creating their built environment so that it reflects their values, meets their needs, and cultivates thriving communities.

Equity has been an explicit component of Living Future programs since the introduction of the Equity Petal in the Living Building Challenge in 2009. Since that time, we have continued to elevate and champion equity as a core pillar of our work by introducing our Affordable Housing program in 2013, launching our Just program in 2014, and continually evolving all the equity components of our programs regularly. We are eager to invest more resources to enhance equity in our standards and to use them as transformative frameworks for the building industry. We are now excited to embark on a new initiative to sharpen our focus on equity further.

Living Future’s Equity in the Built Environment (EBE) Initiative will integrate and center equity throughout all of our programs. Living Future is in the process of developing major updates to our regenerative building and sustainable materials programs, and the EBE Initiative, which is grant-funded through June 2026, provides an opportunity for us to focus our efforts to reflect on, reimagine, and refine how equity shows up in all of our standards. Through performing in-depth analyses of our current programs as well as other industry standards and frameworks, conducting research, and engaging with a diverse range of organizations and individuals working toward aligned goals, we will listen and learn new ways Living Future can more effectively advance equity and justice through our work. We will then integrate what we learn into future  updates to our programs as well as tools and resources that equip and support organizations toward centering equity in the built environment. 

Spotlight on the steering committee

The EBE Initiative is co-led by a steering committee of Living Future staff and equity leaders in the built environment. Together, the committee aims to define key equity goals and priorities, identifying how Living Future can drive transformational change and create lasting impact within the industry. You can learn more about the steering committee on our EBE Initiative landing page. 

“I am excited to synthesize the results of our community engagement efforts, conversations with industry professionals, and research in a format that will be beneficial long-term both for Living Future and for other organizations committed to bettering the world through our built environment. There are still currently many gaps in how equity is classified and prioritized within sustainable development, and I am proud that we are working to fill those gaps!” – Daraja Brown, EBE Steering Committee member

“I chose to join the steering committee because it is a great way to join forces with like-minded leaders who are actively working to shift current mindsets, practices and systems toward equitable, regenerative futures for communities. “ – Precious Rideout, EBE Steering Committee member

* Living Future would also like to acknowledge Ganesh Nayak, one of our founding EBE Steering Committee members, who tragically passed away in July 2024. He is greatly missed and we are forever grateful for his kindness and passion for inclusion and accessibility in the built environment, which he generously lent toward the development of this work. You can learn more about Ganesh and his legacy in this blog post.

The EBE Initiative represents a pivotal moment for Living Future to continue growing and learning, as we deepen our commitment to advancing equity through every aspect of our work. As the work progresses, we will be sharing what we learn through our research as well as inviting our community members to review proposed program updates. We hope you will join us on this journey and look forward to your engagement with us along the way. 

Join our mailing list for future EBE updates and engagement opportunities!

Written By

Cheryl Tam

Cheryl leads strategy, research, and resource development for advancing equity throughout all of ILFI’s work. She focuses on evolving the reach and rigor of the Just program as well as looking for ways to continually enhance how equity is integrated into all ILFI programs.