Over the next few weeks, we will run a Q+A series to showcase some of the incredible change-makers who are speaking at Living Future 20. This week, we are featuring Sara Neff, Vice President of Sustainability at Kilroy Realty.

Natalie Quek: What does sustainability look like to you?

Sara Neff: Sustainability looks BIG to me right now. We only have a decade to solve this climate crisis, and just don’t have time for tiny little initiatives that don’t move the needle. Sustainability really exists at scale for me right now: whole carbon neutral portfolios, giant renewables projects, that kind of thing.

NQ: What initially drew you to a career in sustainability?

SN: I had been working in television for about 3 years on really fun shows like Arrested Development, but the work just did not feel meaningful to me. A friend had similarly decided entertainment wasn’t fulfilling enough, and she went to business school to focus on aligning financial and environmental outcomes; that felt exactly right for me. So, I decided to do the exact same thing—best decision I ever made!

NQ: What does this year’s theme, Sustaining hope within crisis, mean to you? How does this translate to your personal or professional life?

SN: We have a decade to solve the climate crisis, which is so little time, but it is possible that we can be successful. That’s what the hope is. It translates to my life in the sense that I have an overwhelming feeling of urgency that we have to do big things at scale right now and don’t have time to sweat the small stuff.

NQ: What gives you hope?

SN: So many of the players that haven’t been at the table on sustainability are finally waking up to our crisis, and I think that will move the needle very quickly. A large number of investors, insurance providers and consumers are finally realizing they have a part to play in managing this crisis, that their businesses are at risk, and that is going to create rapid change.

NQ: Can you give us a taste of what you’ll be talking about in your session at Living Future?

SN: Real estate owners are still very slow to embrace most of the tenants of the Living Building Challenge. I’ve learned that practitioners (engineers, architects, etc.) still don’t understand why [this is], given the climate crisis. Our panel’s goal is to explain why there’s this lack of adoption, and what can be done about it.

NQ: What’s a must-read/watch/listen for anyone involved with the sustainability community?

SN: Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado-Perez. This really gets into the details of what social equity looks like as we design and operate cities and buildings (as well as many other things)….[It] is a must-read for anyone who is wondering how to design equitable projects.

Can’t wait to hear more from Sara? Attend her virtual session, Connecting the Missing Links Between LBC and the Commercial Real Estate Sector, at Living Future 20 May 7-8, 2020.

Written By

Natalie Quek