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# Trim Tab

Trim Tab Online

## Sitemaps

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## Posts

- [Intentional Sourcing: Wood for Regenerative Buildings](https://trimtab.living-future.org/resource/intentional-sourcing-wood-for-regenerative-buildings/) - Our latest report on sourcing wood for regenerative buildings offers project teams a way to recognize a broader range of stewardship practices while maintaining a commitment to transparency, accountability, and ecological integrity.
- [Talking with a Hero about Regenerative Thinking: A Conversation with Richard Piacentini](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-building-challenge/lbc20th/talking-with-a-hero-about-rengenerative-thinking-a-conversation-with-richard-piacentini/) - “The [Living Building] Challenge helps us see ourselves as part of nature; it encourages us to do everything we can to protect the environment. And it reminds us that regenerative thinking doesn't stop with buildings. It encourages us to dig into the core of what we do every day.” Richard Piacentini's words capture a theme that runs throughout our conversation. In this interview, he reflects on how the Living Building Challenge shaped Phipps' evolution and why regenerative thinking extends far beyond the built environment. Read our conversation to discover how a simple napkin sketch led to the ideas Richard says have been "the most important thing that's happened in my career."
- [Lessons That Ripple: What Four Living Buildings Taught Us](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-building-challenge/lessons-that-ripple-what-four-living-buildings-taught-us/) - What if the biggest barriers in building design are actually the catalysts for the greatest breakthroughs? Over the past two decades, Marc Brune, PE, Senior Principal and mechanical engineer at PAE, has helped shape some of the world’s most ambitious regenerative projects—including the Bullitt Center, RMI Innovation Center, Kendeda Building, and PAE Living Building. In this reflection, Marc shares four lessons from these pioneering projects and how challenges around energy, water, climate, and the grid pushed the industry forward. The takeaway: what seems impossible today may simply be a design problem waiting to be solved.
- [Julie Hiromoto](https://trimtab.living-future.org/qa/julie-hiromoto/) - Getting to Know the Living Future Board We sat down recently with board member Julie Hiromoto to ask her thoughts on Living Future’s direction, the building industry, and how her passion for dancing shaped her work on regenerative design. Given what you know about us, what is the most important thing the Institute does for
- [Lindsay Baker’s Living Future 2026 Keynote Address](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/living-future-2026/lindsay-bakers-living-future-2026-keynote-address/) - Each year, Lindsay Baker, Living Future's CEO, brings clarity and perspective to the state of the regenerative movement and the role each of us plays within it. This year’s message feels especially urgent. In her keynote, she reflects on the signals emerging around us, what people in power often do when they feel threatened, and
- [Advancing Declare](https://trimtab.living-future.org/declare/advancing-declare/) - Introducing Declare Health and What Comes Next Last year, Living Future shared a vision for the future of our materials program: one that is more holistic, offers multiple pathways for engagement, and continues to push the industry forward. At the core of that vision is the evolution of Declare – from a primary focus on
- [Expanding the Pathway for Mass Timber in Living Building projects](https://trimtab.living-future.org/healthy-materials/expanding-the-pathway-for-mass-timber-in-living-building-projects/) - Mass timber offers a meaningful opportunity to reduce the embodied carbon of buildings. Compared to conventional structural materials, responsibly sourced wood can lower environmental impacts while supporting regenerative forestry and long-term carbon storage. To meet North American building codes and standards—such as ANSI/APA PRG 320 for CLT and ANSI A190.1 for glulam—laminated wood products must
- [Advancing the K-12 Sector Towards a Living Future In Pennsylvania](https://trimtab.living-future.org/healthy-materials/advancing-the-k-12-sector-towards-a-living-future-in-pennsylvania/) - Schools Shape More Than Learning Every weekday, millions of students spend the majority of their waking hours inside school buildings—spaces that quietly shape their health, their learning, and their sense of what the future can look like. These spaces affect everything from memory and concentration to overall mental and physical health. Yet many school facilities
- [Exploring Social Equity in Manufacturing](https://trimtab.living-future.org/declare/exploring-social-equity-in-manufacturing/) - Six Pilot Participants in the Declare Equity Program Building on our previous announcement of Living Future’s launch of the Declare Equity pilot program, we are now excited to share more details about the companies participating in the pilot! We are honored to partner with these six manufacturers. They work within five industries—wallcoverings, flooring, lighting, furnishings,
- [The Future is Now: Unlocking Regenerative Design at Living Future 2026](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/the-future-is-now/) - The world of architecture, planning, building and manufacturing is at a pivotal crossroads. We can no longer afford to build or operate in ways that merely reduce harm; the imperative is to pursue regenerative solutions that actively create and restore vibrant ecological and human health. The Living Future 2026 Conference (LF26) is your essential guide
- [From Connections to Commitments—Exhibit at LF26](https://trimtab.living-future.org/declare/exhibit-at-lf26/) - LF26 Exhibit Hall: A Curated Marketplace for Regenerative Design The Living Future Conference (LF26, April 14-17 in Seattle) brings together top leaders, specifiers, and decision-makers in the building and design industry. Our exhibit hall is intentionally orchestrated to catalyze connection, ensuring every conversation you have is with a professional seeking the exact solutions you offer.
- [Leadership, Resilience, and a Regenerative Future: The Living Future 2025 Year In Review](https://trimtab.living-future.org/leadership/2025-ceo-letter/) - Dear friends, This year, towards the end of a tumultuous spring, I had the opportunity to spend a few days in retreat with a small group of women writers in New York’s Hudson Valley. Specifically, we all worked on sharing stories and poetry that gave voice to the many emotions and experiences of the climate
- [Advancing Equity in Materials](https://trimtab.living-future.org/declare/advancing-equity-in-materials/) - Announcing the Declare Equity Pilot and its Founding Partners Living Future is thrilled to announce that we have launched a pilot program for Declare Equity, a new product-level label created to bring human rights, fair labor, and social impact to the center of the building materials conversation. Declare Equity represents the next evolution of our
- [Announcing: Call for Proposals Now Open for Living Future 2026!](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/call-for-proposals/) - An invitation to Bold, Long-View Design Thinking As we look ahead to the Living Future 2026 Conference (LF26), we stand at a moment of powerful reflection and possibility. For two decades, our community has pushed boundaries, lifted standards, and redefined what it means to design for life. Now, with our 20th anniversary on the horizon,
- [Phasing out PFAS from Building Products - the HPDC Toolkit](https://trimtab.living-future.org/healthy-materials/phasing-out-pfas/) - Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of industrial chemicals characterized by their strong carbon-fluorine bonds. PFAS persist indefinitely in the environment, and build up in people and animals over time. Well-studied PFAS have been linked to health harm including decreased fertility; developmental delays in children; prostate, testicular, and kidney cancer; hormone interference; and
- [Get a First Look at the 2025 Affordable Housing Summit](https://trimtab.living-future.org/affordable-housing/summit-first-look/) - Cover image: Timber Ridge Apartments. Image courtesy of Ink Built Architecture Join Living Future's Affordable Housing Summit and connect with the innovative minds building a better world. For years, we've showcased groundbreaking project teams, and this year is no exception. Discover how they're redefining affordable housing by radically decarbonizing, using healthier and biobased products, and
- [Why Words Matter](https://trimtab.living-future.org/leadership/why-words-matter/) - The Future of Regenerative Design This article was originally published in Viewpoints on July 7, 2025. has been republished on Trim Tab with the permission of METROPOLIS Magazine. As the design world embraces the language of regeneration, we must be clear about what the term means—and what’s at stake when it’s misused. The compulsion to
- [Post-Occupancy Insights from Affordable Housing](https://trimtab.living-future.org/affordable-housing/pilot-case-studies/) - Coliseum Place. Image by Bruce Damonte, courtesy of David Baker Architects. New Case Studies From Living Future’s Affordable Housing Pilot Projects Editor's Note Join us for the 2025 Affordable Housing Summit on August 7th & 8th! The theme for this virtual event is Strength in Community, and we have planned an agenda to demonstrate how
- [Living Future Membership Is Your Hub for Regenerative Design Learning, Collaboration, and Impact](https://trimtab.living-future.org/membership/your-regenerative-hub/) - Join a global movement transforming how we build and manufacture—for people and planet. Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time, and regenerative design rooted in climate justice offers a real solution. At the heart of this transformation is you, and the Living Future community. We’re a passionate and growing network of
- [Why 2025 Is a Turning Point for the Regenerative Building Movement](https://trimtab.living-future.org/leadership/turning-point/) - On the Importance of Being—and Moving Forward—Together The intention behind the Living Future conference is to strategize, to build the movement, and to work together to change the industry. Compared to every other year I’ve experienced since I started doing this work 25 years ago, this year is different. This year requires more of us,
- [The Shift to Safer Materials](https://trimtab.living-future.org/affordable-housing/the-shift-to-safer-materials/) - Rendering courtesy of David Baker Architects Why Safe Materials Matter in Affordable Housing What makes a home truly safe? Is it a sturdy lock, a strong foundation, or a trip-free layout? While these are essential, many unseen health hazards lurk within building materials themselves—from toxic chemicals in flooring and insulation to harmful additives in paints
- [From Zero Carbon to Living Buildings](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-building-challenge/lf25-certifications/) - Cover photo: ©Tom Holdsworth Celebrating 2024–2025 Living Future Certified Projects At Living Future 2025 in Portland, our Buildings Team had the incredible opportunity to connect face-to-face with passionate owners, designers, and practitioners committed to creating a regenerative future. Together, we explored how to scale impact across campuses, evolve the Living Building Challenge (LBC) to meet
- [PCC Community Markets Recognized With World's First Living Building Challenge Petal-Certified Grocery Store by International Living Future Institute](https://trimtab.living-future.org/press-release/pcc-community-markets-recognized-as-petal-certified/) - (SEATTLE, December 1, 2020) – PCC Community Markets (PCC), the largest community-owned food co-op in the U.S., in collaboration with the International Living Future Institute (ILFI), today announced that the PCC Community Markets in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle is the first Living Building Challenge (LBC) Petal-Certified grocery store in the world. To obtain the certification, PCC
- [Overcoming Hurdles: Vode Lighting's Journey to Declare Label Transparency](https://trimtab.living-future.org/declare/overcoming-hurdles-vode-lightings-journey-to-declare-label-transparency/) - Leti Molina, Senior Mechanical Design Engineer at Vode Lighting, faced a critical challenge following the 2023 update to the Red List, which added fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) as a restricted material.
- [Better Buildings: Holcim Foundation Award Winner Targets Zero Energy + Zero Carbon Certification](https://trimtab.living-future.org/zero-energy/better-buildings-holcim-foundation-award-winner-targets-zero-energy-zero-carbon-certification/) - The Holcim Foundation Awards, a global recognition program for innovative and sustainable building projects, is currently accepting entries for its 2025 cycle.
- [Introducing Living Future’s 2025–2027 Strategic Plan](https://trimtab.living-future.org/leadership/letter-from-the-ceo-about-living-futures-20252027-strategic-plan/) - When we were finalizing our 2025-2027 Strategic Plan, I was living through one of the longest heat waves that my state of California had ever experienced.
- [Innovating for Equity](https://trimtab.living-future.org/affordable-housing/innovating-for-equity/) - Living Future is excited to announce a new online course that bridges education and sustainable affordable housing: the Red List Free Affordable Housing Guidebook Companion Course.
- [A Restorative Place for an Enduring Legacy](https://trimtab.living-future.org/impact-story/a-restorative-place-for-an-enduring-legacy/) - Designing the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library
- [Building Equity: How the Just Program is Transforming the Construction Industry](https://trimtab.living-future.org/just/building-equity-how-the-just-program-is-transforming-the-construction-industry/) - Just is a voluntary disclosure tool and transparency platform that helps organizations measure and improve their commitment to social equity and diversity in the workplace.
- [Transforming Spaces](https://trimtab.living-future.org/healthy-materials/transforming-spaces/) - Allsteel's Commitment to Healthy Interiors and Sustainable Practices Lydia Neeley Tolander is the Senior Product Portfolio Manager at Allsteel. Following advocacy efforts made by the project team for the Stanely Center for Peace and Security, Allsteel began its journey into material health and transparency, getting its first two Declare labels in 2023. After discovering PVC,
- [Regenerative Design for a Living Future: Sonoma Academy](https://trimtab.living-future.org/impact-story/regenerative-design-for-a-living-future/) - One of the Living Future theories of change is that all our work reverberates. The ripple effects of the Sonoma Academy Guild & Commons -- which were Petal Certified and Zero Carbon Certified in 2021 -- are powerful and subtle.
- [Breaking Barriers](https://trimtab.living-future.org/healthy-materials/breaking-barriers/) - Moore & Giles’ Path to Red List Free
- [Elevating Equity in the Built Environment](https://trimtab.living-future.org/equity/elevating-equity-in-the-built-environment/) - Living Future’s Equity in the Built Environment (EBE) Initiative will integrate and center equity throughout all of our programs.
- [Get Ready To Be Inspired!](https://trimtab.living-future.org/announcements/get-ready-to-be-inspired/) - Our 2023 Impact Report Is Out Our 2023 Impact Report is out, showcasing the incredible progress we’ve made together. This isn’t just about our organization – it’s about the collective energy and achievements of our community and the movement as a whole. Imagine a world where buildings are regenerative, products are sustainable, and our impact
- [Join Us for the 2024 Affordable Housing Summit](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/join-us-for-the-2024-affordable-housing-summit/) - At this year’s Affordable Housing Summit, we are honored to showcase these projects and share them with you all.
- [Regenerative Design Underway](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-building-challenge/regenerative-design-underway-early-adopters-of-living-building-challenge-4-1/) - Early Adopters of Living Building Challenge® 4.1 In April 2024, Living Future launched three new certification programs: Living Building Challenge® 4.1 (LBC), Zero Carbon Certification™ 1.1 (ZC), and Zero Energy Certification™ 1.1 (ZE). Since July 1, these certifications have been the exclusive options for new project registrations. We checked in with some early adopters to
- [Henrico Soars](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-building-challenge/henrico-soars/) - Henrico Soars - One of the first public schools to join the LBC takes flight in Virginia
- [Welcoming ILFI’s 2023-2026 Affordable Housing Cohort!](https://trimtab.living-future.org/affordable-housing/welcoming-ilfis-2023-2026-affordable-housing-cohort/) - Cover Photo: Carmen Villegas Apartments. Image courtesy of Magnusson Architecture and Planning The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) is thrilled to announce the launch of our newest affordable housing cohort, with seven affordable housing projects pursuing the Living Building Challenge, Core Green Building, and Zero Carbon certifications! These projects will join a supportive peer engagement
- [Transforming Supply Chains for Healthier Products](https://trimtab.living-future.org/declare/transforming-supply-chains-for-healthier-products/) - The Impact of Declare Labels Over the last few years as Declare has grown, material transparency has become the rule in sustainable building. The Living Building Challenge requires some Declare labeled products to be used in projects, LEED offers points to projects using Declare labeled products, and the Green Building Council of Australia recognizes Declare.
- [Join the Movement](https://trimtab.living-future.org/membership/join-the-movement/) - How the Living Future Community is Shaping a Sustainable Tomorrow When I set out to write about ILFI’s new Introductory Membership, I knew I had to create something more than a Top 5 list of reasons to join. It needed to be authentic, inspirational, and a little fun–a lot like our Living Future Community! Inspired
- [Maximizing Impact in Regenerative Buildings](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-building-challenge/maximizing-impact-in-regenerative-buildings/) - Key Principles for Real Progress At the International Living Future Institute (ILFI), our mission is to advance the creation of a truly regenerative built environment. In this pursuit, organizations must operate with the same clarity and integrity as individuals—setting clear goals, seeking consistent encouragement, and measuring tangible progress. However, misplaced credit can undermine these collective
- [Celebrating Over 200 Certifications with Our 35th Living Building](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-building-challenge/celebrating-over-200-certifications-with-our-35th-living-building/) - 2024 Midyear Stats and Takeaways Living Future is excited to share the latest stats, milestones, and key takeaways highlighting the growth of our programs over the first half of 2024. Building Certifications Living Building Challenge, Zero Carbon, and Zero Energy In the first half of 2024, we celebrated 11 new certified projects, including our 34th
- [An Evergreen Design Philosophy Based on Respect](https://trimtab.living-future.org/biophilic-design/posd/) - In this insightful interview, architect Jason F. McLennan speaks with publisher Michael Berrisford about the enduring impact of McLennan’s book, The Philosophy of Sustainable Design. Originally published 20 years ago and now in its seventh reprint, the book remains a cornerstone in the green building industry. McLennan, the mind behind the Living Building Challenge and
- [Be Climate Responsible: Transforming the Way We Live](https://trimtab.living-future.org/zero-energy/be-climate-responsible-transforming-the-way-we-live/) - 2025 marks the 20th anniversary of the launch of zHome, the first ILFI certified Zero Energy community in the United States. This groundbreaking project aimed to make zero carbon living mainstream by demonstrating an array of new, but available, technologies under one roof. Over the last 20 years, the solutions zHome showcased have become much
- [Celebrating the Evolution of ILFI's Just Program](https://trimtab.living-future.org/just/celebrating-the-evolution-of-ilfis-just-program/) - Earlier this month, ILFI proudly launched the latest iteration of our Just® program during the 2024 Living Future Conference in Atlanta, Georgia—Just 3.0! Initially introduced in 2014, Just is a disclosure tool and framework for reflection, evaluation, and continuous improvement that helps organizations address social justice and equity throughout all aspects of their policies, practices,
- [Allyship in the Built Environment](https://trimtab.living-future.org/advocacy/allyship-in-the-built-environment/) - What role can the built environment play in supporting the transgender community? Last year, to mark Transgender Day of Remembrance, ILFI’s Danielle Gonzalez shared her experiences outside ILFI as a transgender consultant and educator and shed light on the impact Just organizations can make towards supporting the transgender community. We now delve deeper to explore
- [Carbon Accounting](https://trimtab.living-future.org/zero-carbon/carbon-accounting/) - Verification matters as we scale our progress. I suppose we never really know where our careers will take us, but I have recently realized with considerable surprise that despite my training as an environmentalist and building scientist, I have found myself learning how to become, well, an accountant. Not a normal financial accountant, but rather
- [A Better World Is Possible](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-building-challenge/a-better-world-is-possible/) - At Living Future this year, in my hometown of Atlanta, I kicked off the conference by sharing 10 things that are on my mind. Here’s a recap. While you all are out there designing products, building buildings, doing innovative research, writing policy, I spend a lot of my time on movement strategy work, along with
- [Refined & Aligned](https://trimtab.living-future.org/zero-energy/refined-aligned/) - A New Chapter for ILFI’s Building Programs In the ever-evolving landscape of sustainable building standards, ILFI has consistently been at the "tip of the spear," defining a vision for the future, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, and challenging practitioners of the built environment to reach new heights of performance and impact. Recognizing the clear
- [ILFI Celebrates 5 New Certified Projects: A Major Milestone!](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-building-challenge/ilfi-celebrates-5-new-certified-projects-a-major-milestone/) - Semans-Griswold Environmental Hall, Photo credit: ©Tom Holdsworth ILFI celebrates 5 new certified projects this quarter including the 34th Living Building and the first Core certified project! Class Of 1966 Environmental Center At Williams College, Williamstown, MA - Living Certified Semans-Griswold Environmental Hall, Chestertown, MD - Petal Certified (Energy) The Living Homes on Mill Creek, Moab,
- [Infrastructure Buildings for the Living Future](https://trimtab.living-future.org/impact-story/infrastructure-buildings-for-the-living-future/) - Unison Networks’ Windsor Substation proves the possible—Petal Certification for landscape and infrastructure projects. Living Building and Petal Certification are often sought by environmental centers and office buildings, but the program is organized for a wide range of building and project types— including industrial and infrastructure buildings and landscapes. Last fall, the New Zealand energy company
- [How Buildings Teach](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-building-challenge/how-buildings-teach/) - Do you remember the first time you entered a building and it changed you? Perhaps it was a building that brought on a sense of awe. Perhaps it was intimidating. Perhaps it looked and felt and smelled like something you’d never experienced before. I have come to understand that buildings change us in many ways.
- [Towards a Regenerative Economy](https://trimtab.living-future.org/declare/towards-a-regenerative-economy/) - Monmade Supports Product Pipelines In almost every sector and industry, especially as they are undergoing change, gaps in the flow are revealed. Monmade, a network of small manufacturers and makers in Pittsburgh and the surrounding area, is an example of an organization that sprang to life to fill such a gap—to become the connective tissue
- [Convening as Catalyst for Transformation](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/convening-as-catalyst-for-transformation/) - The Living Future Conference's Journey from Humble Beginnings to Critical Hub for the Regenerative Movement In 2007, a pivotal moment marked the inception of a transformative journey with the launch of the Living Future unConference. With a modest assembly of around 100 attendees, this event illuminated a path for those fervently committed to green building
- [Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Living Building is a Pebble in a Pond](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-building-challenge/chesapeake-bay-foundations-living-building-is-a-pebble-in-a-pond/) - The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) has had a very long relationship with the International Living Future Institute. This is not surprising, because the missions of both organizations are aligned. To understand how ILFI and the Living Building Challenge have impacted CBF, we spoke with Mary Tod Winchester, who worked with CBF, first as a volunteer,
- [What to Expect at LF24: Inspiring FutureFlow Talks You Won't Want to Miss](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/regenerate-the-future/) - Each year, the Living Future Conference serves as a dynamic hub where key leaders, change-makers, and advocates in the regenerative movement converge. Beyond celebrating achievements, the conference becomes a forward-looking platform, anticipating future challenges. It's a space where we not only share critical questions, new insights, and innovative tools but also engage in collaborative learning
- [A Deep Dive into Regenerative Principles at LF24](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/a-deep-dive-into-regenerative-principles-at-lf24/) - In the dynamic realm of regenerative design, products, and organizations, the Living Future 2024 Conference (LF24) emerges as a paramount gathering for experienced and emerging leaders. Themed "Change Starts Here," LF24 serves as an immersive exploration into the interconnected principles of the regenerative movement—climate, health, and equity. In this article, we delve into the profound
- [Observations on the Origin of the ECHO Project](https://trimtab.living-future.org/embodied-carbon/observations-on-the-origin-of-the-echo-project/) - I have a small confession to make. I am a chronic sufferer of a very common but pernicious syndrome: FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). As a youngest child and part of the first generation to experience the internet in our youth, I have had a life-long anxiety that I’m being left out of something very important and very fun.
- [Building for Health and Resilience with the Living Building Challenge](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-building-challenge/building-for-health-and-resilience-with-the-living-building-challenge/) - Architectural Nexus Turns Living Building Aspirations into Reality The Living Building Challenge has always been about much more than buildings. The influence that the program has had on one architecture firm is a powerful case in point. Architectural Nexus is a 125-person firm with offices in Salt Lake City and Sacramento. Their understanding of architecture’s
- [Inspiring the Next Generation](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-building-challenge/inspiring-the-next-generation/) - The Power of Living Buildings Environmental learning centers are often built or rebuilt as leading examples of sustainable design and construction. Mission-driven owners are well positioned to fund small buildings that achieve environmental milestones -- and are inherently teaching tools. So it was no surprise that Peter Smerud, executive director of Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning
- [Built to Learn: Envisioning a Living Future in Maine](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-building-challenge/built-to-learn-envisioning-a-living-future-in-maine/) - The Ecology School Embraces the Ambitious Nature of the Living Building Challenge The Ecology School is a nonprofit organization dedicated to innovative ecology education for the youth and adults of New England. River Bend Farm, situated in the Saco River watershed in southeastern Maine, is the site of this living-and-learning community. Drew Dumsch, President and
- [Tackling the Affordable Housing Challenge ](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-building-challenge/tackling-the-affordable-housing-challenge/) - A Holistic Approach In the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the City of Bridges Community Land Trust is tackling the affordable housing challenge in a holistic way. They are addressing the urgent demand for affordable and resilient housing and ensuring that the housing supports the health and well-being of residents, keeps operating costs affordable, and manages
- [Rita Trombin: Biophilia as Teacher at the Green School Bali](https://trimtab.living-future.org/membership/rita-trombin/) - The Heart of School creates a space for children to learn from nature To make the world a better place, learning places must be open spaces. This is the idea at the center of the Green School Bali, which is a radical departure from the experience founder John Hardy had growing up as a child
- [Change Starts Here at Living Future 2024](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/change-starts-here-at-living-future-2024/) - At the vanguard of transformative change, architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) professionals, regenerative enterprise leaders, and product manufacturers find themselves positioned at the intersection of innovation and sustainability. The Living Future 2024 Conference (LF24), themed "Change Starts Here," stands as the International Living Future Institute’s annual flagship event and a platform to explore the leading
- [Meet our Members: evolve environment :: architecture](https://trimtab.living-future.org/membership/meet-our-members-evolve-environment-architecture/) - A Member Impact Story ILFI is proudly featuring a series of impact stories to showcase and celebrate the exciting positive effects of our Living Future Member community. In this month’s interview, we are pleased to feature the team at evolveEA. When evolveEA was in its infancy, sustainability looked a lot different. “Embodied carbon, health impacts,
- [Affordable, Prefab, and Core](https://trimtab.living-future.org/affordable-housing/affordable-prefab-and-core/) - Could this be the Future of High-Quality Regenerative Housing? Imagine a housing solution that is not only affordable and prefabricated but also Core Green Building Certified. When you hear these terms, what thoughts and images come to mind? For one of the teams participating in the Affordable Housing Pilot Project by the International Living Future
- [Rex Hohlbein & Jenn Lafreniere: Creating the BLOCK Project](https://trimtab.living-future.org/membership/rex-hohlbein-jenn-lafreniere/) - Living Buildings offer permanent housing for people experiencing homelessness Communities are stronger when everyone has access to safe, affordable housing. This central principle guides the BLOCK Project, which offers homeowners in Seattle a tangible way to help address homelessness by placing a BLOCK Home in their yards. “We want to use design to create a
- [Richard Franko: Designing the Essential New Orleans Children’s Museum](https://trimtab.living-future.org/membership/richard-franko/) - Biophilic Design Award winner connects children and nature in New Orleans With the world’s largest grove of live oaks stretching overhead, the Louisiana Children’s Museum was uniquely designed for New Orleans’ City Park. This didn’t happen by accident, but rather as an explicit commitment to the Museum’s CEO, Julia Bland. “This would be a building
- [Mona Nahm: Bringing Personal Perspective to Affordable Housing](https://trimtab.living-future.org/membership/mona-nahm/) - Mona Nahm’s path to a Living Future was long and winding, and built on personal experiences. She was in Thailand when the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami struck. The first Thai-English translator to reach a disaster site, she witnessed firsthand the fear people felt in the aftermath, as they realized everything they owned had
- [Life-Saving Advocacy with Just®](https://trimtab.living-future.org/just/life-saving-advocacy-with-just/) - A Transgender Day of Remembrance Impact Story Did you know that, in America, the cost of living for transgender people is approximately 35% higher than cisgender people during the first eight to ten years of their transition, and approximately 10% higher for the rest of their lives afterward? On average, the medical cost of transition
- [Small Projects Change the Market](https://trimtab.living-future.org/declare/small-projects-change-the-market/) - Shelby Aldrich and her husband, William, are pursuing Living Building Challenge (LBC) certification for their home in rural Pennsylvania. While undertaking this commitment to build a regenerative house made of healthy materials, Shelby has become an advocate, inspiring manufacturers to seek Declare labels, leading to more products relevant to LBC projects. To help streamline her
- [We asked, you answered](https://trimtab.living-future.org/membership/we-asked-you-answered/) - Member Survey Results In May this year, we conducted our annual Living Future Member survey. We seek out member feedback for two distinct reasons: to learn how we can improve, and also set my team’s objectives for the following year. Many thanks to the 242 of you who responded–you will have a direct impact on
- [Accelerating the Regenerative Materials Movement](https://trimtab.living-future.org/ecotone/accelerating-the-regenerative-materials-movement/) - A Path to a Better Future Recently I wrapped my first Ecotone project with my ILFI colleagues Michael Berrisford and Juliet Grable and their editorial team, and I am delighted to introduce the new book, The Regenerative Materials Movement (Ecotone, 2023). These dispatches about regenerative materials are a primer on the issues at play in
- [Demystifying The Just Label](https://trimtab.living-future.org/just/demystifying-the-just-label/) - Sitting with Discomfort in Working Towards Social Equity As a proponent of regenerative design, the International Living Future Institute works to advance a future that is socially just, as well as ecologically restorative. Expanding on green buildings—which emphasizes renewable energy and efficiency goal—the Institute’s work also prioritizes equity and justice in buildings and the organizations
- [Meet Our Member: Shiloh Butterworth](https://trimtab.living-future.org/membership/meet-shiloh-butterworth/) - Servant Leader and Just Label Advocate ILFI is proudly featuring a series of member impact stories to showcase and celebrate the exciting work of our community. In this month’s interview, we are pleased to feature Shiloh Butterworth, Oregon Region Leader and Chief People Officer with PAE Consulting Engineers, servant leader, and Just label champion. When
- [Become a Living Future Accredited Professional](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-future-accreditation/become-a-living-future-accredited-professional/) - Join the Movement Towards Regenerative Design The ILFI community has over 1,000 Living Future Accredited1 professionals, with more leaders enrolling every day. This group uses their LFA to advance ILFI’s vision of what good looks like: a society that is socially just, culturally rich, and ecologically restorative. From successfully guiding clients through Living Building Challenge
- [Embodied Carbon Alignment: Moving Faster, Together!](https://trimtab.living-future.org/embodied-carbon/embodied-carbon-alignment/) - After years of collaboration amongst various individual groups, built environment industry leaders came together for the first time at one table on March 14th, 2023, in Seattle, Washington, to discuss a potential coalition to accelerate and strategize how to reduce embodied carbon in the built environment rapidly. The group was composed of representatives from a
- [Building Belonging: A Member Impact Story](https://trimtab.living-future.org/membership/building-belonging-a-member-impact-story/) - ILFI is proudly showcasing a series of member impact stories to celebrate the inspiring work our community does everyday. This month we’re delighted to feature the work of Gladys Ly-Au Young, Partner and co-founder of Sundberg Kennedy Ly-Au Young Architects. No one pays for the work of connection. Tying in perspectives and knowledge from sectors
- [Crossing the Chasm Together: Innovation and Advocacy for a New Era](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-building-challenge/crossing-the-chasm-together/) - How do you think about your work each day, and the work you are doing as part of this movement? As I consider the purpose of ILFI, I am conscious of a need for and a blossoming of innovation and advocacy. For many of us, I see that innovation comes more naturally and is a
- [Exploring the Growth of Our Programs](https://trimtab.living-future.org/zero-energy/2023-h1-program-growth-stats/) - 2023 Midyear Stats and Takeaways Now that we’ve hit the midyear milestone, the Institute is pleased to share high level stats and takeaways around the growth of our programs. BUILDINGS CORE, LIVING BUILDING CHALLENGE, ZERO CARBON, and ZERO ENERGY In the first half of 2023, 12 projects achieved certification (1 Living, 5 Petal, 1 Zero
- [Remembering ibrahim abdul-matin](https://trimtab.living-future.org/leadership/remembering-ibrahim-abdul-matin/) - We recently lost an incredible voice for change, the brilliant ibrahim abdul-matin. ibrahim served on the International Living Future Institute Board of Directors from 2015 through 2021, at which time he joined the Institute’s Advisory Committee, continuing to offer his wisdom and support to our mission. His perspective was a valued addition to any conversation
- [Unveiling the Regenerative Future](https://trimtab.living-future.org/zero-energy/unveiling-the-regenerative-future/) - 7 Questions Answered by Miller Hull's Living Building Challenge Services Director This Q&A is a postscript to the Institute's webinar on regenerative design, "Bringing the Living Building Challenge into Practice," held on June 27, 2023. In this webinar, which is a dynamic extension of a new Ecotone Publishing book, Challenge & Change: Miller Hull's Living
- [A Sneak Peek Into the 2023 Affordable Housing Summit](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/ah-summit-2023/) - Download the Red List Free Affordable Housing Guidebook Advocating for change in policy and practice The International Living Future Institute’s 2023 Affordable Housing Summit is almost here! Join us for the 2-day event on June 20th and 21st to discuss decarbonization and health in affordable housing. A key theme of this year’s Summit is the
- [Progress toward a Living Future for All](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/achievements-toward-a-living-future-may-2021/) - The International Living Future Institute is thrilled to celebrate the recent achievements from our Living Future Members in constructing buildings and communities, manufacturing products, and leading organizations that move us towards a future that is socially just, culturally rich, and ecologically restorative. Here are the milestones that have been accomplished so far in 2021! Use
- [ILFI Celebrates 15 New Beacons of Change](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/ilfi-celebrates-15-new-beacons-of-change/) - Certifications from Alabama to Spain include Cal Guerxo, 32nd certified Living Building and 1st in Europe, and Block 009, first affordable housing project “Buildings have the power to change minds and culture,” noted Lindsay Baker, CEO of the International Living Future Institute in her opening address at Living Future 2023. With that in mind, the
- [Announcing the 2023 Biophilic Design Award Winners and Finalists](https://trimtab.living-future.org/biophilic-design/skbda-finalists-2023/) - Eleven projects have been selected as finalists for the 2023 Stephen R. Kellert Biophilic Design Award.
- [Five reasons why you should attend NeoCon](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/five-reasons-why-you-should-attend-neocon/) - With NeoCon 2023 just around the corner (June 12-14), the leading commercial design platform will offer unparalleled opportunities for us to connect, share ideas, and celebrate together, while showcasing the latest design trends and what’s next for the built environment at THE MART in Chicago! 1. Innovative Design This year’s edition will offer thousands of
- [Mad Libs, Matchmaking and Municipal Commitments](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/mad-libs-matchmaking-municipal-commitments/) - Creating Policy Conditions for A New Decade of Regenerative Buildings In response to the urgent crisis presented by climate change, small and large governments around the world are using the beginning of a new decade to look at fresh ways to address environmental issues through policymaking. Recognizing buildings as huge contributors to carbon emissions (averaging
- [Modeling Regenerative Design in Colombia: Member Impact Story](https://trimtab.living-future.org/membership/modeling-regenerative-design-in-colombia-member-impact-story/) - ILFI is proudly featuring a series of member impact stories to showcase and celebrate some of the wonderful work our community has been doing. This week we introduce Esteban Martinez, co-founder and COO-sustainability director of Colombian sustainable architecture and engineering firm Green Loop. When architect and civil engineer Esteban Martinez co-founded Green Loop in 2009,
- [Drew Shula's Journey From the Maine Woods to Sustainability Leadership in LA](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/drew-shula-netzero/) - Verdical Group founder and CEO Drew Shula shares his path to sustainability leadership and why he founded the Net Zero Conference.
- [Honoring Nature through Art: A Member Impact Story](https://trimtab.living-future.org/membership/honoring-nature-through-art-a-member-impact-story/) - ILFI is proudly featuring a series of member impact stories to showcase and celebrate some of the wonderful work our community has been doing. This week we introduce Jessilyn Brinkerhoff, visual artist and muralist whose work has appeared on the walls of schools, city government buildings, businesses, freeways, and more. Jessilyn Brinkerhoff has always had
- [Announcing ILFI’s New Tool: An Interactive Map of Registered and Certified Projects!](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-building-challenge/announcing-ilfis-new-tool-an-interactive-map-of-registered-and-certified-projects/) - As the Manager, Buildings on ILFI’s Impact Group, Giovanna engages and supports project teams interested in or pursuing our building certifications–including The Living Building Challenge, Core Green Building Certification, Zero Carbon, and Zero Energy. She also gathers insights from ongoing projects to generate new ideas for the development of tools and resources that can be
- [Declare Offers Materials Transparency for Designers](https://trimtab.living-future.org/declare/declare-offers-materials-transparency-for-designers/) - Materials transparency is one of the biggest trends shaping design right now. Whether to understand carbon emissions or hazardous chemicals, clients are demanding more information about the climate and health impacts of products they are choosing. For designers who are selecting flooring or any of the products used in building construction or renovation, the push
- [Don’t Delay! 10 Reasons to Register for LF23 Today!](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/lf23-top-10/) - Registering for LF23 by Dec 31 not only saves you money—it guarantees your spot for this unique gathering at the intersection of climate, health, and justice in the built environment.
- [Considering Color: A Member Impact Story](https://trimtab.living-future.org/biophilic-design/dee-schlotter/) - Living Future member Dee Schlotter talks color in biophilic design.
- [Calling All Regenerative Design Leaders: Join Us at Living Future 2023!](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/lf23-cfp-faq/) - The Living Future 2023 conference is accepting speaking proposals related to Advocacy + Belonging as it relates to climate, health, and justice issues in the built environment.
- [Pioneering Leader for Equitable Sustainable Housing: A Member Impact Story](https://trimtab.living-future.org/affordable-housing/anne-torney/) - Living Future member Anne Torney discusses Mithun projects and provides her insights on affordable and sustainable housing, climate change, and embodied carbon in concrete.
- [How EMERGE Leadership Serves and Supports Equity and Inclusivity](https://trimtab.living-future.org/education/emerge-leadership/) - As part of ILFI’s educational offerings, the EMERGE Leadership Project aims to support individuals and organizations committed to bringing about a world where all building designs and projects prioritize life-sustaining solutions. In an online workshop that Kanika Sharma (Associate Principal, Integral Group | LFA) and I offered in the Fall of 2020, we explored ways the
- [Find Products for Enterprise Green Communities on Declare](https://trimtab.living-future.org/affordable-housing/declare-filter/) - Affordable housing teams can now filter the Declare database based to find products that meet Enterprise Green Communities criteria.
- [The Power of Play: A Member Impact Story](https://trimtab.living-future.org/biophilic-design/the-power-of-play/) - Cynthia Gentry shares how she uses biophilic design to create living playgrounds. She believes nature plays a vital role in childhood development.
- [Project Spotlight: archimania's office, ZE+ZC Dual Certification, Memphis, TN, USA](https://trimtab.living-future.org/zero-energy/project-spotlight-archimanias-office-zezc-dual-certification-memphis-tn-usa/) - All photos courtesy of archimania. Last May, ILFI was thrilled to share that archimania’s office achieved dual Zero Energy and Zero Carbon certification. Jacob Davis, AIA, LEED AP, and Senior Associate with archimania explains their project’s approach to addressing carbon, both in their building and the community at large: “By upcycling the existing concrete and
- [Meet Lichen Community](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-product-challenge/meet-lichen-community-designed-in-collaboration-with-mclennan-design/) - Mohawk Group was excited to collaborate with Jason McLennan who is considered one of the world’s most influential individuals in the field of architecture and the green building movement today. He is the recipient of the prestigious Buckminster Fuller Prize (the planet’s top prize for socially responsible design). Jason has been called the ‘Steve Jobs’
- [Checking In with ILFI’s Affordable Housing Pilot Projects](https://trimtab.living-future.org/affordable-housing/checking-in-with-ilfis-affordable-housing-pilot-projects/) - Header Image: E+Highland, courtesy of Studio G Architects Author’s Note: ILFI has just registered our 50th affordable housing project! To learn more about these projects and our Affordable Housing Program, read below. The latest cohort of ILFI’s Affordable Housing Pilot Projects was selected to join the program in October 2020, after an unprecedented number of
- [New Updates to ILFI’s Affordable Housing Materials List](https://trimtab.living-future.org/affordable-housing/new-updates-to-ilfis-affordable-housing-materials-list/) - The Third Edition of ILFI’s Affordable Housing Materials List is now available! Based on feedback from dedicated users, we implemented several updates to make it more expedient to find and source Red List Free products. Manufacturer’s contact information, including contact name, email, and phone number, has been included so that those researching and specifying products
- [A Guide to Reducing Embodied Carbon](https://trimtab.living-future.org/zero-carbon/a-guide-to-reducing-embodied-carbon/) - Authors note: Embodied carbon is now part of the Declare label! To learn more about embodied carbon and the Zero Carbon Certification read below and contact us at zc.support@living-future.org. In recent decades the building sector's focus on creating energy-efficient buildings run by renewable energy has been essential in pushing the building industry towards more sustainable
- [Home for More: “Disability- Forward” Affordable Housing in San Francisco](https://trimtab.living-future.org/affordable-housing/home-for-more-disability-forward-affordable-housing-in-san-francisco/) - Projects pursuing Core and Living Building Certification are required to meaningfully integrate universal design into their structures. This project is a fantastic case study of prioritizing universal design and integrating it with broader environmental and health goals. The Kelsey is a Bay Area non-profit organization dedicated to advancing ‘disability-forward’ housing options. The Kelsey has found
- [Five Reasons to Attend ILFI’s Affordable Housing Summit](https://trimtab.living-future.org/affordable-housing/five-reasons-to-attend-ilfis-affordable-housing-summit/) - Header image of 350 China Basin. Image courtesy of Mithun Architects. The International Living Future Institute’s Affordable Housing Summit will take place on June 14th and 15th from 8 am PT to 12 pm PT. Read below for our top five reasons to attend this year’s summit! Sign up here to register. FIND OUT HOW
- [New Stock Market Rules Align With Living Future Certifications](https://trimtab.living-future.org/uncategorized/new-stock-market-rules-align-with-living-future-certifications/) - OUR RESPONSE TO THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION’S PROPOSED RULES ON CLIMATE CHANGE In March of 2022, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) - the federal agency created to protect investors, and maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets - released a proposed rule for public comment that clarifies and sets expectations for how publicly traded
- [The Living Future 2022: Restoration + Justice Celebrates Heroes, Buildings & Manufacturers Charting Our Common Living Future](https://trimtab.living-future.org/press-release/the-living-future-2022-restoration-justice-celebrates-heroes-buildings-manufacturers-charting-our-common-living-future/) - The International Living Future Institute announced the 2022 Living Future Heroes, along with the winner of the Stephen R. Kellert Biophilic Design Award and newly certified building projects, as Living Future 2022: Restoration + Justice came to a close.
- [Announcing the 2022 Stephen R. Kellert Biophilic Design Award Finalists](https://trimtab.living-future.org/biophilic-design/announcing-the-2022-stephen-r-kellert-biophilic-design-award-finalists/) - Since 2017, the Stephen R. Kellert Biophilic Design Award has honored the legacy of the late Stephen R. Kellert, whose work and passion for biophilic design helped surface the critical connections between the biophilia hypothesis and the built environment. Over the past five years, award recipients and finalists have become an exemplary collection of interiors,
- [Make it Work: How to Talk Sustainability with Stakeholders](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/how-to-talk-sustainability-with-stakeholders/) - Hey, Designers! You know when you’re in a meeting with a client and they ask, “Why does sustainability matter?” and you’re put on the spot and suddenly can’t remember anything, even your own name? Yeah, I've been there! I’ve heard many times that it would be helpful to have talking points in your back pocket
- [Breaking Cycles of Poverty in East Chicago](https://trimtab.living-future.org/zero-energy/harbor-square/) - Celebrating the Grand Opening of Indiana’s First Zero Energy Affordable Housing Building The Harbor Square project, along with other affordable housing projects in the area, was envisioned to help shape a new future for the city of East Chicago. East Chicago, Indiana is the home of the USS Lead EPA Superfund site, which, unfortunately, is
- [The Justice40 Accelerator Funds Durham Community Land Trustees to Pursue ILFI’s Core Certification and Promote Environmental Justice in North Carolina](https://trimtab.living-future.org/affordable-housing/the-justice40-accelerator-funds-durham-community-land-trustees-to-pursue-ilfis-core-certification-and-promote-environmental-justice-in-north-carolina/) - “For far too long, environmental policy decisions have failed to adequately account for environmental injustice, including the disproportionate, disparate and cumulative impacts pollution and climate change have on low-income communities and communities of color. President Biden has made clear that his Administration will chart a new and better course, one that puts environmental and economic
- [An End of Year Letter from our CEO](https://trimtab.living-future.org/leadership/an-end-of-year-letter-from-our-ceo/) - Greetings Friends, I wanted to take a moment at the end of this eventful year to reflect on life at Living Future, and to share some of my excitement for the work to come in 2022. My first 5 months as CEO have been packed with meeting brilliant people, engaging in thoughtful strategic conversations, poring
- [Finding Inspiration Beyond Your Project Boundary](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-building-challenge/finding-inspiration-beyond-your-project-boundary/) - After more than a decade working as a sustainability consultant specializing in materials, Lisa Carey Moore joined ILFI in August 2021 as its Manager, Products and Materials. In her first article for Trim Tab, she shares some recent sources of inspiration, and the reflection they caused, with the hope that it will provide you with
- [2021 Project Registration Recap](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/2021-project-registration-recap/) - Data & Trends International Living Future Institute programs, including the Living Building Challenge, Core, Zero Carbon, and Zero Energy, are performance-based, whole building design and construction standards. They are the most ambitious green building certifications globally, setting a new paradigm of how buildings can operate. In 2021, ILFI registered more than 100 projects in 18
- [Finding Funds for Good: The Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation](https://trimtab.living-future.org/uncategorized/finding-funds-for-good-the-illinois-clean-energy-community-foundation/) - The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) has been working with the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation (ICECF) for numerous years to help support projects that have the target of Zero Energy in mind. The following is a result of a conversation that Haley Gardner, Manager of Energy + Carbon at ILFI, had with Gabriela Martin,
- [Sacramento Valley Station Area Plan becomes the first municipal project to achieve Living Community Challenge Vision Plan compliance](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/sacramento-valley-station-area-plan-reaches-lcc-vision-plan-compliance/) - As we enter fall 2021 amidst news of devastating global fires, Earth’s hottest month on record, and a bleak United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, we once again find ourselves asking - how can we act bigger, faster, sooner to address climate change? One might begin to find answers - along with
- [Q+A with Louise Wilkinson of Integral Group on their experience with Just.](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/qa-with-louise-wilkinson-about-just/) - In 2021, the International Living Future Institute (ILFI) published Integral Group’s fourth Just Label. Just is a voluntary platform that serves as a transparency tool for organizations to publicly disclose operational and HR performance. With over 650 staff globally and 21 locations in Australia, Canada, Europe, and the United States, Integral Group’s mission is to
- [Water: A Global Responsibility](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/water-a-global-responsibility/) - Working together to meet Sustainable Development Goal 6 and Agenda 2030. With just 9 years left to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development it is critical that we - individually and collectively - are being thoughtful and deliberate in our work together to ensure success. Here at the International Living Future Institute, we are
- [Making Waves: Getting to Net-Zero Water](https://trimtab.living-future.org/sponsor/making-waves-getting-to-net-zero-water/) - On September 21, 2021, the NOAA released data demonstrating that the Southwestern United States’ precipitation levels were the lowest documented since 1895, attributed to human-caused climate change. This report also noted that this severe drought caused states neighboring the Colorado River to experience their first-ever water delivery shortfalls. As climate change continues to cause such
- [Let’s get down to business: the economic case for Declare and the Living Product Challenge](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/the-economic-case-for-declare-and-lpc/) - Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: what’s the return on investment for going green? Don’t worry, you’re not alone! We hear it all the time. Fortunately, the business case for going green has never been clearer and “going green” now means doing something that is good for the environment and for your wallet.
- [Leveraging Materials Resources for Healthier Housing: Declare, Homefree, and Housing Partnership Select](https://trimtab.living-future.org/affordable-housing/leveraging-materials-resources-for-healthier-housing/) - Organizations like the Healthy Building Network (HBN), Housing Partnership Network (HPN), and the International Living Future Institute (ILFI) share a vision for safer and healthier housing and have each developed a set of resources that can be used to educate and to facilitate the selection of safer products. Though there are some differences in terminology
- [Five categories added to ILFI’s Materials List for Affordable Housing](https://trimtab.living-future.org/affordable-housing/five-categories-added-to-ilfis-materials-list-for-affordable-housing/) - In 2020, ILFI published the first version of the Materials List for Affordable Housing. In June of this year, we updated the list to include five additional product categories, for a total of twenty. The list includes products that have been used by past affordable housing teams, products in our Declare database, and products that
- [Join us in welcoming Lindsay Baker as CEO of ILFI](https://trimtab.living-future.org/announcements/join-us-in-welcoming-lindsay-baker-as-ceo-of-ilfi/) - We are thrilled to share the news that Lindsay Baker will be joining the International Living Future Institute as CEO, effective August 9, 2021. In this role, Lindsay becomes the organization’s chief strategist, charged with delivering on our mission to lead the transformation toward a civilization that is socially just, culturally rich, and ecologically restorative.
- [Residential High-Rise Pursuing LBC Certification  Breaks Ground at 303 Battery in Seattle](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-building-challenge/residential-high-rise-pursuing-lbc-certification-breaks-ground-at-303-battery-in-seattle/) - The 303 Battery Street project is a new high-rise residential project in Seattle, Washington, developed by Sustainable Living Innovations (SLI). The project is located at the corner of Third Avenue and Battery Street in the Belltown neighborhood, directly northwest of downtown. This 15-story, includes 112 residential units and ground floor retail and is pursuing International
- [Top 5 Green Building Trends This Year](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/top-5-green-building-trends-this-year/) - Actively Dismantling White Supremacy First: this is not a “trend”. We’re including it in this list as a reminder to recommit to this ongoing work. This work underlies all that we do as a green building community, and is imperative for the reclamation of our full humanity. As our Board Chair, Anthony Guerrero, said earlier
- [Q+A with Rachelle Macur on Trauma-Informed Design and Affordable Housing](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/qa-with-rachelle-macur-on-trauma-informed-design-and-affordable-housing/) - ILFI hosted our annual Affordable Housing Summit on June 17 with more than 200 attendees. The summit included lively panels and discussions on topics such as inclusive community engagement, healthy materials, and how to finance it all. Rachelle Macur spoke about the relationship between biophilia and trauma-informed design in affordable housing. Rachelle Macur is a
- [Life Touches Life: People, Purpose and Future of Work](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/life-touches-life-people-purpose-and-future-of-work/) - Editor's note: Enjoy this excerpt of an article written by ILFI founder and board member Jason F. McLennan. You can find a link to the entire article at the bottom of the page. Just because a machine can do a job better than a person, should we let it? People have been asking this question
- [Q+A with Odetta MacLeish-White on Affordable Housing](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/qa-with-odetta-macleish-white-on-affordable-housing/) - As part of our commitment to a future that is socially just, culturally rich, and ecologically restorative--for all--ILFI is proud to support dozens of affordable housing projects across the country. This year we celebrate and recognize this critical work at the Affordable Housing Summit, June 17, 2021. The Summit features topics such as inclusive community
- [Advocating for Affordable Housing: A New Tool](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/guide-for-greener-qaps-ilfi-releases-new-resource-for-affordable-housing-advocates/) - Editor’s Note: Join us for the Affordable Housing Summit on June 17th, 2021! This year we are focusing on the residents and will talk about working with communities to build housing that improves the quality of life for the residents and for the broader neighborhood. We will dig in on topics like inclusive community engagement,
- [From Accreditation to Action: a Celebration](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/the-impact-of-lfa-celebrating-accredited-professionals-bold-actions/) - The impact of Living Future Accreditation: Celebrating Bold Actions Having recently concluded our 15th annual Living Future Conference (LF21), there’s still plenty of renewed energy and motivation swirling around this community. Learning alongside the brilliant, inspiring speakers and so many curious, passionate, and supportive attendees is an inspiring call to take action! Speaking of which:
- [Introducing the Living Building Challenge Book Series](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/expert-resources-for-a-regenerative-future-the-living-building-challenge-book-series/) - Editor's note: Don't miss the 40% discount offer for this series at the bottom of this post! The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) is excited to share the consolidation of seven Ecotone book titles under one umbrella - the new Living Building Challenge Book Series. Here's a quick overview of the series and how we
- [Strategies for Zero Energy Affordable Housing](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/strategies-for-zero-energy-affordable-housing/) - Triple Bottom Line Benefits for Residents Zero Energy homes are not only environmentally sustainable, they also cost less to operate, and are healthier to live in. Low-income families have a far higher cost burden for utilities, spending, on average, 17% of their income on utility bills, compared to 2-3% for other households.[1] Affordable housing units
- [PRESS RELEASE: Leaders Call for Bold Action Where Climate, Health, and Equity Meet in the Built Environment](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/press-release-leaders-call-for-bold-action-where-climate-health-and-equity-meet-in-the-built-environment/) - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Leaders Call for Bold Action Where Climate, Health, and Equity Meet in the Built Environment Living Future 2021: Inclusion + Unity Highlights Leaders Building a Movement Built on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice April 23, 2020 (SEATTLE) – Living Future 2021: Inclusion + Unity put a spotlight on climate, health, and equity
- [LF21 Speaker Q+A: Dave Bennink](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/lf21-speaker-qa-dave-bennink/) - Between now and the Living Future Conference in April, we will introduce some of the incredible practitioners, change-makers, and innovators who are speaking at Living Future 2021. This week, we are featuring Dave Bennink, Director/Owner of Re-Use Consulting, one of our conference speakers. Tierra Copeland: What does sustainability look like to you? Dave Bennink: I
- [LF21 Speaker Q+A: Susan King + Tania Kadakia](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/lf21-speaker-qa-susan-king-tania-kadakia/) - Over the next few weeks, we will introduce some of the incredible practitioners, change-makers and innovators who are speaking at Living Future 2021. This week, we are featuring Susan King and Tania Kadakia. Tania is the Director of Partnerships and Residential Investments at DLR Realty and has dedicated her career to taking part in redeveloping
- [Top 10 Reasons to Attend the Living Future 2021 Conference](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/top-10-reasons-to-attend-the-living-future-2021-conference/) - Join us April 20-23, 2021 for our online Living Future 2021 Conference! Check out our top 10 reasons to attend and then learn more on our conference website. 1. Three Incredible KeynotesAdrianna Quintero, Senior Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the Energy Foundation, kicks off the educational program Tuesday, April 21. On Earth Day,
- [MEDIA ADVISORY: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Leaders Bring Perspectives on Justice to Premier Green Building Event Keynotes; Join Biden Administration Leader](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/media-advisory-diversity-equity-join-biden-administration-leader/) - Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Leaders Bring Perspectives on Justice to Premier Green Building Event Keynotes; Join Biden Administration Leader Where Climate, Health, and Equity Meet in the Built Environment, 15th Annual Living Future 2021 Focused on Inclusion and Unity SEATTLE - Rosa Sheng, Director of Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion and Higher Education Studio Leader
- [Taking Action to Reduce Embodied Carbon in Building Materials](https://trimtab.living-future.org/zero-carbon/taking-action-to-reduce-embodied-carbon-in-building-materials/) - Editor’s note: We’re so honored to have an article contributed this month by one of our Sponsors, Armstrong Ceiling & Wall Solutions. You can learn more about them and their courage to pursue meaningful change in the article below, and you can also learn more about work like this and how you can make a
- [LF21 Speaker Q+A: Isaac Adams](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/lf21-speaker-qa-isaac-adams/) - Over the next few weeks, we will introduce some of the incredible practitioners, change-makers, innovators and projects you’ll be introduced to at Living Future 2021. This week, we hear from Isaac Adams, Associate Principal at Bora Architects and a core team member on the Metro Center project at Portland Community College. Lily Rybarczyk: What does
- [Media Advisory: White House Senior Director of Building Emissions to Keynote Living Future 2021 on Earth Day](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/media-advisory-white-house-senior-director-of-building-emissions-to-keynote-living-future-2021-on-earth-day/) - MEDIA ADVISORY: White House Senior Director of Building Emissions to KeynoteLiving Future 2021 on Earth Day Biden Administration Leader Joins 15th Annual Event Focused on Inclusion and Unity SEATTLE - Mark Chambers, Senior Director for Building Emissions at the White House Council on Environmental Quality will keynote Living Future 2021 on Earth Day, April 22.
- [New Resource: A Decision-Maker's Guide to Cost-Effective Residential Potable Water Reduction in Seattle, WA](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/cost-effective-residential-potable-water-reduction/) - Learn more about water, the Living Building Challenge, and the latest trends in green building, at this year's Living Future 2021: Inclusion + Unity conference, April 20-23. The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) is proud to announce the release of our newest report for the green building community, A Decision-Maker's Guide to Cost-Effective Residential Potable
- [Bullitt Center Replaces its Composting Toilet System](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-building-challenge/bullitt-center-replaces-its-composting-toilet-system/) - After seven years of operating its composting toilet system, the Bullitt Center made the decision in early 2020 to switch to a highly efficient vacuum flush system connected to Seattle’s sanitary sewer by December 31, 2020. To capture lessons learned and rationale for this decision, the Bullitt Center has developed a white paper, which you
- [LF21 Speaker Q+A: Dana Clare Redden](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/lf21-speaker-qa-dana-clare-redden/) - Between now and the Living Future Conference in April, we will introduce some of the incredible practitioners, change-makers, and innovators who are speaking at Living Future 2021. This week, we are featuring Dana Clare Redden, Founder CEO at Solar Stewards, one of our conference speakers. Tierra Copeland: What does sustainability look like to you? Dana
- [Meet our RAY Fellows: Inonge Mubita](https://trimtab.living-future.org/just/meet-our-ray-fellows-inonge-mubita/) - This year, ILFI is proud to be a Conservation Member Organization for the Roger Arliner Young (RAY) Diversity Fellowship Program, a two-year paid fellowship that supports recent college graduates of color in conservation and clean energy-related careers. While the lack of racial diversity within the green sector is becoming widely recognized as a problem, this
- [Meet our RAY Fellows: Kelly Baker](https://trimtab.living-future.org/just/meet-our-ray-fellows-kelly-baker/) - This year, ILFI is proud to be a Conservation Member Organization for the Roger Arliner Young (RAY) Diversity Fellowship Program, a two-year paid fellowship that supports recent college graduates of color in conservation and clean energy-related careers. While the lack of racial diversity within the green sector is becoming widely recognized as a problem, this
- [MEDIA ADVISORY: 15th Annual Living Future Event Focuses on Greenest Buildings for a Healthy Future](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/media-advisory-15th-annual-living-future-event-focuses-on-greenest-buildings-for-a-healthy-future/) - MEDIA ADVISORY: 15th Annual Living Future Event Focuses on Greenest Buildings for a Healthy Future Key Speakers Include Co-Founder of Beneficial State Bank Kat Taylor SEATTLE - The world’s greenest developers, architects, and product designers will gather at Living Future 2021, the 15th annual conference hosted by the International Living Future Institute. At this crucial
- [LF21 Speaker Q+A: Joella Hogan and Alanna Quock](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/lf21-speaker-qa-joella-hogan-and-alanna-quock/) - Between now and the Living Future Conference in April, we will introduce some of the incredible practitioners, change-makers and innovators who are speaking at Living Future 2021. This week, we are featuring Joella Hogan and Alanna Quock. Joella created and led the Heritage & Culture Department of the first Nation of Nacho Nyäk Dun. Alanna
- [ILFI Announces New Affordable Housing Pilot Projects](https://trimtab.living-future.org/zero-energy/ilfi-announces-new-affordable-housing-pilot-projects/) - Cover image: 350 China Street in San Francisco, CA. Rendering courtesy of Mithun Editor's note: ILFI has green building solutions for everyone, everywhere. If you're interested in being part of our work to ensure affordable, healthy, sustainable housing for all, join our upcoming members-only Affordable Housing Showcase event on Thursday, March 18! Members can register in their Member
- [LF21 Speaker Q+A: Mark Chen](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/lf21-speaker-qa-mark-chen/) - Between now and the Living Future Conference in April, we will introduce some of the incredible practitioners, change-makers and innovators who are speaking at Living Future 2021. This week, we are featuring Mark Chen, Senior Sustainability Engineer at Skanska, one of our event sponsors. Lily Rybarczyk: What does sustainability look like to you? Mark Chen:
- [The Rise of Regenerative Real Estate with Latitude](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/the-rise-of-regenerative-real-estate-with-latitude/) - Editor's Note: ILFI is here as a resource for you and your team on your sustainability and continuing education journey. That is why we are bringing you this story from Neal and Alissa at Latitude, both LFAs. Let me start by saying that real estate sales was never on my radar as a career path.
- [Does the Just Label Really Make Organizations More Just?](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-32/does-the-just-label-really-make-organizations-more-just/) - In 2014, GGLO started to explore the new nutrition label for socially just and equitable organizations being developed by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI). Known as the Just Label, the program is a voluntary disclosure tool founded on simple, yet profound goals: Improve organizational focus on diversity and inclusion Provide a robust framework to
- [The Just Program: Transparency in the workplace](https://trimtab.living-future.org/just/the-just-program-transparency-in-the-workplace/) - In 2014, the International Living Future Institute launched a social justice transparency platform and disclosure tool. The Just Program framework helps organizations assess progress across six areas of social impact including diversity and inclusion, equity, human health and well-being, employee benefits, community stewardship, and responsible purchasing. When organizations complete a Just Program submission, they are
- [JUST Scholarship Q+A: Ivonne Zuñiga](https://trimtab.living-future.org/just/just-scholarship-ivonne-zuniga/) - We asked Living Future 19 Just Scholar and Certification Manager at Dvele Ivonne Zuñiga about major takeaways from the experience. Applications for those interested in environmental justice and want to attend Living Future 20 for free closed on March 1st. Thank you to everyone who applied! ILFI: How did Living Future impact your work as
- [HMTX Industries: Global Leader in Sustainability, Transparency and Social Justice](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-product-challenge/hmtx-industries-global-leader-in-sustainability-transparency-and-social-justice/) - The HMTX Industries collaboration with the International Living Future Institute (ILFI) and other partners began with sustainable products and practices, led to transparency in product ingredients, and culminated with Just social justice labels companywide and across all brands. The company produces a comprehensive line of high-quality flooring and decorative building surfaces for the home and
- [CO-FOUNDER OF BLACK LIVES MATTER, OPAL TOMETI, JOINS INTERNATIONAL LIVING FUTURE INSTITUTE BOARD OF DIRECTORS](https://trimtab.living-future.org/press-release/opal-tometi-joins-ilfi-board-of-directors/) - Globally recognized human rights advocate, strategist, and writer of Nigerian-American descent brings international focus to the organization JANUARY 26, 2021 (SEATTLE) – Opal Tometi has joined the Board of Directors for the International Living Future Institute, the organization announced today. Known as an award-winning human rights defender and one of three women co-founders of Black
- [International Living Future Institute Announces Search Firm to Help Find Next CEO](https://trimtab.living-future.org/press-release/international-living-future-institute-announces-search-firm-to-help-find-next-ceo/) - ILFI retains Koya Partners JANUARY 5, 2021 - NEW YORK - The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) is pleased to announce that its CEO search committee selected Koya Partners, a leading executive search and strategic advising firm dedicated to connecting exceptionally talented people to mission-driven clients. Koya Managing Director, Kara Teising, will lead the search
- [Give the gift of Membership](https://trimtab.living-future.org/membership/give-the-gift-of-membership/) - It’s the holiday season! We’ve made it to that time of year when we remember what’s important (cookies, latkes, and socially-distanced, safe quality time with loved ones) while thoughts of gift-giving occupy our every waking moment. What do you get the person who has everything? Where can I buy ethically-made gifts? What gift says “thanks
- [The Giving Benefits of the CARES Act](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/the-giving-benefits-of-the-cares-act/) - The CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act is designed to help individuals, businesses and nonprofit organizations, like ILFI during the coronavirus pandemic. Some key provisions are set to expire at year's end. When an individual supports a mission that is personally meaningful to them through a philanthropic contribution, their charitable donations may be
- [2020 Year-End Letter from our Board Chair](https://trimtab.living-future.org/statement/a-letter-from-our-board-chair/) - Friends: 2020 has been a year like few others. The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the world, causing hardship for so many people; the Movement for Black Lives brought social equity to the fore, in response to current and historic injustices; and wildfires, cyclones and hurricanes made climate change visceral and real. It is clear,
- [Find Red List Free Materials for Affordable Housing with ILFI’s New “Materials List for Affordable Housing”](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-product-challenge/find-red-list-free-materials-for-affordable-housing-with-ilfis-new-materials-list-for-affordable-housing/) - Healthy materials are an increasingly top-of-mind issue in affordable housing. Affordable housing developers do not simply provide shelter - they seek to improve health and well-being, economic prospects, and the overall quality of life for residents. Choosing Red List Free materials is a critical component of providing a healthy indoor environment and ensuring that the
- [A lesson from the Tongass](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/a-lesson-from-the-tongass/) - This post is written by a guest author, Walter Lourie. Walter is the head of sustainability for the Austria-based company mafi, which creates natural wood flooring and engages with ILFI's Living Product Challenge. Check out their Imperative Certified product here. It was a Bluebird day in August when I boarded the Cessna in Juneau and
- [Zero Energy Vignette: Washington State Toolkit Training](https://trimtab.living-future.org/zero-energy/zero-energy-vignette-washington-state-toolkit-training/) - This vignette is piece of a multi-part series that will highlight the work being done surrounding Washington State Executive Order 20-01. The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) has been working closely with Washington State for nearly two years to support agencies in their development of Zero Energy projects. ILFI has developed a toolkit of resources
- [Zero Energy Vignette: Washington Secretary of State Archives Building](https://trimtab.living-future.org/zero-energy/zero-energy-vignette-washington-secretary-of-state-archives-building/) - This vignette is piece of a multi-part series that will highlight the work being done surrounding Washington State Executive Order 20-01. The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) has been working closely with Washington State for nearly two years to support agencies in their development of Zero Energy projects. ILFI has developed a toolkit of resources
- [Zero Energy Vignette: SEEP Governing Council](https://trimtab.living-future.org/zero-energy/zero-energy-vignette-seep-governing-council/) - This vignette is piece of a multi-part series that will highlight the work being done surrounding Washington State Executive Order 20-01. The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) has been working closely with Washington State for nearly two years to support agencies in their development of Zero Energy projects. ILFI has developed a toolkit of resources
- [Zero Energy Vignette: Labor and Industry (L&I) / Department of Agriculture (WSDA) Safety & Health Lab & Training Center](https://trimtab.living-future.org/zero-energy/zero-energy-vignette-labor-and-industry-li-department-of-agriculture-wsda-safety-health-lab-training-center/) - This vignette is piece of a multi-part series that will highlight the work being done surrounding Washington State Executive Order 20-01. The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) has been working closely with Washington State for nearly two years to support agencies in their development of Zero Energy projects. ILFI has developed a toolkit of resources
- [Zero Energy Vignette: Campus Loop Training](https://trimtab.living-future.org/zero-energy/zero-energy-vignette-campus-loop-training/) - This vignette is piece of a multi-part series that will highlight the work being done surrounding Washington State Executive Order 20-01. The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) has been working closely with Washington State for nearly two years to support agencies in their development of Zero Energy projects. ILFI has developed a toolkit of resources
- [Give the gift of Ecotone for the holidays](https://trimtab.living-future.org/ecotone/give-ecotone-for-holidays/) - Give the gift of knowledge and inspiration to your valued employees and customers. We are offering discounts of 25% to 50% off bulk purchases of Ecotone books to companies and organizations who are interested in giving the holiday gift of an Ecotone book. Visit the Ecotone Bookstore to browse our selection of titles then contact
- [Get your CEUs at LF20](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/fast-track-your-lfa-and-other-ceus-at-lf20/) - Did you know? Living Future Accreditation (LFA) requires 36 LFA CE credits, and attending our annual conference Living Future 2020 (now online) will help get you there! What’s more, nearly all of this education can also contribute to your AIA LU|HSW credits, with a few sessions offering triple the value to satisfy Passive House Institute
- [Declare EU Launch and Klimahouse 2019](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/declare-eu-launch-and-klimahouse-2019/) - "Toxic chemicals threaten human health and compromise the resilience of our ecosystems,” said Amanda Sturgeon, CEO, of the International Living Future Institute, during last week’s launch event of the Declare EU label in South Tyrol, Italy. “Having better information will allow manufacturers, architects and designers to make the best decisions possible.” The Declare launch event
- [Declare chemical transparency program released in European building market (+ Upcoming Events)](https://trimtab.living-future.org/press-release/declare-chemical-transparency-program-released-in-european-building-market/) - The nutrition label for products expands into Europe for manufacturers, architects and designers The Institute is thrilled to announce two upcoming events to celebrate our European launch of Declare: London: June 13 at Foster & Partners Paris: June 19 with ARP-Astrance January 24, 2019 (Bolzano, Italy) - The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) and Living Future
- [Climate Pledge Arena Registers for Net Zero Carbon Certification](https://trimtab.living-future.org/press-release/climate-pledge-arena-registers-for-net-zero-carbon-certification/) - Makes progress as it works to become the first arena in the world to receive certification by the International Living Future Institute SEATTLE – Nov. 12 — Climate Pledge Arena and Oak View Group today announced that the arena has submitted its registration to the International Living Future Institute (ILFI) as it works to become
- [Arch Nexus SAC offers lessons in resilience](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/arch-nexus-sac-offers-lessons-in-resilience/) - Editor’s note: "Juliet Grable is a freelance writer whose work covers a range of topics related to sustainability, regenerative design and construction. She has served as the Managing Editor for Green Builder Magazine, and has contributed to many national and regional publications including Earth Island Journal, Sierra, Audubon, and Home Power." Here she shares what
- [Delivering on the UN Sustainable Development Goals](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-building-challenge/delivering-on-the-un-sustainable-development-goals/) - A crosswalk between LBC 4.0 and the UN SDGs: Validating progress with ILFI's programs INTRODUCTION Thousands of businesses and organizations all over the world have been inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). These 17 global goals aim to end extreme poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and protect the planet. While there are significant
- [EXCERPT | Humanity's Grand Design Assignment: 5 Big Things to Save Life as we Know It](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/excerpt-humanitys-grand-design-assignment-5-big-things-to-save-life-as-we-know-it/) - Editor's Note: We're excited to share an excerpt of the article titled "Humanity's Grand Design Assignment: 5 Big Things to Save Life as We Know It", written by ILFI's founder and current board member Jason F. McLennan. You can read the full article, as well as McLennan Design's quarterly magazine, Love + Regeneration, here. Article
- [Renewing the Human Spirit](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/renewing-the-human-spirit/) - Editor's note: ILFI board chair Anthony Guerrero shares his thoughts on this moment in time, the commitments coming out of Climate Week NYC this fall,, and the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, social unrest, and climate disasters. If you want to take action and move beyond commitments, vote, consider becoming a Living Future member, or starting your
- [Living Documents: Updates to the LBC 4.0 Petal Handbooks and the Red List](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-building-challenge/living-documents-updates-to-the-lbc-4-0-petal-handbooks-and-the-red-list/) - In May 2019, the International Living Future Institute (ILFI) released the Living Building Challenge (LBC) 4.0, the latest version of the world’s most impactful green building standard. The release of the seven Petal Handbooks followed in 2020 as an online resource, clarifying program requirements, providing explanations and examples, and listing all published Exceptions for each
- [Fostering Collaboration for Good: Arch Nexus and the BLOCK Project](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-37-collaboration-abundance/fostering-collaboration-for-good-arch-nexus-and-the-block-project/) - Ecotone's fall 2020 release Regenerative Retrofit: California's First Living Building is out now! Check out this Trim Tab post to learn more about Arch Nexus' journey to retrofit their Sacramento office. And, to take an in-depth look at the Block Project, read Kim Sherman's story about hosting a Block Home in her backyard. Two years
- [Believe in Better: How Mohawk Group successfully navigates the Living Product Challenge](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-product-challenge/believe-in-better-how-mohawk-group-successfully-navigates-the-living-product-challenge/) - Cover photo: As part of its commitment to support the communities where employees live, work and play, Mohawk Group and its associates participate in events like renovation builds with Habitat for Humanity. Photo: Mohawk Group About the author: Rami Vagal is the senior manager of sustainability at Mohawk. With a strong background in corporate sustainability
- [Shoreline City Council Adopts Deep Green Incentive Program](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/shoreline-city-council-adopts-deep-green-incentive-program/) - Shoreline City Council adopts a Deep Green Incentive Program (DGIP) to continue the regenerative design momentum in the Puget Sound Region. Just in time for Earth Day, the Shoreline City Council adopted a Deep Green Incentive Program (DGIP) on April 17, 2017. The DGIP establishes a tiered incentive program for Living and Deep Green Buildings
- [PRESS RELEASE: 2019 Stephen R. Kellert Biophilic Design Award Winners Announced](https://trimtab.living-future.org/press-release/2019-stephen-r-kellert-biophilic-design-award-winners-announced/) - November 20, 2019 (ATLANTA): The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) honored the late scholar and Yale University social ecologist Stephen R. Kellert’s legacy at the third annual Biophilic Design Award last night with a special award ceremony hosted by Interface during the 2019 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo. The ceremony was held at the Georgia
- [FIRST LIVING CERTIFIED RE-USE PROJECT IN THE WORLD A MODEL FOR DECARBONIZATION](https://trimtab.living-future.org/zero-carbon/first-living-certified-re-use-project-in-the-world/) - Editor's note: As part of the build-up to our Zero Carbon Conference, October 7-8, our Standards + Policy Director Andrew Lee reviews the newest book release from ILFI's Ecotone Publishing through the lens of decarbonization. Order your copy of the book and sign up for the conference today to become a Zero Carbon Champion! *
- [NEW ECOTONE PUBLISHING BOOK OUT TODAY CELEBRATES CALIFORNIA'S FIRST LIVING BUILDING](https://trimtab.living-future.org/press-release/new-ecotone-publishing-book-out-today-celebrates-californias-first-living-building/) - PRESS RELEASE: Regenerative Retrofit: California’s First Living Building New book from industry leader in green building performance explores building reuse, water and energy independence, biophilic design, and a carbon-free future. SEATTLE, WA., September 23, 2020—Ecotone Publishing, the industry’s original green architecture and design publisher, today announced the release of the seventh book in the Living
- [The State of Zero Energy + Zero Carbon, Through the Eyes of a Pioneer](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/the-state-of-zero-energy-zero-carbon-through-the-eyes-of-a-pioneer/) - Editor's Note: Brad Liljequist directed the Zero Energy and Zero Carbon programs at ILFI from 2013-2018 and the Living Community Challenge from 2014-2015. Between 2008-2011, he developed the first ILFI certified Energy Petal and Zero Energy community in the United States, zHome. Today, Brad leads Zero Energy and Zero Carbon efforts for McKinstry, a national
- [INTRODUCING ILFI’S NEW STRUCTURE FOR PROGRAM FEES + SERVICES](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/new-program-fees-services/) - The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) is excited to introduce a new approach to building certification programs, including the Living Building Challenge, Core Green Building Certification, Zero Carbon, and Zero Energy. Our updated structure is designed to provide newly registered project teams with greater communication and technical support to ensure a successful certification process, while
- [Retrofitting working-class buildings presents a huge opportunity for sequestering carbon and fighting climate change](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-building-challenge/retrofitting-working-class-buildings/) - Editor’s note: Michael Berrisford is the publisher of ILFI’s publishing label, Ecotone. Here he shares what makes our latest release, Regenerative Retrofit: California’s First Living Building, so special. (Available September 15, pre-order your copy now for a 20% discount. Or, receive a free copy when you register for ILFI's Zero Carbon Conference by September 9.)
- [Reaffirming our commitment to anti-racism](https://trimtab.living-future.org/statement/reaffirming-our-commitment-to-anti-racism/) - In the weeks since the killing of George Floyd sparked national protest, we have been both inspired by the growing chorus of voices calling for racial justice and disheartened by continuing acts of brutality and bigotry; the shooting of Jacob Blake and the subsequent murder of protesters are the latest in an endless stream of
- [Making old new again: how mafi uses time-tested methods to meet sustainable targets](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-product-challenge/making-old-new-again-how-mafi-uses-time-tested-methods-to-meet-sustainable-targets/) - The circular processes used in our methods are something we want to show to all wood product manufacturers; we want to demonstrate that these processes are ethically and environmentally correct, sustainable, and profitable.
- [PRESS RELEASE: Inaugural Zero Carbon Conference Focuses on Proven, Practical Strategies for Buildings and Communities](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/press-release-inaugural-zero-carbon-conference-focuses-on-proven-practical-strategies-for-buildings-and-communities/) - PRESS RELEASE: Inaugural Zero Carbon Conference Focuses on Proven, Practical Strategies for Buildings and Communities Climate Activist Tom Steyer to Keynote Virtual Event on October 7-8 AUGUST 12, 2020 (SEATTLE) – As momentum grows for climate action, the International Living Future Institute announces its inaugural Zero Carbon Conference, to be held on October 7-8, 2020.
- [World’s First Certified Zero Carbon Sports Venue Will Prove Green Building is Possible at Any Size if Climate Action is Priority](https://trimtab.living-future.org/press-release/worlds-first-certified-zero-carbon-sports-venue/) - Climate Pledge Arena aims to be the first International Living Future Institute Zero Carbon certified professional sports venue in the world.
- [Humanscale: Becoming more sustainable every day](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-product-challenge/humanscale-becoming-more-sustainable-every-day/) - Cover photo: Humanscale Float® tables in use. Photo: Humanscale Humanscale is the global leader in office ergonomic products. We manufacture products that promote movement throughout the workday and allow people to adjust their workspace to fit their bodies, instead of the other way around. Each product we make is viewed through the lens of “will
- [Mohawk Group Announces Support of ILFI and Living Future 2020 Online Conference as Luminary Sponsor](https://trimtab.living-future.org/press-release/mohawk-group-announces-support-of-ilfi-and-living-future-2020-online-conference-as-luminary-sponsor/) - Mohawk Group recently announced their sponsorship for Living Future 2020 Online. We are so grateful for their partnership and are including their press release below. You can see their original press release here. CALHOUN, Ga. April 21, 2020—Mohawk Group announced today that the commercial flooring manufacturer is the Luminary sponsor of the annual Living Future
- [NZ20: The Most Net Zero Conference Yet](https://trimtab.living-future.org/partner-event/nz20-the-most-net-zero-conference-yet/) - A hub for thought-leaders and industry-shapers in climate, carbon, energy, water, waste, and transit, the annual Net Zero Conference – the world’s largest net zero conference and expo -- brings green building pioneers from around the world together to inspire, educate, and evolve our built environment. Hosted virtually this year by Verdical Events, the Net
- [What’s Love got to do with it?](https://trimtab.living-future.org/ecotone/whats-love-got-to-do-with-it/) - Jason F. McLennan shares his thoughts on how “love” can nourish the built and natural environments, address climate change, right social injustices, and heal the planet.
- [Living Building Challenge: a regenerative solution to meeting RIBA's 2020 Sustainability Outcomes](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-building-challenge/lbc-a-regenerative-solution-to-ribas-2020-sustainability-outcomes/) - Earlier this year, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) launched its 2020 Plan of Work, a comprehensive guidance document that organises the process of briefing, designing, constructing, and operating buildings into eight stages. The most significant revision in the 2020 plan is the inclusion of a Sustainability Project Strategy that is linked to the
- [A Natural Choice: The Challenges of Nature and LBC at Yellowstone National Park](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-building-challenge/lbc-at-yellowstone-national-park/) - When leaders at Yellowstone National Park decided to update the Youth Conservation Corps Campus, they had all of the typical challenges of a multi-building commercial project — plus the added obstacles of a harsh winter climate, views that needed to be both embraced and protected, and even wildlife. Hennebery Eddy Architects navigated these challenges to
- [Aspiring to Lasting Change: How 3Form is rethinking the business ecosystem](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-product-challenge/aspiring-to-lasting-change-how-3form-is-rethinking-the-business-ecosystem/) - Cover photo: 3form sources unique materials from around the world by working with skilled artisans and ensuring equitable, healthy, and transparent workplaces. Courtesy of 3form WHO WE ARE: Making Substantive Change Today, we find ourselves in a time of extraordinary challenges in the United States and around the globe, making the subject of who we
- [Sustaining a City, Sustaining Hope: Water and the Santa Monica City Hall East](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-building-challenge/sustaining-a-city-sustaining-hope-water-and-the-santa-monica-city-hall-east/) - One of the ways to sustain hope during a time of crisis is to lead by example. This is an especially valuable method for raising expectations and optimism when it comes to a precious resource like water. Editor’s Note: We’re excited to share this story from guest author Heidi Creighton, AIA, LEED Fellow, WELL Faculty,
- [Black Lives Matter: How to Help and What We're Doing](https://trimtab.living-future.org/social-justice/black-lives-matter-how-to-help-and-what-were-doing/) - This message was sent by ILFI Board Chair Anthony Guerrero to the ILFI community over email on June 8, 2020. If you’d like to receive updates like this, sign up for our monthly newsletter, Inbox Inspiration. To learn more about Anthony, read his March 2020 Q&A here. To our entire ILFI community, ILFI stands in solidarity with the
- [Standing in Solidarity](https://trimtab.living-future.org/statement/standing-in-solidarity/) - ILFI issued this statement on June 1, 2020. For more details on how you can help and what ILFI is doing to address equity and racial injustice, read Board Chair Anthony Guerrero's message from June 8, 2020. ILFI stands in solidarity with the communities of Black, Brown, and Indigenous people suffering from and protesting against
- [Celebrating our 2020 Living Future Heroes](https://trimtab.living-future.org/awards/celebrating-our-2020-living-future-heroes/) - The International Living Future Institute has announced the recipients of its 2020 Living Future Hero Awards. The new Heroes were recognized at the Institute’s Living Future 2020 Online conference, its largest annual event on regenerative design and sustainable, green building. The Living Future Hero award was created to acknowledge and celebrate individuals in the regenerative
- [From Transparency Grows Trust](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/from-transparency-grows-trust/) - 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
- [HMTX Industries - A Big Entity With An Even Bigger Heart For Social Equity And Transparency](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/hmtx-industries-social-equity-transparency/) - HMTX is also pursuing a JUST 2.0 label for the entire global enterprise. This label will encompass the complete family of companies under the HMTX umbrella and will be completed in time for the Living Future UnConference 2020. To receive the JUST label, an organization is rated on a wide range of metrics, including Diversity
- [Living Homes for All](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-36/living-homes-for-all/) - Editor’s Note: The Affordable Housing Pilot Program at the International Living Future Institute, made possible with initial funding by the Kresge Foundation and current and ongoing funding by the JPB Foundation, includes the development of industry-specific resources, such as The Living Building Challenge Framework for Affordable Housing, as well as working with pilot projects that
- [A Place to Be: Building Community to End Homelessness with The BLOCK Project](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-36/a-place-to-be-building-community-to-end-homelessness-with-the-block-project/) - My foot catches on an uneven bit of sidewalk, and I fly head-first towards the pavement. I hang flailing in the air for what seems like an eternity - then land hard on my hands and elbows and knees. Before I can even brush myself off, strangers appear out of nowhere, sincerely concerned, asking if
- [Ending Trickle-Down Equity](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-36/ending-trickle-down-equity/) - As early as 1968, Whitney Young Jr. stood before the American Institute of Architects and admonished the profession for not taking on racial injustice, saying, “You are not a profession that has distinguished itself by your social and civic contributions to the cause of civil rights, and I am sure this has not come to
- [NEW ECOTONE BOOK RELEASE: LOVE+GREEN BUILDING: You and Me and the Beautiful Planet](https://trimtab.living-future.org/press-release/lovegreen-building-you-and-me-and-the-beautiful-planet/) - New illustrated book by renowned green building leader provides genuine insights into why a sustained awakening of the heart is key to turning back the tide of climate change and environmental degradation. SEATTLE, WA, May 27, 2020 - Ecotone Publishing, the industry’s first exclusive green architecture and design publisher, today announced the release of
- [Living Future Europe Becomes Formal Entity, with Green Building and Market Demand Growing Across the Continent](https://trimtab.living-future.org/press-release/living-future-europe-becomes-formal-entity-with-green-building-and-market-demand-growing-across-the-continent/) - Seattle/Bolzano—In December 2019 Ursula von der Leyen, newly-appointed President of the European Commission, said, “I want Europe to become the first climate-neutral continent in the world by 2050... to make this happen, we must take bold steps together…” By the urging of—and overwhelming support from—our volunteer Network and European community, the International Living Future Institute
- [Thank you, Amanda!](https://trimtab.living-future.org/leadership/thank-you-amanda/) - As February approaches, we are soon to say goodbye to Amanda Sturgeon, who is stepping down as CEO after nearly 10 years with ILFI. With 650 Living Building projects in 23 countries, two thriving international affiliates, 27 affordable housing projects, and hundreds of Declare labels, Amanda has guided the Institute to a place where the
- [Living Future Hero Series: Victor Montero](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/living-future-hero-series-victor-montero/) - Over the next few weeks, we will be running a Q+A blog series in which we showcase the ten incredible change-makers who represent our 2019 Living Future Heroes. Introducing Victor Montero, CEO of the Regenerative Built Environment Institute and longtime Living Future Ambassador: Q: How are you involved with ILFI? A: I have been an
- [Introducing the Living Future Hero Blog Series](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-future-heroes/celebrating-our-living-future-heroes/) - This year, the Institute is celebrating ten individuals we believe to be heroes in the regenerative design community. These individuals, originally chosen for the Living Future Hero award, champion Living Future projects, products and values, share visionary ideas with their peers, and change the world with their environmental advocacy and leadership. The winners of the
- [Bidding Farewell to James Connelly, Vice President of Strategic Growth](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/bidding-farewell-to-james-connelly-vice-president-of-strategic-growth/) - It is with sadness and pride that ILFI says goodbye to James Connelly as our Vice President of Strategic Growth. James has been a steadfast leader for ILFI over his eight years at the organization, bringing new programs to life, pushing the manufacturing industry toward higher standards, and advocating for transparency in materials and products.
- [Leaders “Sustaining Hope Within Crisis” by Bringing Innovative Projects to Life](https://trimtab.living-future.org/press-release/leaders-sustaining-hope-within-crisis-by-bringing-innovative-projects-to-life/) - Living Future 2020 Online Highlights Increasing Momentum and Scale of Living Buildings Around the World May 7, 2020 (SEATTLE) – Living Future 2020 Online opened today showing how leaders around the world are “Sustaining Hope Within Crisis,” by bringing innovative projects to life. From a winery and eco-retreat to an urban office building and school
- [The Future Needs Healthy Products, a Healthy Planet, and Healthy People in It](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/the-future-needs-healthy-products-a-healthy-planet-and-healthy-people-in-it/) - The 3form family of companies double-down on a higher standard for innovation, sustainability, and human well-being Editor's Note: We're excited to share this story from guest author Mike Johnson, Sustainability Director of LightArt/3form. We are also grateful for their sponsorship of our annual Living Future Conference. Learn more about LightArt/3form and the Living Future event.
- [Meet ILFI's interim CEO, K C Gauldine](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/meet-ilfis-interim-ceo-k-c-gauldine/) - In March 2020 K C Gauldine joined the ILFI team as interim CEO to guide the organization as the board continues its search for a new permanent leader. Recently, the Institute’s communications director Nicole Van Batenburg had an opportunity to talk with K C to introduce her to the ILFI community. Nicole Van Batenburg (NVB):
- [Living Future unConference 2020 Open for Registration](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/living-future-unconference-2020-open-for-registration/) - Editor's note: This event has been changed to an online event with a slightly different schedule and lineup. Please visit the event website for complete information and we hope to see you online May 7-8, 2020. PRESS RELEASE: Seattle’s 2020 Living Future unConference Opens for Registration, Focus on Sustaining Hope Within Climate Crisis Keynote speakers
- [LF20 Online Speaker Q+A: Rami Vagal](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/living-future-20/lf20-online-speaker-qa-rami-vagal/) - 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 2020 Online.
- [LF20 Speaker Q+A: Stacy Smedley](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/living-future-20/lf20-speaker-stacy-smedley/) - 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 Stacy Smedley, Director of Sustainability at Skanska USA. Natalie Quek: What does sustainability look like to you? Stacy Smedley: Sustainability is something that weaves its way through
- [LF20 Speaker Q+A: Sonja Bochart](https://trimtab.living-future.org/biophilic-design/lf20-speaker-qa-sonja-bochart/) - 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 Sonja Bochart IIDA LEED AP BD+C WELL AP, Principal at Shepley Bulfinch + Biophilic Design Consultant. Natalie Quek: What does sustainability look like to you? Sonja Bochart: Sustainability –
- [LF20 Speaker Q+A: Sara Neff](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/living-future-20/lf20-speaker-sara-neff/) - 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
- [LF20 Online Speaker Q+A: David Trubridge](https://trimtab.living-future.org/biophilic-design/lf20-speaker-qa-david-trubridge/) - 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 2020 Online. This week, we are featuring David Trubridge, Artist, Designer of Lighting and owner of David Trubridge Ltd. Natalie Quek: What does sustainability look like to you? David Trubridge: Taken literally, being sustainable means
- [Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Three perspectives](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/living-future-20/reducereuserecycle/) - In celebration of Earth Day’s golden anniversary, trim tab shares three hopeful perspectives on where the triangle of R’s stand in the spotlight of 2020.
- [LF20 Online Speaker Q+A: Erin English](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/living-future-20/lf20-online-speaker-qa-erin-english/) - 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 2020 Online.
- [Silver Oak Winery: World’s First Production Facility to Earn “Living Building” Certification](https://trimtab.living-future.org/press-release/silver-oak-winery-worlds-first-production-facility-to-earn-living-building-certification/) - Sonoma winery certified to world’s most ambitious green building standard by the International Living Future Institute We are pleased to share Silver Oak Winery's press release announcing their Living Building certification. You can find their original press release here. HEALDSBURG, Calif., April 22, 2020 /3BL Media/ – Silver Oak and the International Living Future Institute (ILFI) announced today
- [Join the Giants: Large Companies take the Lead in Setting Carbon Reduction Goals](https://trimtab.living-future.org/zero-carbon/join-the-giants-large-companies-lead-in-setting-carbon-reduction-goals/) - With the arrival of a new decade comes the momentum to turn words into action around climate change. The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) created the Zero Carbon (ZC) certification as a way for teams to fully decarbonize their buildings and meet their climate action goals. While this is no small feat, we have now
- [Sustaining Hope Within Crisis: Community Resilience in Difficult Times](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/sustaining-hope/) - A Special Invitation Editor's note: This is a guest post by Jason F. McLennan, Founder of the International Living Future Institute and the Living Building Challenge. Jason is a keynote at this year's Living Future Unconference, now online around the world for the first time in history. In this post, Jason shares how he is
- [The Positive House: Casa SN (Arco, Italy) is the first Zero Energy Certified Building in Europe](https://trimtab.living-future.org/press-release/the-positive-house-casa-sn-arco-italy-is-the-first-zero-energy-certified-building-in-europe/) - Can a building produce more energy than it consumes, exclusively from renewable sources? Certainly! This is demonstrated by Casa SN (named after its owners Sara and Nicola Berlanda) which has recently become the first building in Europe—and Italy—to be certified under the Zero Energy standard of the International Living Future Institute (ILFI). Casa SN is
- [An Exciting Update about ILFI's Leadership Team](https://trimtab.living-future.org/announcements/an-exciting-update-about-ilfis-leadership-team/) - Editor’s Note: The following message was emailed to our community on April 8, 2020. If you’d like to receive updates like this, sign up for our monthly newsletter, Inbox Inspiration. To learn more about our new board chair Anthony Guerrero, read his March 2020 Q&A here. To learn more about our new interim CEO K C Gauldine read her
- [A Commitment to our Community In Uncertain Times](https://trimtab.living-future.org/announcements/a-commitment-to-our-community/) - Editor's Note: The following message was emailed to our community on March 17, 2020. If you'd like to receive updates like this, sign up for our monthly newsletter, Inbox Inspiration. To learn more about our new board chair Anthony Guerrero, read his March 2020 Q&A here. Dear ILFI Community, As I sit here writing this
- [Meet ILFI's new Board Chair, Anthony Guerrero](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/meet-ilfis-new-board-chair-anthony-guerrero/) - In February of this year, Development Manager Liz Harder had a chance to talk with ILFI’s New Board Chair, Anthony Guerrero. Get to know Anthony, his vision for the organization, how the CEO search is going, and what he does on his days off. Liz Harder (LH): What inspired you to initially join ILFI’s Board
- [ILFI's Healthcare Initiative: Partnering with Cleveland Clinic for Holistic Health and Green Building](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/ilfis-healthcare-initiative-partnering-with-cleveland-clinic-for-holistic-health-and-green-building/) - The healthcare sector produces between 8-10% of total US carbon emissions, in turn contributing to the nearly 200,000 premature deaths due to poor air quality each year1. As centers of healing, healthcare facilities from hospitals to medical office buildings represent key opportunities to demonstrate how the built environment can instead be a contributor to individual
- [LBC 4.0 Petal Handbooks: Making it Easy to Turn Your Climate Commitment into Action](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-building-challenge/lbc-4-0-petal-handbooks-making-it-easy-to-turn-your-climate-commitment-into-action/) - In May 2019, the International Living Future Institute (ILFI) released the Living Building Challenge (LBC) 4.0. This latest version of the world’s most impactful green building standard provides a vision for a new era in building and a framework to address the environmental and social challenges of our time. Now, ILFI is pleased to announce
- [How Net Zero Energy Electrified Learning at this Oregon School](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/how-zero-energy-electrified-learning-at-this-oregon-school/) - The site of Creekside Community High School is less than a half-mile away from the Tigard High School in Tigard, Oregon. But the two facilities couldn’t be further apart. Creekside–the Tigard-Tualatin School District’s center for students requiring a non-traditional path toward completing their education–has long resided in an aging schoolhouse wedged just off the driveway
- [Living Building Challenge 4.0 Meets Market Demand  for Increased Scalability and Accessibility](https://trimtab.living-future.org/press-release/lbc4/) - Want to learn more about LBC 4.0? Check out our 4.0 workshops happening across the country this summer + fall! Updated standard earns pilot commitments from Google, King County and others May 2, 2019 (SEATTLE) - The International Living Future Institute announced today the release of Living Building Challenge 4.0 (LBC 4.0), which meets demand
- [The Living Future Community's Handprint](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-35/the-living-future-communitys-handprint/) - “We're not on our journey to save the world but to save ourselves. But in doing that you save the world. The influence of a vital person vitalizes.” ― Joseph Campbell The work we do at the Living Future Institute is not accomplished in a vacuum, easily, or alone. The tireless community of sustainability experts,
- [Year-End Inventory: Tarkett Celebrates a Decade of Sustainability Wins and Looks Ahead to 2030](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/year-end-inventory-tarkett-celebrates-a-decade-of-sustainability-wins-and-looks-ahead-to-2030/) - The past 30 years have seen unprecedented economic growth around the globe—a condition that many have attributed to our environmental challenges. The United States GDP has grown from ~$5T (1988) to ~$20T (2018). China alone has gone from a mere $300B (1988) to a $13T (2018) economy. In 1992, the Earth Summit in Rio de
- [Bringing the old school to the new school](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/bringing-the-old-school-to-the-new-school/) - How does collaboration through the International Living Future Institute change a business model? Imagine a favorite place, where you feel safe and comfortable, you’ve been there many times and can’t wait to return…. Is that place inside? Most people say they are in a wooded area. Woodlands are where all but 10 percent of land species
- [The Stories that Matter](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/stories-that-matter/) - How did this happen? It’s Saturday afternoon, and I’m sitting in the back of the nail salon at Burwood Brickworks – the shopping mall that opened a day before. Georgia and Kianna are two girls getting their nails done. Kianna calls over to me. “Excuse me,” she shouts. “What are you doing?” I explain to
- [PRESS RELEASE: New Leadership Appointed to International Living Future Institute Board of Directors](https://trimtab.living-future.org/press-release/press-release-new-board-chair-2020/) - ILFI announces new Board Chair to lead CEO transition January 21, 2020 (SEATTLE) - The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) announced today that Anthony Guerrero, Chief Real Estate and Sustainability Officer at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), will become their new Board Chair. Vivian Loftness of Carnegie Mellon University will also join the Board
- [Embodied Carbon Guidance: what is it and why do we need it?](https://trimtab.living-future.org/embodied-carbon/embodied-carbon-guidance-what-is-it-and-why-do-we-need-it/) - As climate action becomes more urgent, there is a growing focus on embodied carbon within the built environment. An increasing amount of architects, engineers, and researchers are collaborating to establish common practices around the definition and reduction of embodied carbon as to produce fully decarbonized, or true Zero Carbon projects. The International Living Future Institute
- [A Message From Our CEO](https://trimtab.living-future.org/announcements/a-message-from-our-ceo/) - When I started at the International Living Future Institute almost 10 years ago, I could not have imagined the success that we have achieved today. With over 650 Living Building projects in 23 countries, two thriving international Institutes, 27 affordable housing projects, and hundreds of Declare labels, we are now positioned for scale. Our success
- [Record Breaking 13th Annual Living Future unConference Full of Big Announcements](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/record-breaking-13th-annual-living-future-unconference-full-of-big-announcements/) - 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
- [Living Future Hero Series: Amy Johns](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/living-future-hero-series-amy-johns/) - Over the next few weeks, we will run a Q+A blog series showcasing the ten incredible change-makers who represent our 2019 Living Future Heroes. Introducing Amy Johns, Senior Strategy Consultant for Integrated Eco Strategy (IES) and formerly Director of the Zilkha Center for Environmental Initiatives at Williams College: Q: How did you become involved with ILFI? A:
- [Turning Over a New Leaf: Inspiring the Next Generation of Biophilic Thinkers at Midtown International School](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/turning-over-a-new-leaf-inspiring-the-next-generation-of-biophilic-thinkers-at-midtown-international-school/) - While in Atlanta for the opening of the Georgia Institute of Technology’s new Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design, ILFI CEO Amanda Sturgeon visited another site interested in Living Building Challenge (LBC) certification: the Midtown International School (MIS). Inspired in part by the Kendeda Building’s success, MIS has committed to regenerative design for all of
- [A Living Future in Haiti](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-building-challenge/a-living-future-in-haiti/) - Editor's Note: ILFI Engagement Specialist Malaysia Marshall visited Haiti on an exchange trip in the summer of 2019 to spread awareness of the Living Building Challenge, as well as to learn more about sustainable development efforts in the country. She reports on her trip below. Enjoy! Amidst climate change and economic crisis, two changemakers catalyze
- [Living Future Accreditation: Demonstrate your commitment. Deepen your knowledge. Display your expertise.](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/living-future-accreditation-demonstrate-your-commitment-deepen-your-knowledge-display-your-expertise/) - Living Future Accreditation: Demonstrate your commitment. Deepen your knowledge. Display your expertise.
- [Living Future Hero Series: Rochelle Routman](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/living-future-hero-series-rochelle/) - Over the next few weeks, we will run a Q+A blog series showcasing the ten incredible change-makers who represent our 2019 Living Future Heroes. Introducing Rochelle Routman, Chief Sustainability Officer at HMTX Industries: Q: How did you become involved with ILFI? A: I attended the 2012 Living Future unConference as a newcomer from the Southeast region of
- [Living Future Hero Series: Lauren Sparandara](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/living-future-hero-series-lauren/) - Over the next few weeks, we will run a Q+A blog series showcasing the ten incredible change-makers who represent our 2019 Living Future Heroes. Introducing Lauren Sparandara, REWS Sustainability Program Manager at Google: Q: How did you become involved with ILFI? A: For the last three years, I have been working to obtain the Living Building Challenge
- [Southern Exposure: ILFI Goes to Greenbuild](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/southern-exposure-ilfi-goes-to-greenbuild/) - ILFI will be attending USGBC’s 2019 Greenbuild International Conference & Expo this November 19-22 in Atlanta, Georgia. Greenbuild's annual event for green building professionals focuses on finding new solutions to improve resilience, sustainability, and quality of life in buildings, cities, and communities. This year’s event will feature a Wednesday Keynote Address from the 44th President
- [Finalists Announced! 2019 Stephen R. Kellert Biophilic Design Award](https://trimtab.living-future.org/biophilic-design/2019-stephen-r-kellert-biophilic-design-award/) - The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) is excited to celebrate the third annual Stephen R. Kellert Biophilic Design Award, sponsored by Interface, at this year's Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Atlanta, GA. The ceremony will take place at the Georgia Institute of Technology's brand new Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design. The award honors
- [Living Future Hero Series: Joel Cesare](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/living-future-hero-series-joel-cesare/) - Over the next few weeks, we will run a Q+A blog series showcasing the ten incredible change-makers who represent our 2019 Living Future Heroes. Introducing Joel Cesare, Sustainable Projects Manager at the City of Santa Monica: Q: How did you become involved with ILFI? A: I worked in the Bay Area at Skanska for two years and
- [Top Ten Reasons to Attend the Living Future UnConference](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/top-ten-reasons-to-attend-the-living-future-unconference/) - 1. Network with the Best 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
- [Living Future Hero Series: Bert Gregory](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/living-future-hero-series-bert/) - Over the next few weeks, we will run a Q+A blog series showcasing the ten incredible change-makers who represent our 2019 Living Future Heroes. Introducing Bert Gregory, Partner at Mithun: Q: How did you become involved with ILFI? A: I’m currently involved as juror for the Stephen Kellert Biophilic Design Awards, as a member of the Cascadia
- [Living Future Hero Series: Lisa Petterson](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/living-future-hero-series-lisa/) - Over the next few weeks, we will run a Q+A blog series showcasing the ten incredible change-makers who represent our 2019 Living Future Heroes. Introducing Lisa Petterson, Principal at SRG Partnership: Q: How did you become involved with ILFI? A: I first time I heard about the Living Building Challenge was when Cascadia Green BC hired Jason
- [Kids These Days](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/kids-these-days/) - 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,
- [Net Zero for All: An Interview with Net Zero Conference Event Chair Drew Shula](https://trimtab.living-future.org/zero-energy/net-zero-for-all-an-interview-with-net-zero-conference-event-chair-drew-shula/) - The Net Zero Conference is the largest green building event hosted annually in California and the largest net zero building event in the world. This year’s conference, NZ19, will be hosted at on October 2 – 4 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The International Living Future Institute is a Program Partner for this groundbreaking
- [Mission Zero Carbon: Why Integral Group's Commitments Matter](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/mission-zero-carbon-why-integral-groups-commitments-matter/) - 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)?
- [Living Future Hero Series: Amira Ayoub](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-future-heroes/living-future-hero-series-amira-ayoub/) - Over the next few weeks, we will run a Q+A blog series showcasing the ten incredible change-makers who represent our 2019 Living Future Heroes. Introducing Amira Ayoub, Sustainability Consultant for the Egypt Green Building Council: Q: How did you become involved with ILFI? A: In 2014, I started to learn about the Living Building Challenge (LBC) and reading
- [Living Future Hero Series: Kathleen Ave](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-future-heroes/living-future-hero-feature-kathleen-ave/) - Over the next few weeks, we will run a Q+A blog series showcasing the ten incredible change-makers who represent our 2019 Living Future Heroes. Introducing Kathleen Ave, Climate Program Manager at the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD): Q: How did you become involved with ILFI? A: California’s first Living Building is also the world’s first
- [Mainstreaming the Healthy Materials Movement](https://trimtab.living-future.org/press-release/mainstreaming-the-healthy-materials-movement/) - Volume Commitments and Updated Standards Scale the Creation and Adoption of Healthy Materials October 9, 2019 (NASHVILLE) – The healthy materials movement began with a few intrepid designers, manufacturers and forward-thinking nonprofits asking a simple question: Why can’t every place we live, work and play be free of toxic chemicals and harmful materials? Organized by
- [International Living Future Institute Adds Embodied Carbon to Declare Labels in Shift to Acknowledging Full Product Impacts](https://trimtab.living-future.org/press-release/international-living-future-institute-adds-embodied-carbon-to-declare-labels-in-shift-to-acknowledging-full-product-impacts/) - New Declare Labels Piloted by Partners Armstrong Ceiling and Wall Solutions, Interface, Superior Essex Communications in Bold Commitment to Transparency and Accountability October 9, 2019 (SEATTLE) -- Today the International Living Future Institute (ILFI), announced the first of its new Declare labels that include product embodied carbon alongside ingredient disclosure, reinforcing ILFI’s commitment to transparency
- [There’s a Course for That! ILFI Launches New Online Learning System](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/theres-a-course-for-that-ilfi-launches-new-online-learning-system/) - 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
- [Getting to the Core: Why Core Certification, and Why Now?](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/getting-to-the-core-why-core-certification-and-why-now/) - 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
- [Finding Purpose through Collaborative Sustainable Design + Construction](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/finding-purpose-through-collaborative-sustainable-design-construction/) - 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
- [The New Living Building Challenge Framework for Affordable Housing](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/the-new-living-building-challenge-framework-for-affordable-housing/) - 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
- [Kendeda Building's construction marks completion of first large LBC project in Deep South](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/kendeda-buildings-construction-marks-completion-of-first-large-lbc-project-in-deep-south/) - The Kendeda Fund’s goal for the building was fairly ambitious: To kickstart the regenerative design and construction movement in the Southeast, and to demonstrate that it can be done in hot and humid climates.
- [Stories From the Field: Living Building Makers Brings the People behind Living Buildings to Life](https://trimtab.living-future.org/press-release/stories-from-the-field-living-building-makers-brings-the-people-behind-living-buildings-to-life/) - Latest title from Ecotone Publishing author Jonathan A. Wright honors first-hand accounts. September 26, 2019 (SEATTLE) Celebrating the champions addressing climate change, Living Building Makers: Creating Sustainable Buildings That Renew Our World is a handcrafted collection of stories about the remarkable people who bring the built environment to life. Each chapter captures the insights, creativity,
- [The Power of Social Enterprise: Can a forgotten nut change Nigeria?](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-product-expo/the-power-of-social-enterprise-can-a-forgotten-nut-change-nigeria/) - How an innovative start-up is leveraging the original ingredient in Coca-Cola to kick start sustainable development in Nigeria Nigeria has been drowning in oil for decades. Since the mid-1950’s the country has suffered from a ‘resource curse’ economy, where the main source of economic development, oil, fuels concentration of wealth in the hands of a
- [The Power of Technology in Chemical Hazard Management](https://trimtab.living-future.org/uncategorized/the-power-of-technology-in-chemical-hazard-management/) - Why is it so hard to make clean, safe products? The answer may surprise you. We all know supply chains are complicated, unique to each manufacturer and brand, and sprawled across the globe. Standards vary, and regulations can be a mosaic of rules and exceptions. But we often discredit the very real challenge of supplier
- [Building a Living Future: ILFI to Highlight Key Projects + Host Workshops at the Net Zero Conference in Los Angeles](https://trimtab.living-future.org/partner-event/building-a-living-future-ilfi-to-highlight-key-projects-host-workshops-at-the-net-zero-conference-in-los-angeles/) - As the building industry becomes increasingly interested in building a net zero future (and keeping up with code changes requiring projects to be built to net zero standards), AEC firms and building owners alike are seeking answers. The need for new resources has grown significantly, and case studies have become invaluable. The Net Zero Conference,
- [ILFI and Passive House Institute announce new Crosswalk](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/ilfi-and-passive-house-institute-announce-new-crosswalk/) - When ILFI’s Andy Lee stepped off the podium at the Net Zero 2018 Conference, Camille Sifferlen of the Passive House Institute (PHI) was there, ready to talk partnership. What she heard during his Zero Energy Accelerator course made it clear that the mission of both organizations would be furthered by working together. PHI’s certification (PH)
- [LIVING PRODUCTS SHINE AT NEOCON 2019](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/living-products-shine-at-neocon-2019/) - Declare and the Living Product Challenge (LPC) were on full display at NeoCon 2019 last month in Chicago. For those who are not familiar, NeoCon is the commercial design industry’s launch pad for new products, such as fabrics, flooring, and furniture, from more than 500 exhibitors. We utilize this event as an opportunity to connect
- [Living Building Makers: Creating Sustainable Buildings That Renew Our World](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-37-collaboration-abundance/living-building-makers-creating-sustainable-buildings-that-renew-our-world/) - Editor’s Note: The following are excerpts from Ecotone Publishing’s forthcoming release, Living Building Makers: Creating Sustainable Buildings that Renew our World by Jonathan Wright. Reprinted with permission. Living Building Makers: Creating Sustainable Buildings That Renew Our World is a handcrafted collection of stories celebrating the people who bring the built environment to life. Set on
- [Housing Hope in Washington: Tough Questions + Solutions for Affordable Housing](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/housing-hope-in-washington-tough-questions-solutions-for-affordable-housing/) - Project teams often begin to explore the Living Building Challenge by weighing the early development costs with the long-term payback. Although the challenge of allocating capital to renewable energy systems and healthy materials may seem insurmountable, but projects such as HopeWorks Station Phase 2, a project of the affordable housing developers Housing Hope, are proving
- [Living Future in Europe - Join us for one of our many upcoming events across the region](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-building-challenge/living-future-in-europe-join-us-for-one-of-our-many-upcoming-events-across-the-region/) - June 6, 2019 - Bolzano, Italy The Living Building Challenge (LBC) is the world’s most ambitious proven performance standard for buildings. Since its inception in 2006, people from around the world have been using our regenerative design framework to create spaces that, like a flower, give more than they take. By actively pursuing market alignment
- [Top 10 Takeaways from ILFI Communications Research](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-37-collaboration-abundance/top-ten-takeaways-from-ilfi-comms-research/) - As part of a planning process, ILFI deployed an online survey regarding facets of the organization and its messaging; the survey was completed by 790 people. An outside PR consultant, Brad Kahn, also conducted a set of 10 interviews with green building leaders – some of whom have participated in Living Building or Zero Energy
- [A Proven Radical Water Efficiency Paradigm: How a Living Building Home Shows True Water Resilience](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-37-collaboration-abundance/a-proven-radical-water-efficiency-paradigm-how-a-living-building-home-shows-true-water-resilience/) - Editor’s note: This article is republished with permission from Love + Regeneration, a publication from the regenerative design practice McLennan Design. The Over Consumption of Water Since 2015, the world has watched Cape Town, South Africa’s four million residents live with the reality of water scarcity and its experts adjust predictions of when Day Zero
- [Exploring the Living Building Challenge Affordable Housing Pilot Program](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-37-collaboration-abundance/exploring-the-living-building-challenge-affordable-housing-pilot-program/) - The Living Building Challenge (LBC) and Affordable, Urban Infill Housing Midrise urban apartment buildings, especially those rented or sold below market-rate, are a special building type to consider in the context of imagining a Living Future. These buildings define “home” for dozens or hundreds of households at a time and set the context for community;
- [Products with Purpose: Reimagining Commerce with the Living Product Challenge](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-37-collaboration-abundance/products-with-purpose-reimagining-commerce-with-the-living-product-challenge/) - I have spent the past six and half years of my career at the International Living Future Institute working on sustainable manufacturing initiatives. This experience has opened my eyes to the power of commerce, both positive and negative. In fact, working on product sustainability has begun to fundamentally change my relationship to the products around
- [Building a Community of Practice: King County Fosters Collaboration to Bring Living Buildings to Communities](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-37-collaboration-abundance/building-a-community-of-practice-king-county-fosters-collaboration-to-bring-living-buildings-to-communities/) - What future do we want to leave the next generation? As government employees, our job is to reduce countywide sources of greenhouse gas emissions drastically in the next few decades; as stewards of our natural resources, responsible for working toward fostering livable communities that are equitably accessible to all, it is also our passion. Here
- [The Evolution Towards the Living Building Challenge 4.0](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-37-collaboration-abundance/the-evolution-towards-the-living-building-challenge-4-0/) - Now that we are into the second decade of the Living Building Challenge (LBC), the world’s most rigorous green building program, it is an appropriate time to reflect. It’s now time to wonder both whether we have achieved the impact we sought to create and how we can continue to lead the building industry through
- [Paolo Bevilacqua of Frasers Property Australia Appointed to International Living Future Institute Board of Directors](https://trimtab.living-future.org/press-release/paolo-bevilacqua-joins-ilfi-board/) - Living Future Institute Australia Board Chair brings Asia Pacific experience to the International Living Future Institute May 28, 2019 (SEATTLE) – The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) announced today that Paolo Bevilacqua, Frasers Property Australia’s General Manager - Real Utilities and Chair of the Board of Living Future Institute Australia (LFIA), has become a member
- [Celebrating our 2019 Living Future Heroes](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-future-unconference/lf19heroes/) - The International Living Future Institute™ has announced the recipients of its 2019 Living Future Hero Awards. The new Heroes were recognized at the Institute’s Big Bang Dinner, a focal point of its annual Living Future unConference. The Living Future Hero award was created to acknowledge and celebrate individuals in the regenerative design community who have
- [Kicking off the 13th Annual Living Future unConference in Seattle](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-future-unconference/kicking-off-the-13th-annual-living-future-unconference-in-seattle/) - The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) today kicked off the 2019 Living Future unConference, a sold-out gathering of 1,300+ experts in green building, placemaking and regenerative design who are celebrating the “Collaboration and Abundance” of a movement that is fast gaining momentum. Bill McKibben will provide the opening night keynote tomorrow evening, followed by keynote
- [U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Green Building Program now recognizes The Living Product Challenge](https://trimtab.living-future.org/press-release/usgbc-living-product-challenge/) - Inclusion of Living Products in LEED credits stands to grow adoption of healthy materials April 19, 2019 (Seattle, WA) - The Living Product Challenge (LPC) is now an approved certification path in the U.S. Green Building Council® (USGBC) LEED® v4/4.1 BD+C program. Living Product Challenge certified products join Declare as a compliant pathway in the
- [2018 Living Building Challenge Heroes](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/lf18/2018-living-building-challenge-heroes-3/) - Last year I had the pleasure to introduce our 2018 Living Building Challenge Heroes. In case you missed the event last year, here are seven spectacular individuals leading the way to a Living Future and each of their calls to action. Anjanette Green Anjanette has 17+ years of experience in Architecture and Design, advising on
- [Quick Q&A with Lawerence Pitre: LF19 Artist in Residence](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/living-future-unconference-event/quick-qa-with-lawerence-pitre-lf19-artist-in-residence-2/) - 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
- [Remembering our friend, Patti](https://trimtab.living-future.org/uncategorized/remembering-our-friend-patti/) - We are incredibly saddened to hear the news of the passing of Patti Southard, a driving, visionary force in regenerative design + social equity here in Seattle. Patti served as Program Manager at King County GreenTools, championing for green buildings. She was instrumental in advocating for Living Buildings, spoke at the Living Future unConference every
- [Biophilic Design and Climate Change](https://trimtab.living-future.org/biophilic-design/biophilic-design-and-climate-change/) - The Biophilic Design Initiative (BDI) brings together leading experts in the field with the goal to achieve broad adoption of Biophilic Design within the greater design community. It has become clear that recent climate reports lay out a dire future of climate-change challenges. At ILFI we proceed with hope and drive toward our mission of
- [Five Workshops You Can't Miss at LF19](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/living-future-19/five-workshops-you-cant-miss-at-lf19/) - Every year before our Living Future unConference (April 30 - May 3 in Seattle) we host several workshops and summits for the folks who can't quite get enough of the excitement, community, and inspiration that the conference fosters. These workshops cover a wide range of subjects, from Living Buildings and Biophilic Design to multicultural workforces
- [Emergent Leadership: It’s Not Just a Good Idea](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/living-future-19/emergent-leadership-its-not-just-a-good-idea/) - For anyone looking, the need for effective leadership is quite apparent. The UN Climate Report, released in October 2018, delivers warnings of a pending crisis that will include worsening wildfires, rising sea levels, ocean and land desertification and other environmental challenges. These worsening conditions will lead to difficulties for everyone, but especially for those least
- [An Uncompromising Approach to Construction and Sustainability](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-36/an-uncompromising-approach-to-construction-and-sustainability/) - Every project brings a complex series of interests: the desire to attract the best talent, whether it’s doctors, professors or students; the opportunity to advance business interests through facilities that enable faster speed-to-market; a workplace that sets employees up to be their most productive while reinforcing a winning corporate culture. Millions of dollars are put
- [Join Us at Living Future as a Sponsor](https://trimtab.living-future.org/uncategorized/join-us-at-living-future-as-a-sponsor/) - This spring, a global community of changemakers will convene in Seattle to turn ideas into action at the 2019 Living Future unConference. This three-day event brings together a diverse group of leaders – from the AEC Community, Manufacturers, Government + Non-profit, and Owners + Developers – collaborating in pursuit of transformative action. Featuring 50+ sessions
- [WATCH: Amanda Sturgeon’s TEDMED Talk Released](https://trimtab.living-future.org/biophilic-design/watch-amanda-sturgeons-tedmed-talk-released/) - Last November, ILFI CEO Amanda Sturgeon spoke at TEDMED 2018, the independent health and medicine edition of the world-famous TED conference, dedicated to “ideas worth spreading.” In her speech, Amanda talked about biophilic design, human health, and how the former can benefit the latter, as well as the role architecture can play in bringing nature
- [Announcing our new Vice President, Megan Ritchie Saffitz](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/announcing-our-new-vice-president-megan-ritchie-saffitz/) - ILFI is pleased to announce that Megan Ritchie Saffitz has moved into the role of Vice President of Operations + Certification at the organization. Megan began her tenure at ILFI in 2017 as Certification Director. We feel fortunate to have Megan on staff, lending her many strengths to help ILFI run smoothly. “I am very
- [Elizabeth Heider, Skanska USA Chief Sustainability Officer, Appointed to International Living Future Institute Board of Directors](https://trimtab.living-future.org/press-release/elizabeth-heider-skanska-usa-chief-sustainability-officer-appointed-to-international-living-future-institute-board-of-directors/) - Living Building Hero brings board expertise and green building thought leadership to the International Living Future Institute. January 15, 2019 (SEATTLE) - The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) announced today that Elizabeth (Beth) Heider, Chief Sustainability Officer, Skanska USA, has become a member of the Board of Directors. ILFI administers the Living Building Challenge –
- [Looking Back on the Living Product Expo 2018: A Photo Essay](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-36/looking-back-on-the-living-product-expo-2018-a-photo-essay/) - Monday, September 10 There’s much to prepare for at the Expo and the Living Product Challenge team busies itself with obtaining key supplies and dancing. Tuesday, September 11 It’s the start of the 4th Living Product Expo, and we kick it off with a day full of summits and meetings with energized participants. The Trade
- [A LIVING BUILDING THROUGH A DIFFERENT LENS](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/a-living-building-through-a-different-lens/) - We are pleased to present an excerpt from the book Generation Green, written by ILFI's own Michael Berrisford, about the development of the childcare centre at UniverCity, a sustainable community near Vancouver, B.C. "It was valuable to have little, young designers helping out." JAY LIN Architect, HCMA Any project with a design charrette involving preschoolers is extraordinary.
- [Future-Proofing Product Chemistry](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/future-proofing-product-chemistry/) - Editor's note: Earlier this year, ILFI chose Toxnot to be the platform for creation of Declare labels. Read more about Declare and Toxnot here. I view chemicals management as an issue affecting us all. My wife and I are raising two daughters and think carefully about the products we use. The reality though is that
- [Finding FSC Products for Living Buildings](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/finding-fsc-products-for-living-buildings/) - The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the world’s most trusted forest certification, helps building project teams, consumers and companies identify and purchase products from responsibly managed forests. FSC conserves wildlife habitat, protects clean water and respects the rights of Native people and local communities on 170 million acres of forestland in the US and Canada. While hundreds of companies
- [The Journey to JUST in China](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-36/the-journey-to-just-in-china/) - Since July of 2016, I have been an employee of Aspecta North America, LLC, which provides high-quality commercial flooring to the marketplace. Our products are known for transparency in product ingredients and social justice, as well as rich and beautiful biophilic designs. In my role, I lead the Product Authority Team, which is a talented
- [Closing the Transparency Loop: How Building Material Manufacturers are Transforming the Industry through Cross-Sector Collaboration](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-36/closing-the-transparency-loop-how-building-material-manufacturers-are-transforming-the-industry-through-cross-sector-collaboration/) - SuperiorEssex’s vision and leadership is paving the way to a more sustainable future for the entire building materials industry - as Annie Bevan explains below. Any sustainability professional will tell you that truly impactful, industry-wide sustainable change is something that can’t be achieved by any single organization. It takes a concerted effort from every actor
- [No Building's an Island: Bringing a Community + Campus Approach to Sustainability](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-36/no-buildings-an-island-bringing-a-community-campus-approach-to-sustainability/) - Addressing sustainability at the building level is a challenge in and of itself, and it’s often where companies and institutions begin thinking about sustainability in the built environment. Buildings don’t exist in isolation, and there’s a pretty natural progression from considering building-level issues to seeing how they fit into bigger systems. For Williams College, the
- [Biophilic Design: A New Scale Emerges](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-36/biophilic-design-a-new-scale-emerges/) - Editor's note: This article is republished with permission from Love + Regeneration, a new publication from regenerative design practice McLennan Design. Our bodies crave nature - of this we are sure. We are all familiar with the innately restorative effects of a deep breath of fresh air. We bring fragrant bouquets into our homes, hoping to
- [Early Bird Pricing for Living Future 19](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/press-release-early-bird-pricing-for-living-future-19/) - The industry’s leading event in regenerative design at a great price
- [5 Reasons to Attend Living Future 19](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/five-reasons-lf19/) - 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
- [What's your change for climate change?](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/whats-your-change-for-climate-change/) - Reports depicting the dire situation of our warming planet continue to emerge (even on holiday weekends.) They confirm for the world what we and climate scientists already know: human-caused climate change is happening and we are running out of time to change its course. It is clear to the Living Future community that we need
- [PRESS RELEASE: Living Future unConference 2019 Opens for Registration](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/press-release-living-future-unconference-2019-opens-for-registration/) - PRESS RELEASE: Living Future unConference 2019 Opens for Registration, Focus on Collaboration and Abundance Keynote speakers include Bill McKibben, Mustafa Santiago Ali, and Mary Robinson SEATTLE - The International Living Future Institute is hosting its 13th annual Living Future unConference in Seattle, Washington, on April 30-May 3, 2019, at the new Hyatt Regency. Architects, engineers,
- [LF18 Speaker Profile: Amanda Oborne](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/lf18-speaker-profile-amanda-oborne/) - Alaina Kowitz: Where do you live and what do you do? Amanda Oborne: I live right here in Portland, Oregon, and am on a mission to fix our food system! I lead a team of passionate and creative individuals at Ecotrust who help Pacific Northwest schools, hospitals, colleges, and other institutions connect and buy from
- [LF18 Speaker Profile: Drew Shula of Verdical Group](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/lf18-speaker-profile-drew-shula-of-verdical-group/) - Alaina Kowitz: Where do you live and what do you do? Drew Shula: I'm Founder & Principal at Verdical Group. We're a green building consulting firm headquartered in Los Angeles. We work with our clients to build high performance projects, and we also throw the nation's largest annual net zero building conference. Our built environment
- [Living Future 2018 Tours](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/living-future-2018-tours/) - Image © JeffreyFreeman.com | Courtesy of Building an ADU With everything going on at the Living Future unConference, you could be tempted to take a pass on the Wednesday's tours. Don't do it! This year, ILFI is proud to offer five exceptional tours throughout the Portland Metro Area. Ranging from a luxurious day-long outing in
- [Attend LF18 as a Member  + Receive a Special Gift!](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/attend-lf18-as-a-member-receive-a-special-gift/) - At ILFI, our members inspire meaningful change around the globe. This global community shepherds the creation of a Living Future as they certify cutting-edge buildings and materials, spread the word about the Living Building Challenge in 60 nations, and make our communities more resilient for generations to come. You’re aware of the many reasons to
- [LF18 Speaker Profile: Joel Cesare of the City of Santa Monica](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/lf18-speaker-profile-joel-cesare-of-the-city-of-santa-monica/) - Alaina Kowitz: Where do you live and what do you do? Joel Cesare: I live in Venice Beach, CA. My day job is Sustainable Building Advisor for the City of Santa Monica. I also run an action-sports, sharing-economy startup called StokeShare and serve on the Executive Committee of the Surfrider Foundation. AK: What are you
- [PRESS RELEASE: Early Bird Pricing for Living Future 18](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/press-release-early-bird-pricing-for-living-future-18/) - PRESS RELEASE: Early Bird Pricing for Living Future 18 Celebrate 12 years of innovation with the International Living Future Institute at Living Future 2018 in Portland, Oregon from May 1-4. Register before December 6, 11:59 PM PST, and take $100 off your ticket for this year’s 3-day conference highlighting Authenticity + Action. Attendees will enjoy
- [PRESS RELEASE: International Living Future Institute Kicks off 12th Annual Living Future unConference in Portland](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/press-release-international-living-future-institute-kicks-off-12th-annual-living-future-unconference-in-portland/) - PRESS RELEASE: International Living Future Institute Kicks off 12th Annual Living Future unConference in Portland “Authenticity + Action” is the Rallying Cry for the Leading Event in Regenerative Design PORTLAND, Ore., - The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) today kicked off the 2018 unConference, a sold-out gathering of 1,000+ experts in green building, placemaking and
- [PRESS RELEASE: Announcing Majora Carter as Keynote Speaker at Living Future unConference](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/press-release-announcing-majora-carter-as-keynote-speaker-at-living-future-unconference/) - PRESS RELEASE: Announcing Majora Carter as Keynote Speaker at Living Future unConference Carter joins Raj Patel and Terry Tempest Williams as keynotes at annual green design conference SEATTLE - The International Living Future Institute is pleased to announce Majora Carter as their third keynote speaker at the annual Living Future unConference, held this year in Portland,
- [PRESS RELEASE: Living Future unConference 2018 Opens for Registration](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/living-future-unconference-2018-opens-for-registration/) - PRESS RELEASE: Living Future unConference 2018 Opens for Registration The conference where big ideas gain momentum SEATTLE - The International Living Future Institute is hosting its 12th annual Living Future unConference in Portland, Oregon on May 1-4, 2018. Architects, engineers, manufacturers, CSR professionals, and more will gather for the leading regenerative design event of the
- [Press Release: Second Annual Stephen R. Kellert Biophilic Design Award Winners Announced](https://trimtab.living-future.org/press-release/press-release-second-annual-stephen-r-kellert-biophilic-design-award-winners-announced/) - Second Annual Stephen R. Kellert Biophilic Design Award Winners Announced CHICAGO, November 15, 2018: The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) honored the late scholar and Yale University social ecologist Stephen R. Kellert’s legacy with the second annual Biophilic Design Award last night at a special award ceremony hosted by Interface, Inc., at the 2018 Greenbuild
- [ILFI's Offsite Renewables Pathway](https://trimtab.living-future.org/ze-leader/streamlined-zero-energy-certification-and-offsite-renewables-exception/) - As Zero Energy buildings continue to advance into the mainstream of the built environment, supported by high performance building and energy codes, city and state energy policies, utility incentive programs, and various greenhouse gas reduction targets, ILFI has launched a new pathway for certification using offsite renewables. The Offsite Renewables Exception, or alternative compliance pathway
- [Introducing ILFI’s New Zero Carbon Certification](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/introducing-the-ilfis-new-zero-carbon-certification/) - ILFI is excited to announce its new Zero Carbon Certification. Providing a new performance pathway situated between Reveal and the Zero Energy Certification, the Zero Carbon Certification provides greater flexibility around project fuel types (for existing projects) and placement and ownership of offsetting renewables. The ILFI Zero Carbon Certification is the first worldwide Zero Carbon
- [A Living Future for Tasmania: The Big Punchbowl Reserve](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/a-living-future-for-tasmania-the-big-punchbowl-reserve/) - On May 2, 2018, at the 2018 Living Future unConference, our CEO was proud to announce that funds from seven contributing projects* have now funded the protection of 12.57 hectares (or 31 acres) of critical habitat in Tasmania, Australia, expanding the Big Punchbowl Reserve. It is an important piece of protected land in addition to
- [What Is Net Zero Energy?](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/what-is-net-zero-energy/) - Net Zero Energy is when “100% of the project’s energy needs being supplied by on-site renewable energy on a net annual basis.”
- [Seattle’s Living Building Pilot Program Receives Improved Incentives in Update](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/seattles-living-building-pilot-program-receives-improved-incentives-in-update/) - On June 25, 2018 the Seattle City Council passed an update to the current Seattle Living Building Pilot Program (LBC Pilot), alongside the creation of the new 2030 Challenge High Performance Existing Buildings Pilot Program (2030 Challenge Pilot). The update included increased incentives and a clarification to the penalty structure that will streamline the process of developing
- [LP18 Speaker Interview: Pauline Souza of WRNS Studio](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/lp18-speaker-interview-pauline-souza-of-wrns-studio/) - Alex Co: Where do you live and what do you do? Pauline Souza: I live in Oakland. I am a partner and the director of sustainability at WRNS Studio, an architectural/planning firm with offices in San Francisco, New York, Hawaii and Seattle, with a diverse portfolio of sustainable design. Much of my career has been focused
- [Toxnot Chosen to be Platform for Creation of ILFI Declare Labels](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/living-product-expo-2018/toxnot-chosen-to-be-platform-for-creation-of-ilfi-declare-labels/) - [Editor's note: This press release is from our partner Toxnot. Learn more about Declare on our website or visit Toxnot] Toxnot Chosen to be Platform for Creation of ILFI Declare Labels FORT COLLINS, Colo., Sep. 06 /CSRwire/ - The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) has selected Toxnot as the software platform for the creation of
- [Enterprise Community Partners and International Living Future Institute Partner to Bring Healthy Buildings to Where They are Most Needed](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/living-product-expo-2018/enterprisecommunitypartners/) - Enterprise Community Partners and International Living Future Institute Partner to Bring Healthy Buildings to Where They are Most Needed Development of next generation of Enterprise Green Communities Criteria to synchronize with ILFI’s healthy materials programs, including Red List, Declare and the Living Product Challenge September 11, 2018, Pittsburgh, PA: As the first to address the
- [Regenerative Manufacturing at a Tipping Point](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/regenerative-manufacturing-at-a-tipping-point/) - Regenerative Manufacturing at a Tipping Point Revised Standards and new Innovative Product Certifications are Highlights at Living Product Expo, September 11-13 in Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, September 11, 2018) – Since its release in 2014, the Living Product Challenge has scaled across industries, products categories, and whole product portfolios at leading manufacturing companies, enabled by a growing
- [NAACP Launches Design Competition for a Living Building](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/naacp-launches-design-competition-for-a-living-building/) - Almost exactly one year ago, I was forwarded an RFP from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). They sought a consultant to evaluate social equity measures in the Living Building Challenge as they began planning for their new headquarters in Baltimore. The NAACP has put forth a vision to demonstrate--through their
- [2018 STEPHEN R. KELLERT BIOPHILIC DESIGN AWARD](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/2018-stephen-r-kellert-biophilic-design-award/) - The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) is excited to celebrate the late scholar and Yale University social ecologist Stephen R. Kellert’s legacy with the 2018 Biophilic Design Award at this year’s Greenbuild Expo in Chicago. The winner will be announced from the five outstanding projects selected by the jury. Each project highlights how rapidly biophilic
- [Introduction to the EMERGE Leadership Model](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/introduction-to-the-emerge-leadership-model/) - EMERGE comes at a critical time for the building community. It’s clear that technologically we can achieve sustainability. We already have shining examples of projects and policies that exemplify the advancements that are available. We have Living Buildings in nearly every part of the globe. It’s possible. But wholesale adoption of sustainable methods and products
- [Press Release: Alicia Daniels Uhlig Receives a Women in Sustainability Leadership Award from Green Building & Design Magazine](https://trimtab.living-future.org/press-release/press-release-alicia-daniels-uhlig-receives-a-women-in-sustainability-leadership-award-from-green-building-design-magazine/) - Press Release: Alicia Daniels Uhlig receives a Women in Sustainability Leadership Award from Green Building & Design magazine
- [Footprints and Handprints: The Ripple Effects of our Presence](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-35/footprints-and-handprints-the-ripple-effects-of-our-presence/) - Let’s begin with a few simple definitions. Footprints are the environmental and social impacts of the processes that sustain us. (These processes sustain us by directly or indirectly supplying every good and service we buy or experience.) Handprints are changes to environmental and social impacts that we cause outside of our footprints. With footprints, we
- [The Gulf State Park Interpretive Center: A Southern Success Story](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-35/the-gulf-state-park-interpretive-center-a-southern-success-story/) - Gulf State Park is located on the southern coast of Alabama in Baldwin County, the fastest growing county in the state. It is 6,150 acres of natural beauty that includes 9 ecosystems, 2-1/2 miles of beaches, and a wide variety of wildlife. The park already receives over 2 million visitors a year visiting its 500-site campground,
- [First Annual Stephen R. Kellert Biophilic Design Award Goes to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/biophilic-design-award/) - Nature’s Healing Power is in Abundance at this Singapore Hospital The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) today honored the late scholar and Yale University social ecologist Stephen R. Kellert’s legacy with the first ever Biophilic Design Award at the Greenbuild Expo in Boston. The award was presented to CPG Consultants Pte Ltd, Senior Vice President
- [The Handprint of a Flower](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-35/the-handprint-of-a-flower/) - The flower is used in so many metaphors. It is a regular stand-in for love, femininity, and even painfully fleeting beauty. A flower is a blossoming soul; the thing with which the earth laughs. In the case of the Living Building Challenge, it has provided an appropriate and elegant model for the efficiency of a
- [Making a Positive Impact](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-35/making-a-positive-impact/) - In September of 2008, Atlanta was a sweltering 90 degrees Fahrenheit with a heat index that reached well into the 100’s. When it gets this hot in Atlanta, even the weeds start to go into survival mode by blooming and sending pollen as far and wide as possible. All human lifeforms are thereby also hot,
- [A Holistic Approach to Sustainability Through Handprinting](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-35/a-holistic-approach-to-sustainability-through-handprinting/) - When the commercial division of the world’s largest flooring manufacturer switches its focus from “footprinting” to “handprinting” — or leaving the world in better shape than when we found it — it is not a small endeavor or one taken lightly. We at Mohawk Group quickly realized that if we truly intended to pursue sustainability,
- [A note from the CEO: the latest IPCC Report](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/a-note-from-the-ceo-the-uns-ipcc-report/) - Last week, a report was released from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, or 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit. Starkly depicting a grim prognosis of the difference in a half degree Celsius, the report quantified the remaining time we have for transformation–as little as 12 years. There are
- [Santa Monica: Committed to a Living Future](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-35/santa-monica-committed-to-a-living-future/) - We get about 75 years on this Earth. It’s not long. Leaving this place better than we found it seems daunting these days. Very few of us are fortunate enough to be part of something special. Something that makes a dent. If you’re reading this article it’s probably because you aspire to make a dent.
- [Rethinking High Performance Buildings](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-35/rethinking-high-performance-buildings/) - Cover photo: University of Washington Bothell Activities and Recreation Center; LMN Architects. The University of Washington Bothell Activities and recreation Center uses no mechanical cooling. Resiliency and health are broadening our thinking around high performance building, and Biophilia is a design tool for incorporating both and working to mitigate the effects of climate change. When
- [Building  Community  and  Advancing  Sustainability](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-35/building-community-and-advancing-sustainability/) - [Editor's note: Gordon Harris is the author of the newest Ecotone Publishing title, Building Community, available now in the Ecotone Bookstore] Sustainability – the word, the concept, the aspiration – was always deeply embedded in the mythology of our organization: it was everyone’s understanding that SFU Community Trust had been established in the late 1990s
- [THE FINANCIAL CASE FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE BUILDINGS: WHY IT MATTERS](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/the-financial-case-for-high-performance-buildings-why-it-matters/) - Editor's Note: We're excited to share this post from our friends at stok, as well as their new report on the financial benefits of high performance buildings. Enjoy! In a report on The Financial Case for High Performance Buildings, publicly released in October 2018, stok argues that the seemingly intangible occupant impacts of the built
- [LP18 Attendee Q+A: Mike Gwin, AIA Pittsburgh Chapter President](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/living-product-expo-2018/lp18-attendee-qa-mike-gwin-aia-pittsburgh-chapter-president/) - Alex Co: What is your role in your organization and in Pittsburgh? Mike Gwin: As a principal and the director of design within our firm, Rothschild Doyno Collaborative, I work to foster an innovative and collaborative design process demonstrating and integrating sustainable design principles in our design process. I am also the current AIA Pittsburgh
- [LP18 Keynote Interview: Jane Abernethy](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/living-product-expo-2018/lp18-keynote-interview-jane-abernethy/) - Nicole Van Batenburg: Where do you live and what do you do? Jane Abernethy: I live in Toronto and I head sustainability globally for Humanscale, the leading office ergonomic manufacturer. We've been on a mission to have a net positive impact as we operate, aiming to be regenerative and become part of the solution to
- [Arch|Nexus SAC: Leading By Example](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-34/archnexus-sac-leading-by-example/) - The Arch Nexus design firm’s Sacramento office (Arch|Nexus SAC) is not only the world’s first Living Building to be an adaptive reuse of an existing building, but also the first to receive LBC 3.0 certification, the first Living Building in California, the first Living Building to be owned and operated by a design firm, and
- [We Are Made For This: The Opportunity of Regenerative Design in Higher Education](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-34/we-are-made-for-this-the-opportunity-of-regenerative-design-in-higher-education/) - Colleges and universities are known as cultivators of revolution, challenging the status quo in pursuit of a better world. In the 1960's, American universities were hotbeds of student activism, demanding equal rights, environmental stewardship, and policies of peace. Today, another revolution is brewing in higher education: a revolution of place. In an era of climate
- [LP18 Speaker Interview: Patricia Culley](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/living-product-expo-2018/lp18-speaker-interview-patricia-culley/) - Alex Co: What is your role in your organization and in Pittsburgh? Patty Culley: I am a senior associate with Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, an award-winning national architecture firm that excels in celebrating the spirit of place. Through my volunteer efforts with the Education Committee at the AIA Pittsburgh and as a Facilitator for the Pittsburgh
- [Looking Back on the 2018 Living Future unConference: A Photo Essay](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-34/looking-back-on-the-2018-living-future-unconference-a-photo-essay/) - Our 12th annual Living Future unConference took place May 1-4 this year in Portland, OR, where we gathered to share ideas, get inspired, and collaborate with our community to work toward a Living Future. While it's hard to pick just a few highlights from the jam-packed conference, here are some of our favorite moments that
- [LF18 Keynote: Terry Tempest Williams](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-34/lf18-keynote-terry-tempest-williams/) - Terry Tempest Williams is an author, public lands conservationist and activist, and naturalist. Her most current book is The Hour of Land: A Personal Topography of America's National Parks, and she has won the Robert Marshall Award, the Distinguished Achievement Award, the Wallace Stegner Award, the David R. Brower Conservation Award, and many more. Terry delivered the
- [The Living Community Challenge: Gaining Momentum](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-34/the-living-community-challenge-gaining-momentum/) - When the Institute launched the Living Building Challenge, it stretched people’s imagination about what is possible. Building on the success of the Living Building Challenge, the Living Community Challenge is helping people reimagine what good looks like in the public realm of our campuses, neighborhoods, and communities. Higher education campuses have long been leaders in
- [Authenticity + Action: Stories from the Ground in Portland](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-34/authenticity-action-stories-from-the-ground-in-portland/) - In reflecting on Living Future 2018, I have been thinking about the authenticity of the work we do as creators of the built environment. What makes our work truly authentic and, in telling stories from the ground in Portland, what is truly authentic to Portland? Portland is reputed as a city of progressives, makers, and
- [Living Product Expo Speaker Profile: Adam Kenney of Monmade](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-product-expo/living-product-expo-speaker-profile-adam-kenney-of-monmade/) - Alex Co: What is your role in your organization and in Pittsburgh? Adam Kenney: I'm the Director of the Monmade trade group at Bridgeway Capital, where we identify growth opportunities for regional “producers” (mostly artisans and designers). The Monmade and Bridgeway teams provide them with greater access to capital, guidance, markets, peers, space, and workforce.
- [Tying the Knot on Material Reuse](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-33/tying-the-knot-on-material-reuse/) - In the wide world of material reuse, sometimes a solution is born from a chance meeting between conference sessions. It’s not the most magical stumble-upon-a-soul-mate encounter, but the real world dictates a more practical timetable. And that is how a bowtie entrepreneur and an office furniture maker became sustainability partners in crime. The two manufacturers
- [Announcing the Living Food Challenge Pilot Program](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/announcing-the-living-food-challenge-pilot-program/) - A Living Food System that provides nutrient-rich food for people in all communities is a foundation of a Living Future. Today at the unConference, ILFI announced the launch of a pilot for a Living Food Challenge; a challenge to growers, processors, distributors and consumers to design a food production, processing and distribution system that functions as effectively
- [Product Highlight: the Kill-a-Watt Meter](https://trimtab.living-future.org/ze-leader/product-highlight-the-kill-a-watt-meter/) - One of my all-time favorite tools is the Kill-a-Watt meter. Available in several models, this inexpensive, handy tool allows you to find out how much electricity a given plug-in item uses. Simply plug it into the wall, then plug the item into the Kill-a-Watt. Several different settings provide real-time wattage, voltage, and amperage readings, as
- [The Business Case for Living Buildings](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-33/the-business-case-for-living-buildings/) - The Living Building Challenge launched in 2006 with an exciting and incredibly audacious question: Is it possible to upend the design and construction paradigm to design and create buildings that function as elegantly and beautifully as anything found in the natural world? At first, the challenge was real. Many professionals questioned whether it was even
- [Celebrating Earth Day with Hope](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/celebrating-earth-day-with-hope/) - We’re living among 7.4 billion people and counting. Human-caused climate change is happening today. Major ecological systems are in decline and environmental disasters are the likeliest global risk we face today. It doesn’t have to be this way. At the International Living Future Institute, we support structures that regenerate life, materials designed for our health,
- [Transformational People: Raj Patel](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-33/transformational-people-raj-patel/) - Raj Patel is an award-winning writer. His works include the book Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System. His second book, The Value of Nothing, was a New York Times and international bestseller. His latest book, co-written with Jason W. Moore, is A History of the World in Seven Cheap Things. He is
- [Acme 50 Fills Need for Declare Label Architectural Walls](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/acme-50-fills-need-for-declare-label-architectural-walls/) - Growing interest over the health of our interior environments has led to an increasing number of projects considering the Well Building Standard and Living Building Challenge certifications. To achieve the requirements of these certifications, it is critical to source materials that meet the stringent standards. While it can be difficult to find architectural products that
- [Matera, Italy: the original Living Community?](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-33/matera-italy-the-original-living-community/) - In a prehistoric ravine carved out by a Mediterranean river lies the city of Matera, a unique place where the lines distinguishing the environment from the built environment have faded with the patina of time. The former invades the latter, natural caves become dwellings, and the rock-hewn dwellings become natural in a steady osmotic relationship
- [To Improve our Health and Happiness We Must Connect to Nature](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-33/to-improve-our-health-and-happiness-we-must-connect-to-nature/) - All too often, our buildings do not give us the chance to connect with nature. Buildings with few or no windows, no fresh air, and views of something uninspiring, a wall or a parking lot, are all too common. Given that we spend 90 percent of our time inside, this means many of us are
- [Human Connection and Leadership: It Changes Everything](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-33/human-connection-and-leadership-it-changes-everything/) - We need leaders, a lot of them. And we need these leaders to influence change quickly and effectively. This is not easy, as the changes envisioned in the sustainable building community must occur within complex, layered systems—and of course, they require us humans to work together. The EMERGE leadership model provides a strategic leadership model
- [Greening the Red List: Nature-inspired Chemistry Innovations for the Building Sector](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-33/greening-the-red-list-nature-inspired-chemistry-innovations-for-the-building-sector/) - This post originally appeared on Synapse.bio, where Biomimicry 3.8 staff experts share what they’re excited about in biomimicry, innovations from nature’s genius, plus tips and resources for doing biomimicry. Subscribe to weekly Synapse alerts (Synapse.bio/signup) so you’ll know when new posts in this series go live. PVC. Flame retardants. Epoxy. They’re materials we’ve all heard
- [New from Ecotone Publishing: Creating Biophilic Buildings](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/creating-biophilic-buildings/) - New Release: Creating Biophilic Buildings Amanda Sturgeon, FAIA, (CEO, International Living Future Institute) turns her award-winning eye for sustainable buildings toward biophilic design, an emerging design discipline that creates spaces where people and nature can thrive together as an integrated whole. Her new book from Ecotone Publishing, Creating Biophilic Buildings, takes a case study-style approach to this burgeoning field, using carefully
- [The EMERGE Leadership Project Is Now Part of ILFI](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/the-emerge-leadership-project-is-now-part-of-ilfi/) - Since 2011, the EMERGE Leadership Project (ELP) has been offering intensive workshops, leadership summits, mentoring, and other resources to the sustainable building community. Hundreds of professionals and activists in the field have benefited from learning about a strategic leadership approach emphasizing collaboration, service, and inclusion that is founded on proven principles of behavioral change and
- [Have You Switched to Red List-Free Mineral Wool Insulation Yet?](https://trimtab.living-future.org/ze-leader/have-you-switched-to-red-list-free-mineral-wool-insulation-yet/) - My first introduction to mineral wool was during a 2005 visit to the pioneering Zero Energy project, BedZED, in England. There were a lot of amazing things to take in that day, and mineral wool was one of them. Insulation made out of rocks? Cool! To find out that it was the predominant insulation in
- [Interview: Sean Bagsby, IBEW President – Local 36](https://trimtab.living-future.org/ze-leader/interview-sean-bagsby-ibew-president-local-36/) - Sean Bagsby currently serves as the President for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Local 46, in Kent, WA. Mr. Bagsby also serves as a Labor Trustee for the Puget Sound Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Trust (PSEJATC) located in Renton, WA, since 2008. Mr. Bagsby has been involved with several local and regional
- [NRDC Midwest Office Expansion](https://trimtab.living-future.org/case-study/nrdc-midwest-office-expansion/) - The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) did not think twice about pursuing Living Building Challenge Certification for the expansion of their Petal Certified Midwest office, located in the Civic Opera House Building in downtown Chicago, Illinois. After two years of occupancy in the office, it became clear that the efforts made under the guidance of
- [Foster the Future with the JUST Fund](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/lf18/foster-the-future-with-the-just-fund/) - ILFI believes in having participation of people from all communities at our conferences to achieve our vision of a socially just, culturally rich, and ecologically restorative society. The purpose of the JUST Fund is to help build a more diverse audience at the Living Future unConference and to include voices from traditionally underserved and underrepresented
- [Indigenous Artisans and Circular Solutions](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-32/indigenous-artisans-and-circular-solutions/) - There’s a movement in the manufacturing industry to inspire a revolution in the way materials are designed, manufactured and delivered so products are healthy, sustainable, and give more than they take. There is a similar movement and growing trend in the fashion industry—an industry that is the second most polluting industry in the world—to make
- [New Net Zero Energy Incentive Program Available in Illinois](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/new-net-zero-energy-incentive-program-available-in-illinois/) - The Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation (ICECF), with the help of the International Living Future Institute, has launched a Net Zero Energy Building Program full of great incentives to help projects realize their potential in high performance buildings. The Net Zero Energy Building (NZEB) Certification Program at ILFI is the only performance-based certification for buildings
- [Excerpt from the Power of Zero](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/excerpt-from-the-power-of-zero/) - Editor's Note: The following excerpt is a chapter from the Power of Zero, the latest release from Ecotone Publishing. Net Zero Energy — the first stage in a transformation toward a carbon-free future. Net zero energy (NZE) buildings, though compelling and meaningful, are just a beginning. We are only in the earliest days of a
- [Transformational Design: Net Zero Energy Certified Residential Buildings](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/net-zero-energy-certified-residential-buildings/) - Net zero energy is quickly becoming a sought-after goal for many buildings worldwide. The media focuses primarily on commercial buildings, but there are a number of innovative homeowners who seek to reduce demand on the earth’s natural resources. Residential net zero energy buildings are examples of what is possible when homeowners and designers look at
- [Journey to Net Zero](https://trimtab.living-future.org/case-study/journey-to-net-zero/) - The purpose of this project is partly contained in its name, Journey to Net Zero, but the purpose generally is to refit a century-old Seattle home to produce all of its energy, and to have edible and pleasant landscaping that is a resource for humans and wildlife. The project has a broad environmental focus that
- [LBC Brings Net Zero to Building Codes in Miami Beach](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/living-building-challenge-brings-net-zero-to-building-codes-in-miami-beach/) - For those who have visited Miami Beach you most likely arrived by driving over one of the several causeways that that rise up from the mainland of Miami and as you descended on this beautiful barrier island you noticed the rise of tall condo buildings crowding out to the beaches. The City of Miami Beach
- [What's So Great About Zero Energy, Anyway?](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/whats-so-great-about-zero-energy-anyway/) - I first become interested in zero energy buildings in 2003. There were several things that pulled me into the concept, and probably the most compelling aspect was the scale of the change. At the time, I was managing a municipal green building program and we were struggling to convince developers to make relatively minor incremental
- [ILFI and New Buildings Institute Partner to Accelerate the Zero Energy Movement](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/ilfi-and-new-buildings-institute-partner-to-accelerate-the-zero-energy-movement/) - 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
- [Growing Living Communities: Living Community Challenge v1.2](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/growing-living-communities-living-community-challenge-v1-2/) - The International Living Future Institute launched a variety of new resources during the Living Future unConference 2017 to help teams and communities. In an effort to integrate those updates and make the Institute’s community-scale program more accessible and current with market conditions, our team launched the Living Community Challenge (LCC) version 1.2 Standard. LCC Standard
- [Washington State’s Zero Energy Leaders Pave the Way for New Solar Incentives](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/washington-states-zero-energy-leaders-pave-the-way-for-new-solar-incentives/) - Renewable energy generation from solar photovoltaics (PV) has come a long way since its inception over 60 years ago in New Jersey’s Bell Labs, thanks to an exponential decrease in installations costs (70% reduction since 2010), increased efficiency and power density of PV modules, and support from federal, state and local incentive programs. Today, more
- [Net Positive Conference Evolution: What's New](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/net-positive-conference-evolution-whats-new/) - For the past three years, we’ve hosted the Net Positive Energy and Water Conference to explore net positive energy and water solutions. We’ve recently evolved the Net Positive event model to provide even more bang for our energy buck. To build on the metaphor, we are trying to provide capacity building and education to our current
- [Oregon Zoo Education Center Teaches Zero Energy](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/oregon-zoo-education-center-teaches-zero-energy/) - The Oregon Zoo recently opened their renewably powered Education Center, building on an exciting trend in Zero Energy project development in the Pacific Northwest. The $17 million dollar project features 760 solar photovoltaic modules, a 10,000-gallon rainwater cistern, and is designed to operate at net zero energy. The Education Center also recently won the Energy
- [Join the Momentum](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/join-the-momentum/) - Regan from Minnesota put her passion for the natural world into action by becoming a member of the International Living Future Institute. In Minneapolis, she began a zero-waste community group that quickly grew to include over 100 members and local supporters. Recognizing the importance of radical group action in addressing the overwhelming issue of climate
- [An Insider's Take on Getting Zero Energy Certified](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/an-insiders-take-on-getting-zero-energy-certified/) - "We strongly value our certification with ILFI because it's based on proven performance, instead of modeling or projections." – Julian Weber AIA, Founding Principal of JW Architects ILFI’s Zero Energy Certification program has now been streamlined to save project teams time and money, and continues to be implemented along with ILFI’s flagship certification, the Living
- [ProClima Tescon Vana and Profil Tapes](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/proclima-tescon-vana-and-profil-tapes/) - ILFI has recently been working much more with the Passive House community, to connect the networks in both people and thought. This fall, we had an excellent Net Positive Symposium in Vancouver, held jointly with Passive House Canada, as well as a Net Positive track and class at the North America Passive House Network conference
- [Fort Totten Builds First Zero Energy School on Tribal Land](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/fort-totten-builds-first-zero-energy-school-on-tribal-land/) - As a registered project for Zero Energy Certification with the International Living Future Institute (ILFI), Fort Totten Public Schools is developing a net zero energy educational facility at the Four Winds High School that will receive an independent audit of its energy performance through ILFI. Zero Energy Certification delivers third-party verification of proven performance for
- [Sewage Provides Heat in DC](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/sewage-provides-heat-in-dc/) - Last week, I was in the District of Columbia, hosting a zero energy seminar and reception as part of our Zero Energy Roadshow partnership with Arup. While I was there, I was able to check in on the construction progress of one of my favorite ZE projects—the American Geophysical Union Headquarters, which is a ILFI
- [David Mead on Project Drawdown](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/david-mead-on-zero-energy/) - Brad Liljequist: Hi David—tell us about yourself. David Mead: I’m a Building Performance Specialist at PAE Engineers. I work as both an energy engineer and architect within our office, integrating systems to achieve high performance goals for projects. I went to school for architecture originally, and I kept wanting to focus on performance, and realized
- [New: Declare Label Translations!](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/new-declare-label-translations/) - In an effort to further expand Declare’s global presence, ILFI is excited to announce a translation pathway for Declare labels and product claims. Declare labels can now be translated into any language with the help of a Declare International Partner or approved translation service. For translated Declare labels, ILFI will issue the Declare label in
- [Biophilic Design: Bridging the Gap Between Nature and People](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-32/biophilic-design-bridging-the-gap-between-nature-and-people/) - Biophilic Design takes the concept of biophilia, love of life, and applies it to the built environment while specifically looking at the relationship between people and nature in our buildings and cities. At ILFI, we decided to make biophilic design a core strategy for us. In order to create a world full of living buildings and
- [Footprints and Handprints on the Journey to Social Equity](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-32/footprints-and-handprints-on-the-journey-to-social-equity/) - “People are part of the environment, not just caretakers, and we are at the core of our environmental troubles. Environment then, is also about human and civil rights, economic equity, gender equality, and from the standpoint of a pilgrim on the road, environment is about how we treat each other when we meet each other.”
- [Why Diversity Is the Key to Unlocking Sustainability](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-32/why-diversity-is-the-key-to-unlocking-sustainability/) - This article was first published on GreenBiz. Let’s face it. We live in an incredibly divided world. As corporate sustainability professionals, we must lead the cultivation of a more inclusive, equitable world for all. We not only must steward the environment but also explore ways to meet the needs of the vulnerable and create healthy
- [Diversity in Business: More Optimistic Research](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-32/diversity-in-business-more-optimistic-research/) - The Value of Diversity We have made slow and incremental progress with awareness that diverse organizations tend to perform better than those organizations that demonstrate low levels of diversity. The link between company financial performance and gender diversity has strengthened in recent years with the emergence of a body of academic and qualitative research that
- [WholeTrees Wins Living Product Expo Competition](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/issue-32/wholetrees-wins-living-product-expo-competition/) - The 2017 Living Product Expo in Pittsburgh, PA, convened passionate advocates for healthy and sustainable materials for the third year in a row. A new feature of this year’s event was the “Rethink the Materials Paradigm” pitch competition for early-stage and emerging designers, as well as organizations of all sizes. Contestants presented to conference attendees
- [State of the Living Building Challenge](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/state-of-the-living-building-challenge/) - Over the past 11 years, thanks to the transformative work of committed groups of owners, developers, and design and construction professionals, the Living Building Challenge has catalyzed regional change with each and every new project. As more and more visitors to certified projects are exposed to the concept and reality of regenerative design, the volume
- [The Power of Catalyst Projects to Change the World](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/the-power-of-catalyst-projects-to-change-the-world/) - When you walk through a forest, whether it’s a deciduous forest shedding its leaves on a colorful fall day, or in a eucalyptus forest in the midst of summer, where the smell of peeling bark is clearing your sinuses, it is not just your visual senses that are alive. Smell, sound, and the texture of
- [Interview: ILFI's Retiring CFO Tom Bland](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/interview-ilfis-retiring-cfo-tom-bland/) - Tom has been with ILFI since 2009 and is now transitioning out of his role as Chief Financial Officer. During his time at the ILFI Portland office he managed financial operations, human resources, information technology, corporate governance, risk management, facilities management, and much more. Tom loves to be on the move; he was well-known at
- [Sneak Peak: Creating Biophilic Buildings](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/sneak-peak-creating-biophilic-buildings/) - The following is an excerpt from upcoming Creating Biophilic Buildings by Amanda Sturgeon, FAIA, CEO of the International Living Future Institute. Introduction to the Case Studies Upon investigating resources related to biophilic design, I discovered that only four case studies were currently available to the general public. Architects and designers, who are almost all overwhelmingly
- [The Brock Environmental Center](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/the-brock-environmental-center/) - This is an excerpt from Juliet Grable's Brock Environmental Center for a Living Chesapeake. DESIGNING WITH NATURE The Living Building Challenge Standard mandates the incorporation of biophilic elements into the design of buildings in order to nurture the innate human attraction to natural systems and processes. The ILFI considers this natural connection essential to physical
- [Pittsburgh Forges Ahead with Green Manufacturing](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/pittsburgh-forges-ahead-with-green-manufacturing/) - This article was first published in the Green Building Alliance’s Viride Magazine. American manufacturing has been on the decline for decades. Like immigration and healthcare, the nation’s industrial state of affairs has become a recent point of contention, simultaneously an opportunity or a challenge to shape the future of the country's economy. Pittsburgh has very
- [Meet Our New Vice Presidents](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/meet-our-new-vice-presidents/) - Rachel Hynes Vice President of Operations Rachel is passionate about creating systems that enable individuals and organizations to thrive. She has committed her career to creating more just and resilient communities, whether at large nonprofits, city government, or start-up companies. Prior to joining the institute, she worked at Future of Fish and Flip Labs, helping
- [Lighting at the Bullitt Center - A Botanical Exploration](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/lighting-at-the-bullitt-center-a-botanical-exploration/) - Every so often, a project comes along that perfectly aligns craftsmanship, unique customization, and LightArt’s passion for sustainable products. The Seattle-based lighting company had an opportunity to tackle that project early in 2017. The ILFI approached LightArt with a challenge to build a light fixture that mimicked the Institute’s orange flower logo. They also requested
- ['Believe in Better’ Energizes Mohawk Group’s Innovations and Its Commitment to Sustainability](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/believe-in-better-energizes-mohawk-groups-innovations-and-its-commitment-to-sustainability/) - As the world’s leading commercial flooring manufacturer, Mohawk Group never stands still. Its motto of “Believe in Better” is woven through every facility, emphasized in every department, and crafted in every product and process. And this same attitude is behind the company’s commitment to sustainability. While other businesses were vaguely pondering sustainability, parent company Mohawk
- [Favianna Rodriguez and the Power of the Artist](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/favianna-rodriguez-and-the-power-of-the-artist/) - “Our imagination has the ability to go far beyond the limits imposed by inequality, in order to visualize a truth much bigger than our gender, our race, and our place of origin.” Favianna Rodriguez works tirelessly to promote the power and possibility of art and how it can inspire social change. Part artist and part
- [10 Companies Making Healthy Interior Products](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/10-companies-making-healthy-interior-products/) - Learn more about the Living Product Expo 2017, held on Sept 12 - 14 in Pittsburgh, and register today! Early bird ends August 1st. A prominent feature of the Living Product Expo are the products themselves, made with innovative materials by companies who are pushing the limit on healthy products. Interface Product: Global Change Collection By moving away
- [Canary in the Coal Mine](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/canary-in-the-coal-mine/) - Surrounded by the majestic mountains of Appalachia, the area of Welch, West Virginia, located in McDowell County, was once a bustling working-class town completely dependent on the extraction economy of coal. Deeply connected to the dirty energy, Welch was the world’s largest producer of coal. As a child, my mother-in-law would wave goodbye to her father
- [10 Takeaways from the Living Future unConference](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/10-takeaways-from-the-living-future-unconference/) - How can we create a healthy future for everyone? Each year, over 1,000 people join the Living Future unConference to try to help answer that question for their community. During the 11th unConference in Seattle last month, the house was packed as we spent three days discussing how to unleash our genius and find the courage
- [ILFI and the International WELL Building Institute™ Partner on “Crosswalk” to Align Two Ratings Systems](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/ilfi-and-the-international-well-building-institute-partner-on-crosswalk-to-align-two-ratings-systems/) - The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) and the International WELL Building Institute™ (IWBI™), have agreed to work collaboratively to promote the design, construction and operation of healthy and restorative buildings. The two organizations will work together to identify opportunities to align the two rating systems, coordinate events and education offerings, and promote building practices that
- [News from Neocon](https://trimtab.living-future.org/event/news-from-neocon/) - The Living Product Challenge (LPC), introduced in 2015, is growing and scaling thanks to the commitment of courageous companies who are redesigning products and processes to work within natural and social systems, it was announced at Neocon World Trade Fair today. Neocon exhibitors Mohawk and Humanscale both debuted products created under the Living Product Challenge.
- [Humanscale Receives Manufacturer's Visionary Award](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/humanscale-receives-manufacturers-visionary-award/) - “Too often we get caught in the trap of thinking in terms of trade-offs – and one of the ways in which the Living Product Challenge can have significant impact is by proving that products don’t have to make compromises – products can achieve a true, net positive social, environmental and financial impact,” said Connelly.
- [Join Us in Standing Up to Climate Change](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/join-us-in-standing-up-to-climate-change/) - The withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement today is deeply disappointing as well as foolish, particularly given that renewable energy is now being realized on such a significant scale throughout the US. However, great leaps forward usually come from the innovators and risk takers - those that have the guts, foresight and empathy to think
- [Heroes Working for a Restorative Future](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/heroes-working-for-a-restorative-future/) - Every year, we recognize individuals who have demonstrated a fierce commitment to the Living Building Challenge with their desire to continually raise the bar on behalf of the green building industry. This year, nine recipients are inspirational in their quest to help safeguard our future. “We recognize these heroes not for simply doing less harm,
- [International Living Future Institute Kicks off Living Future unConference in Seattle](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/ilfi-kicks-off-living-future-unconference-in-seattle/) - 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
- [Mohawk Group Debuts the Lichen Collection, designed by Jason F. McLennan](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/mohawk-group-debuts-the-lichen-collection-designed-by-jason-f-mclennan/) - Mohawk Group has received Petal Certification for Water, Place, and Health & Happiness in the Living Product Challenge for the Lichen Collection, a modular carpet tile product backed by the company’s EcoFlex NXT backing. Designed by ILFI Founder and Board Chairman Jason F. McLennan of McLennan Design, the Lichen Collection incorporates both biophilia and biomimicry,
- [Brock Environmental Center for a Living Chesapeake: Building a Sustainable Legacy for the Bay](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/brock-environmental-center-for-a-living-chesapeake/) - 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 Secret to Engaging Employees is Right Outside Your Window](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/the-secret-to-engaging-employees-is-right-outside-your-window/) - This article includes ideas and excerpts from Denise DeLuca's book Re-Aligning with Nature: Ecological Thinking for Radical Transformation. According to Gallup (the global research and polling organization), “engaged” employees feel they have an opportunity to do what they do best each day, have someone at work who encourages their development, believe their opinions count and
- [Ten Actions Toward a Living Future](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/ten-actions-toward-a-living-future-2/) - 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
- [Van Jones: Greenbuild Master Speaker on the Green Collar Economy](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/van-jones-greenbuild-master-speaker-on-the-green-collar-economy/) - gen·ius noun: exceptional intellectual or creative power or other natural ability cour·age noun: the ability to do something that frightens one During the initial planning stages of the International Living Future Institute’s 11th annual unConference, the theme was dedicated to Genius and Courage. The search then began for keynote speakers who are devoted to bringing
- [Living Building at Georgia Tech on Leading Edge of Biophilia Imperative](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/living-building-at-georgia-tech-on-leading-edge-of-biophilia-imperative/) - Your confusion might be excused if you stumbled one morning last August into a conference room on the Georgia Tech campus. More than 50 people sat at eight tables. Most wore casual business attire. Almost all were design or construction professionals, planning the landmark Living Building at Georgia Tech. The unusual thing was that some
- [The Living Building Challenge: Roots and Rise of the World's Greenest Standard](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/the-living-building-challenge-roots-and-rise-of-the-worlds-greenest-standard/) - The following in an excerpt from The Living Building Challenge: Roots and Rise of the World's Greenest Standard: Beavers, bees, bears, eagles, ants, termites, spiders, rabbits, snakes, coral, and a vast range of other animals build homes for themselves and their progeny. These shelters often have profound effects on the surrounding environment. Humans, however, are
- [The Living Building Challenge in Al-Tarfa](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/the-living-building-challenge-in-al-tarfa/) - Introduction and conclusion written by Sunni Wissmer, ILFI's Volunteer Network Coordinator. For many of us, working toward a more sustainable future is an act of love. Paulo Freire, the Brazilian educator and activist, once said “love is an act of courage”. As I work with our network of global volunteers, I have the privilege of
- [Green Star and Living Building Challenge Partner to Streamline Dual Certification](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/green-star-and-living-building-challenge-partner-to-streamline-dual-certification/) - 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
- [Petal Certified: Miller Hull Seattle Studio](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/petal-certified-miller-hull-seattle-studio/) - Built on the values and principles of sustainability, forty years ago Dave Miller and Bob Hull founded a firm that has led the way in creating architecture that responds to and respects its natural surroundings. The Miller Hull Partnership continues this founding tradition as they are involved with a number of Living Buildings that push
- [The Youth Leadership Program](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/the-youth-leadership-program/) - We are excited to continue engaging local youth with the 2016 launch of the pilot Youth Leadership Council (YLC). YLC is a group of 16 diverse youth who have self-identified as sustainable youth leaders among their families, peers, and communities, representing a cross section of schools from the greater Seattle area. We hope to create
- [Vitro Architectural Glass to be Founding Sponsor of Pittsburgh’s Living Product Hub](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/vitro-architectural-glass-to-be-founding-sponsor-of-living-product-hub/) - 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
- [ILFI & GBA Announce Opening of Living Product Hub in Pittsburgh](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/ilfi-gba-announce-opening-of-living-product-hub-in-pittsburgh/) - 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
- [Ten Actions Toward a Living Future](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/ten-actions-toward-a-living-future/) - 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
- [Top 10 Reasons to Attend Living Future unConference](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/top-10-reasons-to-attend-living-future-unconference/) - 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
- [Desert Rain House in Oregon Earns First-ever Residential Living Building Certification](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/desert-rain-house-in-oregon-earns-first-ever-residential-living-building-certification/) - 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
- [U.S. EPA Includes Declare and Living Product Challenge in Recommendations to Federal Purchasers](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/epa-includes-declare-and-living-product-challenge-in-recommendations-to-federal-purchasers/) - 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
- [Biophilic Design: An Opportunity to Regenerate Life](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/biophilic-design-an-opportunity-to-regenerate-life/) - Biophilic design was the reason I became an architect. I developed a deep-rooted love of life when backpacking around Australia in my early twenties. The sheer beauty of the country, its unique flora and fauna, and the vast expanse of pristine land was life changing. The Australian landscape stood in stark contrast to the developed
- [Jonathan Lash Appointed to  International Living Future Institute Board of Directors](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/jonathan-lash-appointed-to-board-of-directors/) - 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
- [Vali Homes Prototype I](https://trimtab.living-future.org/case-study/vali-homes-prototype/) - 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
- [New Tools for Creating Healthy Communities](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/new-tools-for-creating-healthy-communities/) - The Living Community Challenge (LCC) calls upon planners, developers, policy-makers and community members to rethink how they design, build and plan for community-scale projects, including streets, blocks, neighborhoods, campuses and more. The LCC provides a vision and framework that can lead a community towards the most advanced measure of sustainability in the built environment. Early
- [International Living Future Institute + GreenCircle Certified Partner to Boost Product Transparency](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/living-future-institute-greencircle-partner-to-boost-product-transparency/) - 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
- [Why Equity Matters for Everyone: A New Value Proposition for Design](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/why-equity-matters-for-everyone-a-new-value-proposition-for-design/) - “Equity” and “equality” have long been used interchangeably, but the terms are often confused with each other. While the focus of equality is framed with sameness being the end goal, equity may be defined as a state in which all people, regardless of their socioeconomic, racial, or ethnic grouping, have fair and just access to
- [Atlanta Moving Forward](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/atlanta-moving-forward/) - Atlanta and the South East are generally perceived as being the last ones to adopt the latest performance-related codes or certification. Nothing speaks more to this than the fact that we are still on the ASHRAE 90.1 2007 code in the year 2016. My first encounter of Living Building Challenge was during my visit to
- [Italy's First Registered Living Building Challenge Home](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/italys-first-registered-living-building-challenge-home/) - Casa SN House (the initial letters of the two owners Sara and Nicola Berlanda) is Italy’s first Living Building Challenge registered project. The home will be built in Trento, Italy close to the gorgeous Lake Garda. The site was a former greenhouse, and thus the owners will demolish the current structure and work to remediate
- [Common Ground](https://trimtab.living-future.org/case-study/common-ground/) - 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
- [Seattle: First City in the U.S to Incentivize Living Buildings with Pilot Program](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/city-of-seattle-was-the-first-city-in-the-u-s-to-incentivize-living-buildings-further-continues-the-living-building-pilot-program/) - On Friday, October 7th, Mayor Ed Murray signed legislation to continue the Living Building Pilot Program until 2025. The updated Living Building program legislation expands on a pilot program started in 2009 and increases the number of buildings that can participate to 20. There are new provisions and adjustments in the legislation that align better with
- [There’s a Healthy Appetite for the Living Building Challenge in the Big Apple](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/theres-a-healthy-appetite-for-the-living-building-challenge-in-the-big-apple/) - As a New Yorker, I have spent the majority of my life following the city’s pulse, and growing in the shadow of its skyscrapers and trees. I know the energy and physical spaces of New York City intimately and I’m familiar with its exhilarating and test-to-the-soul challenges. Despite the lack of nature and competitive environment,
- [Owens Corning EcoTouch® Insulation](https://trimtab.living-future.org/case-study/owens-corning-ecotouch-insulation/) - Owens Corning (NYSE: OC) develops, manufactures and markets insulation, roofing, and fiberglass composites. Global in scope and human in scale, the company’s market-leading businesses use their deep expertise in materials, manufacturing and building science to develop products and systems that save energy and improve comfort in commercial and residential buildings. Ultimately, Owens Corning’s people and products
- [The Chesapeake Bay Brock Environmental Center](https://trimtab.living-future.org/case-study/brock-environmental-center/) - The Brock Environmental Center will be the beachhead for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s (CBF) lower bay programs, bringing the community together to solve complex environmental issues and empower the next generation of citizens through environmental education programs in the Chesapeake Bay. The center is located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where the Chesapeake Bay meets the
- [UniverCity Childcare Centre](https://trimtab.living-future.org/case-study/univercity-childcare-centre/) - Officially opened in April 2012, the UniverCity Childcare Centre is located at the heart of UniverCity, Simon Fraser University’s high-density, sustainable community on Burnaby Mountain, British Columbia. The 5,700-ft2 facility hosts 50 children ranging from 3 to 5 years old. The building provides two centres with separate spaces and services for two groups of 25
- [Owens Corning and Sustainable Insulation](https://trimtab.living-future.org/case-study/owens-corning/) - Owens Corning (NYSE: OC) develops, manufactures and markets insulation, roofing, and fiberglass composites. Global in scope and human in scale, the company’s market-leading businesses use their deep expertise in materials, manufacturing and building science to develop products and systems that help save energy and improve comfort in commercial and residential buildings. At Owens Corning, expanding
- [Next Generation Products Certified As Living Products](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/next-generation-products-certified-as-living-products/) - 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
- [Earthworm-inspired innovation wins $10K Living Product Prize](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/earthworm-inspired-innovation-wins-10k-living-product-prize/) - 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.
- [What Can the Abolitionists Teach Us About Climate Change?](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/what-can-the-abolitionists-teach-us-about-climate-change/) - At the Paris climate conference (COP21) late last year, 195 countries adopted the first-ever universal, legally binding global climate accord. It is a big deal that world leaders have finally acknowledged the climate crisis and committed to do something about it. But let’s not kid ourselves. As Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org put it, “This
- [Closing the Gap Between Seeing and Doing for Corporate Supply Chains](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/closing-the-gap-between-seeing-and-doing-for-corporate-supply-chains/) - This article was originally published in GreenBiz (greenbiz.com). "I don’t know" is becoming less plausible for corporate representatives to say when it comes to understanding various supply chain impacts and risks, from deforestation to water, biodiversity and related human rights issues. The era of tracking and transparency has met the era of (near) real-time Big
- [Assa Abloy Opens Doors to Sustainable Products](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/assa-abloy-opens-doors-to-sustainable-products/) - Doors and hardware typically make up 2% of an overall building project. What may seem like a small portion of a project is actually a huge consideration for designers. ASSA ABLOY is a global leader in door opening solutions, and they are working to realize the potential of sustainable hardware. ASSA ABLOY is making their
- [Trim Tab v.29 I Letter from the Editor](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/trim-tab-v-29-i-letter-from-the-editor/) - As you sip your morning cup of coffee, have you ever wondered where the beans come from? Are you curious about the ingredients in your shampoo, or the principles and protocols that create the foundations of your organizations? Transparency is a powerful tool that can lead to critical information-sharing, thus in allowing consumers to make
- [Retail's Overdue Makeover](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/retails-overdue-makeover/) - “Imagine a building designed and constructed to function as elegantly and efficiently as a flower: a building informed by its bioregion’s characteristics, that generates all of its own energy with renewable resources, captures and treats all of its water, is toxic free and beautiful.” From the Living Building Challenge Standard In March of this year,
- [stok's Journey to JUST](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/stoks-journey-to-just/) - stok’s journey to become a transparent company wasn’t easy. It started two years ago, when one of our team members attended Living Future unConference 2014 and learned about the JUST label for the first time. As a culture- and purpose-driven company, JUST seemed like a no-brainer for us to pursue. However, we quickly found that
- [Carol Sanford: Regenerative Business](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/carol-sanford-regenerative-business/) - Since 1977, Carol Sanford has been forging the path for the regenerative business. Carol has the innate ability to see the inner workings of a business and align systems to better benefit industries, social systems, cultural beliefs and governing practices. Her vision for industries is rooted in tangible success for all levels of the business: from
- [The Team that Built the Brock Environmental Center](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/the-team-that-built-the-brock-environmental-center/) - Since opening in late 2014, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s (CBF) Brock Environmental Center in Virginia Beach has greatly exceeded expectations. The Brock Center received its Living Building Challenge certification in May of this year, and it is the first commercial building in the continental United States permitted to capture and treat rainfall for use as
- [The Next Generation of Product Manufacturing in the Heart of U.S. Steel Belt](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/provocative-conversation-about-next-generation-product-manufacturing-in-the-heart-of-u-s-steel-belt/) - Can we grow rather than manufacture materials? Why does a labor union chief care about green and regenerative manufacturing? How are 3D printing and the circular economy revolutionizing our currently industrial economy? These questions and other provocative topics are on the table at the second annual Living Product Expo, hosted by the International Living Future
- [Aquacity's Winning Concept for Indoor Gardening](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/aquacity-wins-student-living-product-prize/) - Keeping plants in your home has been said to reduce stress and create a healthier living environment. However, the associated care with house plants is often a barrier for people. In California, a group of students recognized the importance of having bits of nature in the home and submitted a winning solution to the student
- [Net Positive Plastic Products made from Recycled Fishing Nets](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/net-positive-plastic-products-made-from-recycled-fishing-nets/) - Bureo Co-Founder, Ben Kneppers brings unmatched passion for the environment and skateboarding to the Bureo efforts. He'll be joining us as at the Living Product Expo to share insight on life cycle assessment and corporate environmental and social responsibility. Register today. Bureo is currently working with the International Living Future Institute to achieve Living Product Challenge certification for
- [10 Organizations that are Demanding Healthy Materials](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/10-organizations-that-are-demanding-healthy-materials/) - The companies below are examples of industry disrupters that will be at the Living Product Expo this September. Join us in Pittsburgh to learn how you can help transform your organization into a key influencer in human and environmental health. Register here. Our homes are fraught with carcinogens. Endocrine disruptors, neurotoxins, and alaundry list of other
- [Let's Bring Living Buildings to Trinidad and Tobago](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/lets-bring-living-buildings-to-trinidad-and-tobago/) - Growing up in the beautiful twin isle of Trinidad and Tobago was truly a blessing. The country has an abundance of natural resources: sun, sea, sand, trees and thriving ecosystems, but we continue to lack one thing—a shared vision for positive change. After a career of 10 years in engineering, construction and project management, I
- [World's First Living Products Achieve Certification](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/worlds-first-living-products-achieve-certification/) - Have the opportunity to learn more about these revolutionary products at the Living Product Expo this September in Pittsburgh. Register today. Owens Corning and SIREWALL Reimagine Manufacturing for Radical Change in Energy, Water, Happiness (Seattle, May 25, 2016) Imagine a product that functions as elegantly and efficiently as anything found in the natural world. Now imagine that
- [Why I'm Attending The Living Product Expo](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/why-im-attending-the-living-product-expo/) - Cara Rude is the Director of Interior Design at McCool Carlson Green in Alaska. She is passionate about creating spaces that are conducive to healthy living. She attended the Living Product Expo is Pittsburgh last fall, and is now sharing why she'll be joining us again this September. I couldn't wait to attend the first-ever Living
- [Interview: Witness Change with Robin Hammond](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/witness-change-with-robin-hammond/) - A career in photojournalism has rendered New Zealand native Robin Hammond a seasoned global traveler. Several projects have entailed extended travel in sub-Saharan Africa, and others have required stays in Europe and Asia. With a slate of philanthropic projects that showcase some of the world’s most flagrant and underreported human rights issues, Hammond’s dedication to
- [Regeneration Regenerated: Moving From 'Doing Good' to Significant Change](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/regeneration-regenerated-moving-from-doing-good-to-significant-change/) - Carol Sanford is the founder of the Regenerative Business School and has been teaching sustainable business for over four decades. She'll be joining us at the Living Product Expo as a keynote and sharing insight on creating powerful businesses and significant change. The sustainability movement, in the last few years, has figured out that “doing
- [Community is Sprouting in the U.S.'s First Food Forest](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/community-is-sprouting-in-the-u-s-s-first-food-forest/) - Learn more about creating a fruitful urban landscape from Jackie and other experts during the Urban Agriculture and Community Food Systems webinar, part of the Living Community Challenge series. Seattle's Beacon Hill Food Forest is the first project on public land in the United States. The food forest is tended to by the local community and
- [ILFI Announcing Certification of 18 New Living Buildings](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/ilfi-announcing-certification-of-18-new-living-buildings/) - Extraordinary Projects Meet the Built Environment’s Most Rigorous Performance Standard (May 12, 2016, Seattle, Wash). -- The International Living Future Institute today announced three newly certified Living Buildings, bringing the total number of buildings achieving the world’s most rigorous green buildings program to 11. Additionally, nine new projects have been certified Net Zero Energy Buildings
- [What's New With the Living Building Challenge?](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/whats-new-with-the-living-building-challenge/) - Living Building Challenge 3.1 is the latest release of the LBC Standard. This version is a tweak to the 3.0 iteration, which had major updates and was released in 2014. The Living Building Challenge (LBC) is based on idealized but realistic goals. As a result, LBC projects are among the most efficient, highest-performing and healthiest
- [New Database Streamlines Declare Products](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/new-database-streamlines-declare-products/) - For both manufacturers and designers, the Declare program provides a clear, elegant and informative method for ingredient disclosure. Declare stands by transparent and open communication and with our new database, we're allowing consumers and designers a more streamlined point of entry into the world's most groundbreaking products. Andrea Cooper, Declare program Manager, discusses the benefits
- [Recap: Living Future 2016](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/recap-living-future-2016/) - When the 10th annual Living Future unConference came to a close just last week, architects, engineers, city planners, and visionaries from around the world left Seattle with the energy and ideas necessary to transform the built environment. The conference opened on Wednesday, May 11th, and was filled with a series of workshops and summits surrounding
- [Equity and the Living Building Challenge](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/equity-and-the-living-building-challenge/) - Robert Jones once lived on the streets, struggling with substance abuse, mental illness and a criminal background. But Robert is no a longer a statistic—he now lives in one of A Community of Friends’ (ACOF) supportive affordable housing communities in South Los Angeles. Since moving into his new home, he has found employment and been
- [2016 Living Building Challenge Heroes](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/2016-living-building-challenge-heroes/) - Since 2006, the Living Building Challenge has inspired significant change in how buildings are designed, built, rehabbed and operated. In addition to the projects that have been certified under the Challenge, there are more than 200 projects in the works around the world demonstrating possibilities for the built environment. These successes are the result of
- [Living Products at Humanscale](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/living-products-at-humanscale/) - Can a product really create positive good in the world? Humanscale, an office products manufacturer, is using the tenets of the Living Product Challenge (LPC) to guide the manufacturing of their latest Diffrient Smart Chair and Float Table. The company seeks to refine their processes to produce Living Products that will indeed pose a positive
- [Mohawk Design Studio](https://trimtab.living-future.org/case-study/mohawk-design-studio/) - The Project is the interior renovation of an existing Mohawk Group showroom in Dalton, Georgia, into the new Mohawk Design Studio. The studio will occupy approximately 33,000 square feet on one floor of an existing building. At this time, the renovation does not include any alterations to the existing building envelope, and all existing HVAC
- [VanDusen Botanical Garden Visitor Centre](https://trimtab.living-future.org/case-study/vandusen-botanical-garden-visitor-centre/) - In 2007, Perkins+Will was commissioned to create a signature, green facility that would increase the VanDusen Botanical Garden’s visitorship and enhance its international stature. Designed to be one with nature, the Visitor Centre creates a harmonious balance between architecture and landscape—from both a visual and an ecological perspective. Inspired by the organic forms and natural
- [Chrisney Branch Library - Lincoln Heritage Public Library](https://trimtab.living-future.org/case-study/lincoln-heritage-public-library-chrisney-branch/) - In 2007, the Town of Chrisney, a small, rural community of fewer than 600 people, executed a feasibility study for a prospective library facility. The study revealed that a branch of the Lincoln Heritage Public Library could only be realized if it had virtually no operating costs due to the limited capacity of the local
- [PNC Bank Davies and Andrew Branch](https://trimtab.living-future.org/case-study/pnc-bank/) - With the Davie & Andrews Branch in Ft. Lauderdale, PNC sets a new industry benchmark for high-performance retail bank branch design by achieving net zero energy. This project represented an evolution of PNC’s Green Branch® prototype which was the first design to receive LEED Volume Certification and which led PNC to build more newly-constructed LEED
- [Old Oak Dojo | Boston, MA](https://trimtab.living-future.org/case-study/old-oak-dojo/) - The Old Oak Dojo is a small, privately owned ancillary building, built next to a multi-family residence. It resides on a wooded lot in a dense urban neighborhood of Boston. The multipurpose studio space is available for educational gatherings and performances, and serves as a community space where neighbors can congregate to create healthy and
- [Betty and Clint Josey Pavilion](https://trimtab.living-future.org/case-study/betty-and-clint-josey-pavilion/) - The Dixon Water Foundation promotes healthy watersheds through sustainable land management to ensure that present and future generations of Texans have the water resources they need. To this end, the Foundation demonstrates environmentally and ecologically sound ranching practices on its four properties in north and west Texas, in addition to funding grants, hosting educational events,
- [DPR San Diego](https://trimtab.living-future.org/case-study/dpr-san-diego/) - In 2008, the DPR Construction San Diego regional office made the transition from renter to owner with a purchase of a twenty-five year old “C-class” office building two blocks away from their existing space. By starting with an integrative design process and high performing team, they were able to isolate specific strategies of sustainability that
- [To Empower Black Communities, Power our Country with Clean Energy](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/to-empower-black-communities-power-our-country-with-clean-energy/) - Why do African American families use less energy than white households, but pay more for it—literally and figuratively? It’s true. The average African American family emits 20% less carbon dioxide than the average white household does, yet we are more susceptible to increases in energy and water costs that result from climate change. As extreme
- [Trim Tab V.28 | Letter from the CEO](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/trim-tab-v-28-letter-from-the-ceo/) - Over the past few months, ILFI staff and board have finalized a new strategic plan that will guide the organization over the next five years. The opportunity to witness the collaboration between friends and colleagues throughout this process has filled me with energy and optimism for the future. We're proud of where the organization is heading,
- [Transformational People: Jason F. McLennan](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/transformational-people-jason-f-mclennan/) - In the past few decades, nearly every large company has adopted the word “sustainability” into its organizational vernacular. The rise in popularity of sustainable practices is in part a business trend but is also a reaction from business and government to assuage human impact on the environment. As a whole, sustainable practices have largely produced
- [Reveal: Transforming Building Transparency](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/reveal-transforming-building-transparency/) - Reveal, a transparency label by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI), aims to make known the energy use of commercial buildings for the purpose of broadening people’s access to information in the corporate sphere. By labeling the electricity consumption of specific buildings, Reveal targets an invisible and often hidden component of physical structures. The Reveal
- [Reveal: Energy Transparency for Buildings](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/reveal/) - Reveal, a program run by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI), aims to make commercial buildings’ energy use more transparent and therefore broaden people’s access to information in the corporate sphere. By labeling a particular building’s electricity consumption, Reveal targets an invisible and oft-hidden component of physical structures. The Reveal label brings forward numerics and
- [Fighting the Flood: Students in Brazil are Building Mobile Bathrooms to Counter Climate Change](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/fighting-the-flood-students-in-brazil-are-building-mobile-bathrooms-to-counter-climate-change/) - The floods that struck São Paulo in early 2015 quickly overwhelmed urban infrastructure, transforming roads into rivers and washing cars away. The region as a whole, however, suffered from severe drought. São Paulo, whose 12 million inhabitants make it the largest city in the Southern Hemisphere, was watching its reservoirs dry up. When the storm
- [Personal Divestment to a Living Future](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/personal-divestment-to-a-living-future/) - The End of the Internal Combustion Engine and the rapidly approaching Fossil-Fuel-Free World A couple years ago, I began to discuss the idea that the end of the internal combustion era was finally in sight, along with the overall rapid decline of a fossil fuel– driven world. I think some folks felt it was
- [The Case for Fossil-Fuel Divestment](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/the-case-for-fossil-fuel-divestment/) - Originally published in Rolling Stone It’s obvious how this should end. You've got the richest industry on earth, fossil fuel, up against some college kids, some professors, a few environmentalists, a few brave scientists. And it's worse than that. The college students want their universities to divest from fossil fuel – to sell off their
- [Practicing the Whole](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/practicing-the-whole/) - Editor’s Note: In past issues of Trim Tab, Jason F. McLennan and Bill Reed have collaborated on two articles that focused on the subject of regenerative design (Regenerating the Whole and Falling in Love with Life) Introduction In our past articles we introduced aspects of the different thinking required to engage in the practice of
- [Jason McLennan Honored With Top Industry Recognition for Leadership in Green Design](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/jason-mclennan-honored-with-top-industry-recognition-for-leadership-in-green-design/) - International Living Future Institute Founder and Chairman Jason F. McLennan received a distinguished Award of Excellence from Engineering News Record (ENR) at a ceremony in New York City on April 7, 2016. “The award is truly an honor,” said McLennan. “I’m both humbled and energized to receive it, humbled when I look at those who
- [Making Homelessness Rare, Brief and One-time](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/making-homelessness-rare-brief-and-one-time/) - King County is the economic engine of the Pacific Northwest. Some of the world’s most prosperous companies, abundant natural beauty and influential hubs of creativity and entrepreneurship lie within the county’s borders. King County encompasses booming places like Seattle and Bellevue, and the county’s cities and towns are among the most diverse and populous in
- [In the Wake of Development: Breaking the Pattern of Displacement](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/in-the-wake-of-development-breaking-the-pattern-of-displacement/) - It is no surprise that the standard development model in the United States is deeply flawed. The narrow maximization of economic profit that drives much development often results in the broad diminishment of human, environmental, and aesthetic values. This pattern of extracting value from people and the land is not new; even ancient Rome was
- [LEED v4 Adopts Living Future's Declare Label](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/leed-v4-adopts-living-futures-declare-label/) - PRESS RELEASE “We’re Catalyzing a Materials Revolution” says ILFI’s James Connelly (Washington, DC, and Seattle) On April 4, 2016, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced that the Living Future Institute’s Declare label is now an approved pathway for Option 1 of the Building Product Optimization and Disclosure, Material Ingredients credit for LEED v4. Declare
- [Hope in Hazelwood: Responding to Injustice through Collaborative, Sustainable Architecture](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/hope-in-hazelwood-responding-to-injustice-through-collaborative-sustainable-architecture/) - Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood has suffered in recent decades as American manufacturers have sent operations overseas and shuttered their U.S. factories. Pittsburgh, once known for its steel production, has transformed itself in the 21st century into a mecca for technology companies, with Google, Intel, Apple, and IBM siting facilities in the city—but by and large, Hazelwood
- [#OurLivingFuture](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/ourlivingfuture/) - In the last 20 years, the green building movement has gone mainstream. The pace of change is extraordinary: at the International Living Future Institute we are pushing boundaries we couldn’t have even imagined a decade ago. Setting a high bar, one that many thought unachievable, has proven to be a catalyst for transformative change. And
- [The Dawn of A New Era: Solar in the Tar Sands](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/the-dawn-of-a-new-era-solar-in-the-tar-sands/) - In the northern Alberta community of Little Buffalo, population 500, a 20.8 kW solar installation has been set up to power the First Nation’s health center, and to send additional energy back to the grid. In 2011, this community grappled with one of the largest oil spills in Alberta’s history. Today, the community deals with
- [Declare: A Nutrition Label for Building Materials](https://trimtab.living-future.org/blog/declare/) - The Declare program, developed by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI) in 2012, is an ingredients initiative for building products that is designed to shape a greener, healthier environment for construction workers, business employees, and customers alike. The Declare program operates through a label given to building products that shows a full list of ingredients,
- [The Habitat of Humanity: A Wild to Clinical Continuum](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/the-habitat-of-humanity-a-wild-to-clinical-continuum/) - Every generation has a tendency to consider its way of living to be normal—the way it always was, how it will continue and how it should be. We are self-centered that way, which makes some sense because our patterns of behavior make up our entire direct context. History lessons sometimes seem abstract, and the future
- [The Reality of a Fair Wage](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab/the-reality-of-a-fair-wage/) - Social justice and equity in the workplace are high on the agenda in an array of important platforms, ranging from the media, political landscapes, to both non- and for profit boardrooms. President Obama has been a strong advocate for gender pay equity and for an increase in the federal minimum wage. Pope Francis has made

## Pages

- [Trim Tab Digital Issue Archive](https://trimtab.living-future.org/trim-tab-digital-issue-archive/) - Contact media@living-future.org if you have any questions. Trim Tab Quarterly | June 2022
- [Trim Tab Print Issue Archive](https://trimtab.living-future.org/archive/) - Please forgive the missing cover art images--the links still work! Contact media@living-future.org if you have any questions. Trim Tab v.26 | Craft Trim Tab v.25 | Place Trim Tab v.24 | Water Trim Tab v.23 | Products Trim Tab v.22 | Community Trim Tab v.21 | Beauty Trim Tab v.20 | Inspiration Trim Tab v.19
- [Living Building Challenge has Positive Regenerative Impacts](https://trimtab.living-future.org/living-building-challenge-has-positive-regenerative-impacts/) - Learn more about the Living Building Challenge.
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