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, and is designed to be manufactured within the water balance for the site of the factory in Virginia.

The company has also showcased their social responsibility by offsetting the product’s water footprint through a water handprint at Morehouse College in Atlanta, where Mohawk invested in upgrades to plumbing fixtures to achieve water efficiencies on campus. Finally, Mohawk is donating a portion of product revenue to habitat preservation and restoration through the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, a protected natural resource with a trailhead that is visible from the company’s design center.

“Lichen isn’t a singular, isolated accomplishment for our talented design team, but a sign of more offerings on the way. Lichen has been a strategic opportunity to introspectively look at different ways we can have a net positive impact on people and the environment, leaving a ‘handprint’ as we seek to touch the built environment like never before,” said Jackie Dettmar, vice president of product design and development for Mohawk Group.

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, but because they are working to create a built environment that is socially just, culturally rich and ecologically restorative,” said Amanda Sturgeon, CEO of the International Living Future Institute. “These individuals have not only adopted the Living Building Challenge – they live its principles and inspire others to do the same.”

This year’s heroes are:

Kirsti Luke

Kirsti is Chief Executive of Tūhoe Te Uru Taumatua, Ngāi Tūhoe’s Tribal Authority. She holds a Bachelor of Law (LLB), is extremely knowledgeable about the tribe’s treaty claims, and was involved in the establishment of Te Uru Taumatua. Her goal is to build the organization and the tribe’s economy and improve descendants’ quality of life. Her role includes recruiting management staff, building relationships with stakeholders and government agencies, developing policies to improve or coordinate options for housing, health and employment for Tūhoe and providing business recommendations to build up the tribe’s economy.

Beth Heider

As Chief Sustainability Officer, Skanska, Elizabeth (Beth), FAIA, and LEED Fellow, translates Skanska’s commitment to sustainability into action while serving on Skanska USA’s Management Team. She’s an everywoman whose touch can be found on all phases of design and construction – from architect to construction manager to sustainability leader. Known for her work making the business case for greenbuilding, including the Living Building Financial Study, she has been invited to present at over 200 international conferences focusing on the nexus of design, sustainability and good business. Beith served for six years on USGBC national Board of Directors, including a stint as chair 2012. She was recently by Green Building & Design as one of the Ten Most Powerful Women in Sustainability, and serves on the Envision Review Board. She’s also Chair of the Board of Trustees for Excel Academy, the first all-girl charter school in the District of Columbia.

Priya Premchandran

Priya is the Team Design and Construction Lead for the Google Real Estate Workplace and Services. She was part of the Google Chicago Renovation project that is a Petal Certified Project. She is responsible for the program’s integration into Google’s global portfolio to deliver healthy and high performing workplaces. Priya brings over 10 years of focused experience in integrating sustainability concepts into high performing projects with a particular focus on understanding the impact and benefits to human health, user experience, and sustainability.

Pete Munoz

Pete is a senior engineer and Cascadia Bioregion leader for Biohabitats who has been lucky enough to work with some of the most influential green building projects in the United States. He’s committed to creating aspirational infrastructure that helps reconnecting our communities with what makes them work. Pete speaks around the country on a variety of topics including green infrastructure, regenerative design, and climate change solutions. He is a partner in the Alliance for Regeneration and he teaches several water related courses at Yestermorrow Design/Build in Warren, Vermont.

Carlo Battisti

Carlo is a sustainable innovation consultant and project manager with more than 20 years of ecosystem construction company experience across the world. He is LEED and WELL Accredited and co-founded the Living Building Challenge Collaborative in Italy. His passion project is co-created 64 hour design contest called REGENERATION for young European professionals, entirely based on the Living Building Challenge.

Jason Jewhurst

An avid outdoorsman from New Hampshire, Jason’s passion for reconnecting with the natural environment informs his work in sustainable and high-performance building design, and the intersection of tested construction traditions and new technologies.As a principal at the architecture firm Bruner/Cott & Associates, he leads design teams to create high-performance contemporary architecture that is beautiful, inspiring, and embodies the shared values of its community. Both the Regenerative Village at Yale Divinity School Master Plan and the R. W. Kern Center at Hampshire College are designed to meet the Living Building Challenge, and his designs for the Institute for Global Citizenship at Minnesota’s Macalester College earned LEED Platinum certification and inspired him to commit more strongly to sustainability. Jason is a founding member of the International Living Future Institute’s East Coast Congress, a think tank for sustainable policy and advocacy.

Jason Forney

Jason is an AIA, LEED AP Principal at Bruner/Cott & Associates who combines creativity with building performance to craft sustainable design solutions. He thrives on connecting the grittiness of our past with the potential of our future, layering old and new in designs that convey a unique sense of place, emphasize environmental responsibility, and reflect client goals. He was instrumental in developing the Yale Divinity School Regenerative Village Master Plan and designing the R.W. Kern Center at Hampshire College in Amherst, both aiming to meet the high standards of the Living Building Challenge. Jason has also designed multiple LEED Gold- and Platinum-certified college campus projects across the country. He has lectured at the Rhode Island School of Design, Harvard University, and the Boston Architectural College and presented at both regional and national AIA conventions.

Scott Kelly

Scott Kelly is co-founder of Re:Vision Architecture leading an interdisciplinary team in designing or consulting on hundreds of innovative green projects, many of which are “firsts” of their kind. Scott has been a champion of Living Building Challenge (LBC) since its inception in 2006. He is the Architect for the LBC Certified project, Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Environmental Center (Grass) and has brought lessons learned to six other project teams as an LBC Consultant. He is the founder of the LBC Philadelphia Collaborative and has led dozens of educational events — from deep technical workshops on LBC Petals to Charrette Facilitation and to LBC Philadelphia Collaboratives Demonstration Project that involved over 100 building and design professional volunteers.

Jason Gamache

Jason is driven by the daily challenge of living in the polar north; the front line of our rapidly changing environment. A partner at McCool Carlson Green in Anchorage, Alaska, he’s also a licensed Architect in Washington and Hawaii. He’s also worked in Germany exclusively on low energy projects, which embodied design principles of Passive Haus, Net Zero and Cybernetics + Structure. Jason dedicates his work to the development of sustainable building practices; reconnecting indigenous design with modern innovations seeking solutions that are cost-effective, create healthy environments, are energy-efficient, with an overarching goal to eliminate negative environmental impacts, and build sustainable communities. Jason is working on Alaska’s first net positive energy buildings with no combustion fuel source in a pursuit of the Living Building Challenge.

“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.

“With that in mind, the Living Product Challenge Manufacturer’s Visionary Award is presented to Humanscale, a company that courageously pursued full LPC certification for its most complicated products,” said Connelly. “Now they are working to make their entire product line red list free, meaning that they will work with their supply chain to ensure that every ingredient that goes into their products is nontoxic.”

For more on Humanscale’s endeavors, see their LPC video here.

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

“We look to our keynote speakers to connect our movement with the broader social dialogue,” said Amanda Sturgeon FAIA, CEO of ILFI. “And this year is no exception. Van and Naomi will help frame a dynamic conversation about how we maintain momentum in an era of unprecedented challenge for the ideals that we hold dear – how to build communities that are socially just, culturally rich and ecologically restorative.”

The Living Building Challenge Scales

A record-setting 22 new projects have certified in the past year, scaling the program to a total of 74 certified projects and demonstrating that the Living Building Challenge is not only possible but replicable.

This newly certified 500,000+ square feet of space includes projects in the U.S., Canada and New Zealand and ranges from Google’s Chicago offices, to an award-winning multi-purpose building for one of New Zealand’s indigenous peoples, to Etsy’s Brooklyn, NY, headquarters, to NRDC’s San Francisco office — their fourth such certification. Additionally, Microsoft has confirmed it has registered their 600,000 SF Silicon Valley Campus as a Living Building Challenge project, with a focus on the Water Petal. The company looks forward to sharing more details on their progress in the coming months.

The tribal center for the Tuhoe Maori, from the North Island of New Zealand, is now certified as a Living Building; a project that represents the cultural values of the Tuhoe people. Kirsti Luke, Chief Executive, Tūhoe Te Uru Taumatua, Ngāi Tūhoe’s Tribal Authority, will share a vision for all indigenous communities around the world in her talk.

“When we first released the Living Building Challenge we were told that this level of regenerative design was not possible, not only have we proven it is but we have shown that Living Buildings can scale to all project types and sizes around the world,” said Sturgeon.

A full list of all Living Building Certified Projects, along with case studies, can be found here: https://living-future.org/lbc/case-studies/.

The unConference, which runs May 17-19, features a far-reaching agenda of workshops, networking opportunities and celebration of Genius & Courage. For more information, visit www.livingfutureunconference.org.

For many of us it has been hard to cling to a sense of hope when we see basic human rights such as clean water, clean air, and freedom of religion under attack. Our work here at the Institute often requires courage as we seek to create a Living Future for all. Van Jones has been on the forefront of making positive change for our world, from founding Green for All and DreamCorps to his current role with CNN. As a changing political climate was brewing, my intuition told me that we would need courage and the genius of brilliant ideas to keep our work moving forward this year. Having Van agree to keynote the Living Future Conference almost a year ago cemented this vision.

Genius and Courage is the theme that Van will open for us when we gather in Seattle this May. We will come together to regain hope and continue the momentum that we have built toward creating living, healthy, and thriving communities. Leading up to Liv ing Future we are committing to 10 courageous actions.

Get outside – get engaged with those who support and protect our precious natural treasures. Visit one National Park with a child, pass on your appreciation and reverence for our uniquely American landmarks, and support the National Parks Foundation.

Write a letter to support the diversity that makes our country the richest in the world. For letter-writing advice and other ways to support refugees, visit OXFAM.

Engage in a #messytruth conversation with someone you care about today, get inspired about how to do that with the #LoveArmy—the organization founded by Dream Corps and our LF keynote speaker, Van Jones.

Sign the petition to #FixFlint so that we can combat environmental racism in cities like Flint, Michigan.

Go Net Zero – support the rapidly growing market by making your home or business Net Zero Energy.

Join our Volunteer Network of engaged, global citizens who are working to bring sustainable design to their city.

Contribute to an organization that provides political empowerment for underrepresented communities. We like Presente, the largest national Latinx online organization advancing social justice with technology, media, and culture, co-founded by our LF artist in residence Favianna Rodriguez.

Ask your employer to make a commitment to transparency by disclosing social justice and equity policies through JUST.

Get out of your bubble by organizing your neighborhood to perform a (nonpolitical) day or afternoon of service to a local organization.

Make a commitment to lighten your personal footprint by choosing to buy less stuff, eat less meat, and take alternative transportation.

We invite you to join us in this commitment and share your actions and courage with us by using #CourageousFuture. Join us at the Living Future unConference in Seattle, May 17-19.

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 these nouns to life in their daily actions. Our opening night keynote, Van Jones, does just that. The Yale-educated lawyer and social rights activist is a clear representation of genius and courage. In 2009, we introduced Jones in Trim Tab v01, highlighting his optimism and commitment to communities suffering from disinvestment and neglect. In the years that have followed, Trim Tab has continued to share compelling stories about regenerative communities and the people who inhabit them. And Van Jones has continued to further the movement of social inclusion and environmental justice for those who need it most.

In the last eight years, Jones has accomplished monumental endeavors. As the Green Jobs Advisor to the White House during President Barack Obama’s first term, he led the national investment in job development within the environmental and green energy sectors. As one of CNN’s political commentators, he appears across the network’s programming and as an analyst for special political coverage. In 2014, he began cultivating the social justice accelerator, DreamCorps, to support economic, environmental, and criminal justice. Three initiatives, #YesWeCode, #cut50, and #GreenForAll, fall within DreamCorps and strive to transform the criminal justice system, increase opportunity in the technology sector, and build an inclusive green economy, respectively.

While the world continues to witness injustices, Jones remains a beacon of hope in our narrative. He has refused to waver in his commitment to underrepresented and underserved communities. To this day, the organizations he leads provide a platform for those whose voices are often not heard. Most recently Jones, alongside DreamCorps, has led the initiative to build a #LoveArmy in an effort to fight for an inclusive country where everyone has a seat at the table. They’re asking those who join to “stand with the most vulnerable, listen with empathy, and act out of love, not fear or hate.” This is the action we must implement moving forward. This is the action behind genius and courage. We closed our 2009 Trim Tab article with the thought that Van Jones looks to be the right man with the right message at the right time. In 2017, it seem that this notion still rings true.

The following was published in Trim Tab v1:

Van Jones is an optimist. His new book, The Green Collar Economy, analyzes the twin crises of “rampant environmental destruction” and “radical socioeconomic inequality,” but is subtitled How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems. The book has been praised by the likes of Thomas Friedman, Al Gore and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for breaking through the “jobs vs. environment,” “economic growth vs. ecological preservation” and “eco populism vs. eco elitism” arguments that too often result in political stalemate.

You might call Jones an improbable candidate to be an environmental leader. Shortly after earning a law degree from Yale, he co-founded the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights in Oakland to “document, challenge and expose” systemic human rights abuses in the criminal justice system. At the root of the problem, he discovered decades of disinvestment in cities that have led to despair and hopelessness, and a cycle of violence that makes everyone less safe. Looking for practical solutions to break this cycle, he found a “powerful source of hope in all things green.”

But Jones is no Pollyanna. Opening chapter 3, entitled “Eco-Equity,” he writes: “Sadly, most of the economic power we need to green the Earth is still in the hands of people with a ‘pillage and pave’ mentality. And they have unleashed their lobbyists to further defend their prerogatives, extend their power and prop up their positions.”

Reading those lines, I could not help but think of the destructive role the lobbyists from the plastics, chemicals and timber industries have played in the USGBC, undermining efforts to address the disparate environmental impacts on people of color rooted in status quo industrial and forest management regimes.

Just this week, a new study confirmed the point Doug Pierce made in our October 23rd newsletter. He argued that the proposed revisions to the LEED FSC credit, driven by an industry trade group that certifies timber taken from forests subject to Indigenous land right claims, would “greatly reduce the standing that Indigenous Peoples currently enjoy in the FSC process” and “significantly reduce the social equity values as currently expressed by the LEED wood credit.”

Tania Bubela of the School of Public Health, University of Alberta (Canada), co-author of this new study by the International Expert Group on Biotechnology, Innovation and Intellectual Property, said: “The dominant argument, internationally, has been that traditional knowledge can be protected by property rights. Our case studies have shown that, in practice, this is very hard to do. In our view, promoting autonomy and capacity for self-governance for indigenous communities rather than property is the key.”

For many of us it has been hard to cling to a sense of hope when we see basic human rights such as clean water, clean air, and freedom of religion under attack. Our work here at the Institute often requires courage as we seek to create a Living Future for all. Van Jones has been on the forefront of making positive change for our world, from founding Green for All and DreamCorps to his current role with CNN. As a changing political climate was brewing, my intuition told me that we would need courage and the genius of brilliant ideas to keep our work moving forward this year. Having Van agree to keynote the Living Future Conference almost a year ago cemented this vision.

Genius and Courage is the theme that Van will open for us when we gather in Seattle this May. We will come together to regain hope and continue the momentum that we have built toward creating living, healthy, and thriving communities.Leading up to Living Future we are committing to 10 courageous actions.

1. Get outside—get engaged with those who support and protect our precious natural treasures. Visit one National Park with a child, pass on your appreciation and reverence for our uniquely American landmarks, and support the National Parks Foundation.

2. Write a letter to support the diversity that makes our country the richest in the world. For letter-writing advice and other ways to support refugees, visit OXFAM.

3. Engage in a #messytruth conversation with someone you care about today, get inspired about how to do that with the #LoveArmy—the organization founded by Dream Corps and our LF keynote speaker, Van Jones.

4. Sign the petition to #FixFlint so that we can combat environmental racism in cities like Flint, Michigan.

5. Go Net Zero – support the rapidly growing market by making your home or business Net Zero Energy.

6. Join our volunteer network of engaged, global citizens who are working to bring sustainable design to their city.

7. Contribute to an organization that provides political empowerment for underrepresented communities. We like Presente, the largest national Latinx online organization advancing social justice with technology, media, and culture, co-founded by our LF artist in residence Favianna Rodriguez.

8. Ask your employer to make a commitment to transparency by disclosing social justice and equity policies through JUST.

9. Get out of your bubble by organizing your neighborhood to perform a (nonpolitical) day or afternoon of service to a local organization.

10. Make a commitment to lighten your personal footprint by choosing to buy less stuff, eat less meat, and take alternative transportation.

I invite you to join us in this commitment and share your actions and courage with us by using #CourageousFuture. Join us at the Living Future unConference in Seattle, May 17-19.

Courtesy of http://www.vanjones.net/

1. Van Jones

Van. Jones. Need we say more? The talented civil rights leader, former Obama White House advisor, and CNN political correspondent will be one of our keynote speakers. Van is the Founder and President of Dream Corps – an incubator, platform and home for world-changing initiatives that empower the most vulnerable in our society. Not to mention, he was a beacon of hope, and someone we always looked forward to watching, and listening to, throughout the 2016 Presidential election.

Courtesy of Eric Slomanson, Copyright 2011 http://bit.ly/2ggnW37

2. Naomi Klein

If you haven’t read This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs the Climate (2014) or watched This Changes Everything, the documentary narrated by Naomi Klein and inspired by the book she wrote – do yourself a favor and read/watch them. Naomi is a fierce earth advocate an award-winning journalist, syndicated columnist and author of international bestsellers. Plus, her Twitter bio reads: they say I’m polarizing. We’re just on the 2nd reason you should attend LF17, but this is already shaping up to be the best conference of the year.
https://thischangeseverything.org/

Courtesy of Kathrin and Stefan Marks http://bit.ly/2gpawQH

3. Kirsti Luke

Kirsti Luke holds the honorable position of Chief Executive of Tūhoe Te Uru Taumatua, Ngāi Tūhoe’s Tribal Authority, and she’s one of our heroes and sources of inspiration. Luke’s goal is to build the organization and the tribe’s economy and improve descendants’ quality of life. One of Kirsti’s biggest roles is to develop policies to improve or coordinate options for housing, health and employment for Tūhoe, and provide business recommendations to build up the tribe’s economy. In summation, she’s epic, and we are proud to have her as one of our keynote speakers.
http://www.ngaituhoe.iwi.nz/tut

4. The Genius and Courage of a Dream

George Bandy Jr., Vice President of Sustainability at Mohawk Group, is leading an interactive session on inclusivity and regenerative concepts in the built environment of the most underserved communities. He’ll explore solutions to achieve the communities we desire for ‘ALL’. George identifies opportunities to position environmental, economic and socially responsible solutions for both Mohawk and its customers, and he brings the dreams for inclusion to life.

5. Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad Jevons Paradox?

Earth Day: the most-widely observed secular holiday in the world. Denis Hayes, pictured above, was its first principal organizer in 1970. Denis will be leading an awesome talk at LF17 with Zack Semke, a specialist in business development to catalyze the growth of mission-driven organizations, particularly ones devoted to ultra-low-energy building design and construction. Denis and Zack will unpack Climate defeatism and denialism, and draw upon environmental economics to connect Net Zero Energy building with the imperative to “keep it in the ground.” Prepare to be wowed.

6. Genius & Courage in the Workplace: Women in Leadership

Did you know that studies have long demonstrated that female leadership improves communication, mentorship, collaboration, and creative problem solving? These are all factors that bolster a company’s marketability and profit. Lauren Holmes of Lease Crutcher Lewis, Connie Hovotec of Ankrom Moisan Architects and Nicole Isle of Glumac will lead a session of Genius and Courage, showing us how women can seek leadership roles, identify and address gender bias in the workplace, and support female colleagues.

7. Tangible Change: Materials and the Living Building Challenge Workshop

On the first day of the conference, James Connelly of the International Living Future Institute is leading a workshop on the Materials Petal of the Living Building Challenge. James is an engaging speaker, fluent in Mandarin Chinese, an avid writer/blogger, and the perfect candidate to help you understand how to meet the materials-related imperatives of the Challenge. James will highlight examples of leading projects around the world, identify innovative products and share stories of how projects have changes the materials marketplace.

8. Small Things Matter: Inspiring the Next Generation’s Inner Conservationist

The design of the bird-friendly and net-zero energy Education Center at the Oregon Zoo responds to the Zoo’s mission to inspire respect for animals and action on behalf of the natural world. Get inspired at this session where The ZooTeens will lead the audience through an exercise to prototype an interactive exhibit based on the eco-services insects provide. Plus, Heather DeGrella & Alec Holser of Opsis Architecture, and Grant Spickelmier of the Oregon Zoo will educate us on the theme #SmallThingsMatter, showing us that small things aggregate to have a big impact, nature is closer than we think, and we accomplish more by working together.

9. Biophilic Design Summit

Okay, we’re pretty excited about this one. The International Living Future Institute together with members of the Biophilic Design Initiative are teaching us about the tools and resources that have been developed over the first year of the program, as well to explore strategies for achieving broader adoption of Biophilic Design among the design community, building owners, and cities. Amanda Sturgeon, ILFI CEO, will be speaking. She is a part of the top ten most powerful women in sustainability in 2015, recipient of the Women in Sustainability Leadership Award, and probably the best architect and CEO we know (excuse the bias).

10. Leadership at the End of the World: Finding Inspiration and Community through Grief and Compassion

Number 10. We had to choose one final session for this list, which was hard because there are so many great sessions and we wish we could attend all of them. But we chose this one because it impacts everyone, and can be translated to any part of your life. It is a session to cultivate courage and resilience. It will tap your ability to find compassion and insight in the most harrowing places in your heart and in our world. You will re-awaken to the vision of a Living Future, you will build community, you will laugh, and you’ll do a traditional meditation practice: the Cultivation of Compassion.

We hope you’ll join us for our most unforgettable unConference to date! See everything you’ll need to know for LF17 and register here: http://www.livingfutureunconference.org.