In addition to the firm commitments developed during the closing plenary session of the 4th Annual Leadership Summit on Sustainable Design, attendees reported on personal initiative recommendations for action in 2005-2010. The implications and application of sustainable practice on a practical, personal level were discussed. The following are results of the session.
Increasingly promote sustainable value within my own firm
Further educate myself and others on all aspects of sustainable designs, systems, components, policy, and case studies
Increase my leadership role in the process of integration of sustainable design within the Chicago office
To significantly push forward sustainability within the health and science practice
Advocate for sustainable design on all projects that I have involvement in or responsibility
To encourage clients to support green architecture
To personally educate clients and colleagues about the merits of sustainability
Establish and support firm-wide training for new LEED designers in the firm
Publish an article (or a book) that advances the green design initiative
Convince at least five new clients to go green
Support the firm’s “green team” more actively
Get more involved in public leadership issues as they pertain to sustainability and historic preservation
Not let the super-neighborhood idea go
Learn and focus more on sustainable design
Offer staff opportunity to learn and address more on sustainable design
Provide strong advocacy for increasing the number of LEED-certified professionals within the firm
Strongly encourage LEED certification of all Design Directors
Personally research reasons for the lack of strong recycling effort within the airline industry
To encourage and enable the members of my firm to pursue their interests and education on sustainable design to whatever level of commitment they wish to reach
Continue to explore options for incorporating green design building materials in my designs
To improve structural and construction systems to reduce waste and improve performance
To educate my clients about sustainable options and their short- and long-term benefits, personally, locally, and globally
To drive less than 2,000 miles per year
To support sustainable urban agriculture and extreme recycling
To be more persistent in promoting sustainable issues on our projects regardless of potential LEED certification
Further educate our construction teams as to the importance of reducing our impact on the environment during construction
Make our home a more environmentally responsible place to live
Through my involvement on the Board of the Consulting Engineers of Ontario have that group promote sustainable design by their members
Promote sustainability with Professional Engineers of Ontario and the Society of Professional Engineers, Toronto Board of Trade
Meet and advise a local community organization to influence a local city project to be effectively sustainable
Use existing resources to estimate my ecological footprint and try to reduce that by 10 percent
To become more knowledgeable of issues related to green/sustainability and then be more public about the issues
Share sustainability summit notes with my colleagues
Develop “my story” and get better at telling it so others will better understand what our industry does
Use my work with CSI to help what architects specify and builders are trying to do in their design and construction process without emphasizing the green aspect
Change the paradigm that connects costs to square feet/develop a cost-per-occupant database
Teach sustainable design at my church. Develop a curriculum to use with church clients
To empower and draw on the talents and enthusiasm of the next generation of designers at my place of work
To help restore the hopes and lives of the people in TzanChay, Guatemala who lost their village to hurricane Stan and the resulting mud slides
To get myself LEED accredited
Will design and build a green addition to my home, using alternative energy sources, and non-toxic materials as well as a new healthy office for my firm of four people, with a focus on indoor air quality, day lighting, and gardens
To grow in depth of knowledge and understanding of green strategies beyond the prescriptive measures of LEED and similar tools
To inspire those I guide in embracing sustainability in everything we do
To get AIA to add sustainable research links to their web sites
To break down the silos that seem to be in place between DFC, AIA, NAAB, and other knowledge and sustainability focused organizations
Continue to expand my knowledge of means, methods, and examples of bringing sustainable thinking into my personal and professional life
Accelerate my encouragement of sustainable thinking among my partners and firm employees
I will develop a firm-wide recognition of innovation as it relates to our practice in sustainability
Volunteer time/financial support for local USGBC group
Scrutinize my own lifestyle to reduce waste of energy and resources
Read at least six books related to sustainable design
To initiate and maintain an integrative design process for each project I begin
To ask frequently about the science that underlies everything I do
To speak publicly about community sustainability
Use natural cleaning products in our home
Help local developers understand that there is “another way”
Help local community develop a new green planting/landscaping program
“Just do it!” Not all buildings will be LEED certified, but that shouldn’t be the impetus for sustainability
Sharing my experience at the DFC Summit, with our firm
Be more effective communicating the sustainable benefits of designing for comfort, satisfaction, aspiration, productivity, and wellness
Dedicate more personal time to research of materials and methods that promote wellness
Be more conscious of communicating firm’s values to firm’s employees
Set top-down examples for my firm, establishing my (our) committed to sustainable design
Select five key individuals in the firm to advance our performance capability in advanced ways towards the agenda of sustainability
Recruit other leaders among my colleagues in other firms
Increase my reading/study of the scientific data and discussions of the subject
Actively advocate and teach the relative economic values of sustainable design
Work to help LEED measurement place more weight on the socio-cultural issues
Stay true to what I know, what I am committed to – day lighting and indoor environmental quality. Promote these ideals in every project I touch; be tenacious and infectious
Learn the facts – deepen my understanding of the issues and who is working on solutions – share that information
Start at home – install a green roof on my home; compost. Live a more sustainable life; support local farmers
Offsetting my, and my team’s, carbon impact
Understanding my consumptive patterns
Work towards making next year’s summit a success
Increase the number of LEED APs in the firm (personal recruitment goal)
To increasingly promote green products on all projects – lead by example
Get the thoughts in print – be vocal about sustainability – communicate, articulate, reinforce
To share sustainable design principles with local organizations, incorporating applications for easier comprehension and acceptance
To increase visibility of sustainability in the building materials, reclamation area with the regional public (waste reduction)
To present sustainable concepts and ideas to other allied professionals and organizations
Leading my organization’s commitment to the advancement of sustainability, both locally and globally, through demonstration projects
Advancing the work of the North/North Network for urban sustainability and leadership
Use leadership to influence local decision-leaders and public policy toward sustainability
Accelerate research by hiring additional researchers and accessing increased public funding
Develop a close, working relationship with a firm of ecologists and/or environmental scientists
All Principals and Associates complete LEED AP by the third quarter of 2006
Continue education at GreenBuild, and American Solar Energy Society conferences
Minimize car-to-office commute by biking
Think about new ways and opportunities to shift cultural patterns towards a balanced global footprint
Advance my personal education relating to sustainability
Look for ways in my community to drive sustainability to the next level
Make my home more water and energy efficient
Buy a hybrid vehicle and drive less
Purchase a solar energy system for my home
To commit to make my own lifestyle more physically, financially, socially, and emotionally sustainable
Be prepared to report the 2006 DFC Sustainability Summit of my success
To promote actionable discussions within my firm and my community and encourage an understanding of sustainability
Look beyond the scope of architecture to reach out and learn from other disciplines
I will commit to using the most appropriate sustainable design practices for every project for which I am personally in charge of the design or direction
I commit to becoming involved in my community in the planning commissions and architectural review boards to promote sustainable design
To teach the importance of life-long practices in design and in every day life to all those around; we need to lead by example
Talk to my local city management to see what sustainable policies they are implementing
To aggressively recycle household waste
Make a more conscientious effort to support products, firms, and services who support sustainability
To gain a personal broader understanding of issues, and raise my knowledge base for the benefit of myself and others
Take the opportunity to leverage the knowledge base and network of individuals within the Design Futures Council
Committing an investment of my time to bringing information and consultation to community groups and professional associations
Write two articles for circulation in general public media outlets
Commit five percent of my time to advance the cause of sustainability
Dedicate time on a regular, weekly basis to sty current on sustainability related issues
Advocate for increased awareness/education on sustainability as applicable to the individual and community
Work to educate my colleagues to continuously implement high-performance as just that – better performance
Connect with the network here so formed to develop and fulfill tangible deliverables within our city/community
Develop performance based metrics to supplement/complement standards such as LEED, Spirit, etc.
Understand my local issues, my place in specific issues
Share and exchange with my peers – find resources to support our education and enlightenment
Reach out to learn from non-peers, specifically those researching solutions in biomimicry, etc.
To advocate, promote, and be a voice for sustainable design within my firm and my community
Personally practice and live more sustainably – conserve better, reduce consumption, recycle more
Share my knowledge with others within the firm and others within the community
Advance volunteer work with non-profits to produce a LEED certified food kitchen in Camden, NJ
Promote the education of clients and staff on opportunities in sustainable design
Contact the Hong Kong University and exchange information on sustainability in China
Prepare case studies of good practice for large scale sustainable master plans
Spread the word as a culture within the office
To reinvigorate my interest in and study of high volume fly ash concrete (HVFAC)
To expand the above interest and study to include rich hull ash technology as Agrosilica
To find at least two projects on which we will specify HVFAC
Spend time each year for a program relevant to the sustainability issues with or without LEED certification as a personal goal
Pursue crafting a leadership infrastructure for political expansion of architects involvement in all levels of government with specific goals and targets
Redirect my current home redesign/reconstruction towards LEED certification-related and other sustainability issues
Write, lecture, and publish on regional sustainability
Raise sustainability on the AIA agenda
Assist in a broader presentation on sustainability for the two universities which I serve as an advisor
To discuss with my spouse how to make our home sustainable
To examine how I can have an impact on my small town, especially with teens and sustainability
To research sources for a blueprint for developing a sustainable community
Participate in one local development project
Identify opportunities for my organization to participate in model projects
Develop skills to facilitate constructive dialogue
Sustainable design and construction of personal residence
Influence family, friends, colleagues to adopt sustainable practices into daily life
Support civic campaigns to extend a no smoking ban to public outdoor spaces, restaurant patios, decks, etc., in Vancouver
Work to bring local relevance to the national USGBC effort
I will continue to reach out to as many non-architectural groups and individuals as possible to share the message of sustainability
I will seek to establish an on-going link between the North Texas USGBC and the Dallas AIA to offer greater community support and resources to further sustainability
These personal sustainability commitments were executed by DFC Fellows and members at the close of the Design Futures Council 4th Annual Summit on Sustainable Design held in San Francisco in November of 2005.
