Learning to design around natural principles may not come easily, but we must. Our resources are finite.

There is no doubt that environmental concerns will shape the future of design. Less than 10 years ago sustainability and the environment were very discrete concepts. Sustainable design was practiced by a few fringe designers who were seen by their peers as modern-day hippies, a granola crowd whose image was characterized by Birkenstocks and a propensity for materials like organic cotton, hemp, bamboo recycled paper and plastic.

Today, nearly every major design firm has a sustainability practice, and NGOs like the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) are growing at a phenomenal rate. LEED certification isn’t a boutique concept relegated to the Pacific Northwest, it is a goal of projects of every size, shape and purpose. In fact, the USGBC has grown from a membership of 250 to 3,000 in three years, and currently has more than 600 projects totaling 81 million square feet of space under construction and seeking certification.