INTERNATIONAL LIVING FUTURE INSTITUTE

ILFI partners with key stakeholders in the green design industry, government agencies, companies, universities, and other institutions to address the intersection of climate change, public health, and equity. We do this by offering a data-driven solution to change the world. We certify buildings and products; provide technical expertise; set policies and standards; conduct research and develop resources; educate practitioners and manufacturers; and inspire a global movement where regeneration is the gold standard.

ILFI is creating a living future for everyone, regardless of income. Unhealthy living and working conditions have impacted low-income, minority, and black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) communities at historically higher rates. The lack of racial diversity within the green build sector means that those with lived experiences are not represented. ILFI has a solution to increase their voices and representation, internally and externally.

Internally
ILFI has re-committed to ongoing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training to understand the presence of white supremacy culture within ILFI and our industry. Then, making concrete plans to weave DEI into all facets of ILFI - from our culture (ex. weekly affinity learning groups), to our hiring practices, to how we set up our standards/handbooks, to our internal/external communications, to how we conduct business.

Externally
This internal work has set the stage for creating more tangible strategies to strengthen our industry. We are re-evaluating and improving our products/programs, and standards/handbooks through a DEI lens.

Building and Product Certifications
We offer six building and product certifications that are holistic and performance-based. They include seven impact areas, called Petals: Place, Water, Energy, Health and Happiness, Materials, Equity, and Beauty. The Petals break down into 20 performance indicators, called Imperatives.

-Our Living Building Challenge (LBC), Living Product Challenge (LPC), and Living Community Challenge (LCC) represent the highest standards for regenerative design in the industry, and require projects/products to achieve all seven Petals and 20 Imperatives.

Our Challenges are ambitious, so we offer additional certifications in key impact areas that serve as stepping stones to achieving a Challenge - Zero Carbon Certification (ZC), Zero Energy (ZE) Certification, and Core Green Building Certification (Core).

Transparency Labels: Anyone, in any sector, can demand change. We offer three transparency labels - Declare, Just, and Reveal that serve as “nutrition labels” for businesses to disclose their product’s ingredients; organizations to share their social equity initiatives; and companies to reveal their building’s energy efficiency, respectively. These labels are the entry points to driving change and become critical Imperatives for our Challenges.

Education, Events, Ambassador Network: Finally, our story is amplified by the people who educate, inspire, and propel our movement forward. We invest in building industry capacity through on-demand education and Living Future Accreditation (LFA) credentials, our visionary events that connect industry professionals, and our global network of 117 ambassadors.

2020 has been a year of reflection and assessment. Through new leadership we have augmented our operations to maximize mission delivery of our programs and services. This has led to an increase in registrations, certifications and engagement with our communities. Because the climate crisis and social reconciliation towards an equitable and just society is ongoing, we anticipate the demand for our services to increase. We are committed to ensure we meet this need head on with a commitment to philanthropic partnerships with anyone who wants to support our plan for saving the world.

Today, on nearly every continent, through over 867 registered projects and products and 213 certified projects and products, ILFI is working to create a living future for everyone. We exist to serve the individuals living and working in certified Living Buildings; the employees working for companies with Just, Reveal, and Declare labels; and the designers, developers, and architects creating Living Buildings. In 11 years, we have grown from a vision to a movement with measurable impact. ILFI has set the challenge to change our world, and each day, we are demonstrating what good looks when the built environment centers equity.