One book everyone should read: A People’s History of the United States [by Howard Zinn].
Favorite mode of transportation: My own two feet.
Social media—helping or hurting: Both. As with any technology, it’s all in how its used.
Twitter feed you tell everyone about: I hate Twitter.
The perfect city would have: A beautiful walkable core with amazing architecture and art.
An article you recently shared: I just finished writing an article with my good friend Bill Reed called “Regenerating the Whole” published in the last issue of Trim Tab Magazine. It’s an important message for moving our profession forward.
The thought or idea that centers you: The thought of home and time in the outdoors.
Your topic if you were asked to give a TED Talk: Living Buildings and the Future of Civilization.
The next big idea will come from: Multiple places all over the world from people we don’t expect it from.
Building you’d save if the world was ending: As much as I like buildings, if the world was ending, I wouldn’t be focused on inanimate objects—only on the last few moments with the people I love.
Favorite place you’ve traveled: Too many to mention actually. I do love European cities.
Cause you’d support with a billion dollars: I’d find a way to leverage that kind of resource into a greater amount and to fund projects with high impact in areas of the environment and social justice.
The boldest idea in sustainable design: Currently the boldest idea in sustainable design is the Living Building Challenge—the most stringent and progressive green-building program in the world. The Challenge asks projects to move from a paradigm of being “less bad” to asking how we can be regenerative with every single act of design and construction.
The first step toward becoming a steward of the environment: Simply spending time in nature and reconnecting with it.
The one question industry professionals should always be asking themselves: How do I create a better world with every single design project?
Smartphone app you’re always using: Maps.
Print news source you hope will never die: I don’t think in those terms, but probably National Geographic.
Most impactful experience in nature: Standing on my Aunt Rita’s island in Northern Ontario when I was 10 and watching the Aurora Borealis light up the night sky.
One technology on the horizon that can change the world: I think cheaper and more efficient photovoltaics are on the horizon, and we are getting closer to a tipping point where it becomes the cheaper alternative, which changes everything.
Trend you hope will never go out of fashion: Moving to net-zero energy and beyond, a world of Living Buildings.
What you’d pitch to President Obama if you had 30 seconds: A 30 second pitch doesn’t change much, so I’d use it to convince him to spend a day with me and we’d discuss how to radically change our buildings and cities while remaking our economy to be better for people and the planet.
What you’d tell the green movement if it was your child: Have patience, things always change.
