Living Future 2012 unconference Event Portland, Women Reshaping the World

Living Future 2012 unconference : Architecture Event

International Living Future Institute News, Portland, Oregon, USA

Feb 2, 2012

Living Future 2012 unConference Event

“Women Reshaping the World”

Dates: 2 – 4 May 2012

Location: Portland, Oregon

Living Future 2012 Speakers to Highlight Women Reshaping the World Global thought leaders, Dr. Vandana Shiva, Jason F. McLennan and Carol Sanford will speak on the connection between social justice and ecological health during the International Living Future Institute’s 6th annual unConference.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Feb. 1, 2012 — The International Living Future Institute is pleased to announce its keynote speaker lineup for its sixth annual Living Future unConference. A sold-out event since 2009, this year’s theme, “Women Reshaping the World,” is rapidly gaining traction as the must-see program for green building practitioners and sustainability-focused thought leaders.

“This conference allows attendees to formulate thoughtful, big-picture solutions, connect with likeminded yet uniquely talented individuals and lay the foundation for the seismic changes needed to ensure generations to come will have a Living Future,” says Jason F. McLennan, CEO of the Institute and Cascadia Green Building Council.

The three-day event, hosted this year in Portland, kicks off on Wednesday, May 2, with a keynote address by Vandana Shiva, a physicist, philosopher, feminist, and ecologist. Dr. Shiva is director of the Research Foundation for Science, Technology, and Natural Resource Policy in Dehradun, India; director of Navdanya, a seed conservation project; and co-chair of Women, Environment, and Development Organization. Shiva is also the author of, among others, Staying Alive: Women, Ecology, and Development, and Monocultures of the Mind.

McLennan’s talk, set for Thursday morning, will serve as a “state of the movement” address for this audience of green building pioneers. A mainstay of every Living Future unConference, McLennan has earned a reputation for highlighting both the urgency of contemporary environmental challenges and the possibility of rapid change.

McLennan is the creator of the Living Building Challenge and the author of four books, including the Philosophy of Sustainable Design and Zugunruhe: the Inner Migration to Profound Environmental Change. His latest book, Transformational Thought, a collection of his feature articles for the Institute’s magazine, Trim Tab, will be on sale for the first time during the conference. Friday morning’s

keynote speaker, Carol Sanford has been leading major efforts in both Fortune 500 and new-economy businesses for more than 30 years. Central to Carol’s philosophy and consulting approach is a fresh look at what makes an organization truly responsible and effective.

Sanford has published dozens of works in 10 languages, including a series of articles in “Executive Excellence,” Stephen Covey’s newsletter and At Work, a Berrett-Koehler Journal. She is the author of The Responsible Business: Reimagining Sustainability and Success (March 2011), Jossey-Bass, Publisher. “Living Future 2012 is shaping up to be our most successful conference yet,” says Mona Lemoine, Education and Training Director for the Institute. “We’re incredibly gratified by the quality of our education sessions and the enthusiasm that has met this year’s event. My only concern is that, with the pace of our ticket sales, some people won’t be able to get conference passes before they’re all gone.”

For more information on Living Future and to register, please visit www.cascadiagbc.org/living-future/12

About the International Living Future Institute

The Institute’s mission is to lead the transformation toward communities that are socially just, culturally rich and ecologically restorative. It provides an international vision for community-driven transformation by advancing innovative programs, including the Living Building Challenge, and it serves as the parent organization to Cascadia Green Building Council. The Institute’s work moves across scales, offering global strategies for lasting sustainability, partnering with local communities to create grounded and relevant solutions and reaching out to individuals to unleash their imagination and innovation.

Location: Portland, Oregon, USA