Constructivist ’s Post

Today marks a month since I started reading There’s No Planet B—and it’s changed how I think about sustainability. 📚 One key takeaway is that while individual actions matter, systemic change is essential. Whether through policy, innovation, or collaboration, we need to think bigger and act faster. As I reflect on this, I’m doubling down on Ikonomo’s mission to disrupt the housing market with sustainable solutions. What’s a book or idea that’s shifted your perspective recently? Let’s swap recommendations! #theresnoplanetB #housing #sustainability

With growing demand for sustainable homes, can zero-energy retrofitting overcome high costs and technical barriers to become mainstream in the US? What role should innovation play? #SustainableLiving #ZeroEnergy #GreenHomes

Zero-energy retrofitting holds promise for greener homes, but high costs and aging infrastructure pose challenges. Could stronger policies and tech advances bridge the gap? #EnergyEfficiency #SustainableHousing #Retrofitting

Teaching sustainability starts at home—and sometimes it looks like a fun-filled marble run! My son and I repurposed empty toilet paper and paper towel rolls to create this creative project, transforming everyday “waste” into a tool for imagination and learning. Through hands-on activities like this, I strive to embed environmental responsibility into our daily lives, fostering curiosity and climate-conscious values in the next generation. These small, tangible lessons about recycling and repurposing teach my children that sustainability isn’t just good for the planet—it’s an opportunity to innovate and inspire. How do you incorporate sustainability into your home or workplace? I’d love to hear your ideas! #sustainability #teachthemyoung #imagination #creativity

We all need to start talking about regenerative design – our destination. What does it mean? How do we get there? Our Foresight team have just published a “Regenerative Design” report where we try and explore how we can move from doing harm, through sustainable design (doing no harm) to restoring the harm, and ultimately to living and thriving in harmony with the planet and all its inhabitants. “Doing harm” is quite a recent thing – 80% of the remaining biodiversity is in the care of indigenous peoples, who make up 6% of the population. Regenerative Design requires a holistic approach, where human systems are designed to co-exist and co-evolve with natural systems. Systems that consume no more than the planet can regenerate. Systems that benefit everyone and everything. We aren’t going to get there very quickly, but I think it is useful to start thinking and talking about where we are trying to go. We might start by adopting three principles: Nature-led, Systemic and Equitable? Read more here: https://lnkd.in/e22Ej4NE Hopefully this document will help frame some suitable conversations to start us off. #WeAreArup #RegenerativeDesign

🌿 𝐔𝐧𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲! 🌿 Are you passionate about creating a sustainable future through innovative design? Join my comprehensive course on 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 and learn how to make a positive impact on sustainable development. 🔍 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞: Design for Sustainability is a forward-thinking design process aimed at expanding the objectives of design to foster sustainable development. This course covers four key approaches: 𝟏. 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐞𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝟐. 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐞𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝟑. 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭-𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐜𝐨-𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝟒. 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 Throughout the course, we will explore these approaches, methods, and tools, enriched with real-world case examples. 🎥 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐕𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨: https://lnkd.in/g-Guj2PX 📝 𝐄𝐧𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥 𝐍𝐨𝐰: https://lnkd.in/gStUJsd4 Let’s work together to design a more sustainable world! 🌍💡 #Sustainability #DesignThinking #EcoEfficiency #SocialEquity #SystemDesign #OnlineLearning #NPTEL

Rethinking Business Practices for a Better Future by Charlene Norman This three-part series takes a deeper look into the concept of Degrowth. With sustainability expert Nooshin Akrami, who holds chartered qualifications as both an environmentalist and architectural technologist, this is a thought-provoking discussion about a concept that challenges the very foundation of our economic system. The first episode is here, the second is here. We […] #boomers #babyboomers

We are taking stock of the regenerative building movement at Living Future. I welcome you all, here or not, to take the time and reflect on our progress. Join us in thinking strategically at a systems level on how we move forward together. The themes of alignment and collaboration heard here are so often on my own lips. I feel this moment as an emergence of that idea coming into wider practice and know it will have an outsized impact on the work we do. Changing the attributes of a system's components rarely has a big impact on how the system functions, but if you change the relationships within the system, entirely new functions can emerge. Viewed from the lens of system science, more collaboration within the building industry isn't a 'nice to have', it is fundamentally how we change the behaviors we are stuck in and need to grow beyond.

Fully agree, and glad you are there representing GreenBiz. Strategic Agitation... I recommend looking at the work of Alice Kalro - I have been following Alice Kalro for quite some time, and I'm actually speaking with her today again - to discuss how to apply her theory of change in the built environment (the buildings industry and eco-system of companies responsible for creating a sustainable, resilient built environment). I am considering joining her next program, and I urge you to learn more about her approach. How can we level up the kind of response we are seeing to climate change - to accelerate and make more "radical" or breakthrough change? This is what she is working to address - through the existing capitalistic norms vs. by "tearing it down", or letting it all fall apart. If these ideas intrigue you, tune into her.

🚀 New Report Release: Building Prosperity! 🚀 We are excited to announce the publication of Ellen MacArthur Foundation's latest report: "Building Prosperity: Unlocking the Potential of a Nature-Positive, Circular Economy for Europe." 🌍🏗️ This insightful report highlights the urgent need to shift towards a regenerative, circular economy. As nature continues to be overexploited and undervalued, the report emphasizes that our economic health is intrinsically linked to the health of our environment. 📥 Access to the full report here: https://lnkd.in/gu6QqiCM Key points from the report: 🌍 A true circular economy is nature-positive by design, paving the way for a resilient economy and better societal outcomes. 🌍 By decoupling economic activities from the consumption of finite resources, we can achieve climate and biodiversity targets while delivering benefits across various sectors. 🌍 Focusing on Europe’s built environment, the report reveals significant economic opportunities through increased resilience, competitiveness, and urban vibrancy. 🌍 The construction sector, accounting for the largest share of Europe's material footprint and over 36% of its total emissions, stands at a critical juncture requiring immediate action. 🌍 Six circular economy strategies have been identified for their potential to drive economic and environmental gains, delivering wider social and environmental outcomes. This report makes it clear that we don't have to choose between economic growth and nature preservation. By adopting a nature-positive, circular economy model, we can achieve mutually reinforcing benefits across the economy, nature, and society. Congrats to the main authors! Lenaïc Gravis Nick Jeffries Jessica Watts Systemiq Ltd. Arup Andrew M. Joss (Jocelyn) Blériot 🇫🇷 🇬🇧 🇪🇺 L 📚 We encourage you to explore also additional reports on circularity in construction prepared by CirCon4Climate experts. Download reports: https://lnkd.in/dGzGT2UX #circulareconomy #sustainability #built #environment #green #building