Program Description

Integrated design is hindering your ability to innovate. So says Scott Lewis, the founder and CEO of Brightworks Sustainability Advisors. In April, Lewis published a provocative, 6,000-word article in The Journal of Green Building presenting evidence that a methodology called backcasting is better than integrated design at leading design teams to breakthroughs in sustainability. Backcasting is a methodology first applied to the problems of environmental sustainability by Swedish physician Karl-Henrik Robert, founder of The Natural Step. Lewis and a group of colleagues adapted the methodology for planning and design in the mid 2000s. This session follows peer-reviewed sessions on backcasting at GreenBuild and Living Future (the annual conference of the Cascadia Green Building Council).

Learning Objectives

In this workshop, participants will:

-          Learn what backcasting is and how it differs from integrated design

-          Understand how backcasting better supports sustainable design innovation

-          Practice using backcasting tools in a simulation

-          Receive templates of backcasting tools

About Scott Lewis

Scott Lewis began his career as a natural resources policy advisor to national elected officials and NGOs.  For ten years after completing a law degree at Stanford University, Lewis lived in San Francisco, where he worked for the Rainforest Action Network and authored two books on environmental issues, one published by the Sierra Club, the other distributed by the Natural Resources Defense Council.  Subsequently, he worked for early-stage technology and design companies, one of which he co-founded, before establishing  Brightworks Sustainability Advisors in Portland in 2001.  In 2006, Brightworks chose San Francisco for its first office outside of Portland.  Brightworks today maintains offices in Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, Cleveland, and New York.  A former president of the Oregon Natural Resources Council, Lewis is a current board member of Schnitzer Steel Inc., the largest steel recycler in the United States.  He was the founding chairman of the Portland Sustainability Institute, where he remains a board member.

About Brightworks Sustainability Advisors

For ten years, Brightworks has partnered with leading brands, institutions, organizations, and public agencies to align their business practices with principles of ecological, social, and economic sustainability.  From offices in Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, and Cleveland, Brightworks offers three lines of consulting services: built environment sustainability solutions, enterprise sustainability solutions, and sustainability education.  The firm’s international work includes client engagements in Asia, South America, and Europe.  For more information, visit www.brightworks.net.

Take-aways

Event participants will receive templates of backcasting tools for use in a simulation during the workshop and to take with them at the end of the event.

This program is sponsored by AIA SF's Committee on the Environment (COTE).