Kathleen Smith to Receive a Women in Sustainability Leadership Award from Green Building & Design Magazine

Oct 4, 2016 4:40 PM ET
Campaign: Press Releases

CHICAGO, October 4, 2016  /3BL Media/ – International Living Future Institute is thrilled to announce that Kathleen Smith, Vice President of the Living Building Challenge, has been awarded one of Green Building & Design (gb&d)’s Women in Sustainability Leadership Awards. gb&d, the magazine for today’s leading green professional with a mission statement of creating a more sustainable world, created the awards to celebrate the achievements of women who are making lasting change and strives to identify, support, and give opportunities to future women in leadership.

The ultimate goal of the awards is to create a global central hub that identifies and connects the most powerful women at the forefront of sustainability. WSLA looks to recognize and advance these top-level female sustainability executives who can then, in turn, support younger women with dreams of reaching such levels of success. “This will be our 3rd year hosting the awards and it’s been one of the highlights of my professional career. It’s as if you’re sitting at a table with women plotting to make the world a better place.” says publisher and CEO, Chris Howe. “We wanted to find a place to honor these incredible women, but bring them together in the same room. We hope this can be a platform for women who are creating lasting change to act as role models for those who might just be starting their career,” says Laura Heidenreich, president and associate publisher of gb&d.

“I am deeply honored to receive the Women in Sustainability Leadership Award. My life is focused on educating and inspiring others to live more sustainably, and working to help make the world a healthier and just place for all people. I am proud to be seen by my professional peers, friends and associates as a person that is passionate about and committed to these issues,” said Kathleen Smith.

Kathleen oversees many aspects of the organization including the Living Building Challenge program, the most innovative and transformational green building standard in the world. As a leader and as a woman, she strives to take every opportunity to mentor, educate, inspire and give a voice to other women and other people. For her, it’s about helping individuals to develop skills to effectively navigate the world so they can act upon their passion and values, and use their strengths to create lasting, positive change in the world. 

The magazine is thrilled to present the third annual WSLA in partnership with the United States Green Building Council in part by MetroFlor Corporation, Steelcase, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and United Airlines. The winners were hand selected by a judging panel that includes Rochelle Routman of MetroFlor (and the chair of the WSLA Alumni Group), Kimberly Lewis of the USBGC, Amanda Sturgeon of the International Living Future Institute, Angela Foster-Rice of United Airlines, Leith Sharp of Harvard University, and Chris Howe and Laura Heidenreich of Green Building & Design. The fifteen influential winners will be honored prior to this year’s Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Los Angeles on October 4th at the SLS Beverly Hills.

About Green Building & Design magazine: gb&d is the only magazine covering green building and design across industries. It connects and inspires green building professionals by partnering with those at the forefront of sustainable design, development, planning, and policy. The publication offers a comprehensive global perspective on new projects and products created with sustainability and social responsibility in mind. 

About the International Living Future Institute: The International Living Future Institute is an inspiring hub for visionary programs. Our mission is to lead and support the transformation toward communities that are socially just, culturally rich and ecologically restorative. Com­posed of leading green building experts and thought-leaders, the Institute is premised on the belief that providing a compelling vision for the future is a fundamental requirement for reconciling humanity’s relationship with the natural world. The Institute runs the Living Building Challenge, Living Community Challenge, Living Product Challenge, Net Zero Energy Certification, the Cascadia Green Building Coun­cil, Ecotone Publishing, Declare, JUST and other leading-edge programs. A global network of more than 700 volunteers across nearly 42 countries drive the local adoption of restorative principles in their com­munities.