by Mary Casey
In our strategy session for 2014, the Board reflected on our key wins for 2013, and the key win was the establishment of our ‘ecosystem’, ready for significant growth. It’s been a tough market to be calling for renewed commitment to ecological stewardship and social responsibility, but this message has found a passionate and committed group who appeared to just be waiting for the right invitation to come together and make some amazing things happen. We have benefitted beyond what words can describe from the generosity and hard work of volunteers this year – building our infrastructure as an organisation, hosting events, and spreading the word about the Living Building Challenge.
We owe great thanks to our retiring board members, Suzette Jackson and Ed Cotter, who were instrumental in getting our social media presence established and drafting the LFIA’s Charter. We look forward to ongoing collaboration with them both as they return their focus to their consulting work. We also acknowledge Caroline’s leadership as Chair in this first year of our life as an organisation. We faced some tough challenges this year, and she was exactly the right combination of flexible, creative and steadfast to keep us going.
As we noted in the Annual Report, our strategy for 2014 will be to strengthen our natural partnerships with both the profession and academia. We are particularly excited about working with researchers and professionals to test what the LBC can deliver, as well as the hurdles we need to address and overcome. To that end, we welcome two new members to the Board, Digby Hall and Caitlin McGee. Caitlin has been at the forefront of research in the built environment for a decade; and Digby has been an active practitioner in the sustainable building space for as many years (he will be alternating with Jeffrey Robinson). We feel very lucky to have their expertise and energy as part of our growing Australian Institute.
The rest of the faces will be familiar to you; Caroline Pidcock, Jeffrey Robinson, Lance Jeffrey, Dominique Hes, and myself. I am honoured to be taking over as Chair for 2014, as Caroline continues as a board member while focusing on new developments in her practice.
We are very excited about what lies ahead for the LFIA, and look forward to working with you all over the coming year towards a socially just, culturally rich and ecologically restorative future.
Pictured above: (Almost all of) The Board at the SBRC in November. Left to Right: Amanda Sturgeon, Dominique Hes, Jeffrey Robinson, Lance Jeffery, Caroline Pidcock, Digby Hall, Mary Casey
