A few months ago, we released our first Standard Issue report as part of our Living Standard campaign, and the response has been overwhelming and encouraging. I am truly grateful to everyone who has been reading through it, engaging with it, and talking about it. It is clear that our community is committed to building a better, greener future and to raising the living standard of people all around the world.

One big question I keep hearing though is, “How do I take the findings from this research and use it in my day-to-day life?”

It is so energizing to hear that from this community. That they want to take this message—that where we live, work, and play should not hurt us, but protect our lives in a sustainable way— and give their friends, family and networks some real, tangible, and accessible ways they can join these efforts. Because what good does research do if we don’t put it into action? If we don’t engage those outside of the traditional green building community?

So I am thrilled to share with you our Living Standard Action Toolkit. 

The purpose of this Toolkit is to give our community—from LEED professionals and practitioners to USGBC members, from advocates to developers to teachers and more—tools for how to carry our message into the broader public. 

With valuable talking points based on detailed research, we present ways to better spread the message that everyone on this planet deserves a safe and healthy place to call home, ideas for framing the issue and starting conversations, tangible steps you can take right now to make a difference, and words and images that resonate (and don’t resonate) with people.

I hope that you will take this resource, use it, spread the message widely, and help encourage others to get involved. Let’s continue to work together to show the world that better buildings mean better lives.