If you accept (as we do) that human action is now the major cause of climate change, and that this trend is increasingly and alarmingly negatively impacting the quality of life for all living things, then we urge you to consider this: we—as individuals, communities, and nations—must consciously change the way we live to reduce our ecological impact. Choosing to reduce emissions, consumption of finite resources and waste is often described as living in a way that's more "sustainable." Sustainability calls for a change of worldview that embraces contemporary science and pragmatic solutions to the challenges we face in every area of our lives.

One significant area that calls for a sustainable approach is the construction of new homes. Building a home consumes a significant amount of resources and can create a lot of detritus: 40% of all landfill mass is construction waste. Operating homes also consume and waste massive amounts of power and water. In fact, 50% of US energy consumption goes to power residential and commercial buildings. We know that homes can be produced and can operate far more resource-efficiently.

We have worked hard to design what we believe are among the most environmentally-considered production homes available today. To keep us honest and focused, we developed a sustainable building strategy based on achieving "zero" in six areas. Our much-beloved "Z6" inform us throughout the design and production process, guiding us to come as close as possible to achieving zero negative impact on areas that affect your health and non-renewable resources. We've worked hard to source materials that are environmentally-preferred, with as many as possible being sourced within 500 miles to reduce transport.

To help put this philosophy into measurable action, LivingHomes uses LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), the most recognized national green building rating system to rate our choices of products and systems. LEED also gives you a way to understand and differentiate between homes that are called "green". Like the organic industry before standardization, companies make big claims about the green-ness of their homes. LEED gives you a way to clarify the various dimensions that determine a home's impact. Zeros guide our intentions and LEED measures our results.