Today’s post is by contributing writer Nichole Reber. After four years of traveling the globe Nichole has repatriated to Phoenix. There she is following her two passions: writing and the built environment. During the day she does marketing communications, social media, and journalism for those in AEC. At night she’s at work on her first book, a travel memoir about deportation, near kidnappings, hospitalizations, and the harsh realities behind travel’s glamour. Find her on her literary blog, and check out her portfolio.
Leslie Lindo doesn’t see sustainability as just a buzzword. She sees it as a means to a better community.
Working for a national production housing company at the height of the real estate boom, she was told sustainability was a hypertrend. But Lindo isn’t one to take no for an answer. Reading and researching about sustainability wasn’t enough; she wanted to commit to it. So, she used her drive and creativity, and her skills at building alliances, and with co-founder Ben Montclair, she formed two organizations: Ikoloji (pronounced ecology) and Project Rising.
Ikoloji brings together professionals from across industry sectors who share resources and skills to bring more sustainable practices to every business. The nonprofit Project Rising unites community activists, experts in the built environment, municipal leaders, and ecology and sustainability gurus to create sustainable in-fill projects.
In this podcast, Nichole talks with Lindo about
- launching Ikoloji at the height of the recession
- practical applications unearthed and various jobs attained through the Sonoran Sustainable Building Certification course
- a clever use for job listings
- how Ikoloji helped kickoff ASU’s Global Institute of Sustainability
- how a nonprofit organization can make a walkable, healthy urban environment
Listen here (apologies for the Beach Boys background muzac playing at Cartel that day).
Watch this PBS video featuring Lindo’s discussion on green schools. Learn more about Ikoloji on here.
Interested in the Sustainable Buildings Advisory certification? Contact Lindo to join her class, info@ikoloji.com.
Lindo recommends these resources:
Fritjof Capra, an ecoliteracy expert
The Discovery Triangle, a multi-city urban redevelopment initiative
Tags: architectural travel writer, global institute of sustainability, ikologi, leslie lindo, nichole reber, phoenix, podcast, project rising, sonoran sustainable building certification, sustainability, sustainability education
