Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The 2025 Living Future Materials Report, Design to the Nines: Using Regenerative Materials to Restore Earth’s Nine Planetary Boundaries, is a rallying call for the built environment to shift from sustainability to regeneration and reparation. Drawing from the Stockholm Resilience Centre's Planetary Boundaries Framework, the report presents the case that materials are not passive products but active participants in planetary health. By examining how industrial processes, design choices, and supply chains impact climate, biodiversity, and human well-being, the report offers both vision and guidance for designing within Earth’s ecological limits.
For this course, Living Future’s Senior Director for Materials, Mike Johnson, LFA (lead presenter), and Design to the Nines author, Justin R. Wolf, will discuss select case studies culled from the report, while highlighting the ongoing work and research of building products manufacturers, non-profits, and other stakeholders who are actively working towards regenerative and restorative outcomes in the built environment. Johnson and Wolf will also cite actionable recommendations that designers, builders, and manufacturers (comprising the target audience for this course) can implement now. The course will conclude with a 10-minute Q&A portion.
Continuing Education Units (CEUS) submitted 1 hour in*
• Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI)
• Building Performance Institute (BPI) WholeHouse
• Submitted for American Institute of Architects - AIA (HSW)**
• Certified Green Professional (NARI & CGP)
• GHI Certified GreenHome Professional (CGHP) Pillar(s): Energy, Health, Materials, Water, Place
• American Institute of Building Designers (AIBD)
• Building Science Institute (BSI) Verifier
• Passive House Consultant US (CPHC)
• Society of American Registered Architects (SARA)
**State Architect / Builder License may be applicable
Need CEUS?
Take the Quiz here:
greenhomeinstitute.thinkific.com/courses/design-to-the-nines-regenerative-materials-restore-earths-nine-planetary-boundaries
Speakers
Mike Johnson (Senior Director, Materials, Living Future) is a net positive visionary and sustainability professional whose decades-long career has led him from environmental restoration fieldwork and social entrepreneurship to corporate executive leadership. Mike’s understanding of how commerce is a powerful force in the balance of planet, people, and economy has enabled his sustainability initiatives to grow from start-up level to leading edge in various organizations. He is a founding member of the Living Product 50, whose members seeks to bring independently verified, net-positive products to market.
Justin R. Wolf is an independent journalist, author, editor, and content strategist. His byline regularly appears in Green Building Advisor, where he is a contributing editor and writes about energy policy, green building news, and climate action milestones. His articles, essays, and op-eds have also been featured in the pages of Metropolis, Fine Homebuilding, AIA Architect, Architectural Record, Green & Healthy Maine, Energy Sage, ENTER (AIA Minnesota), Common Edge, Arch Daily, Fast Company, Frank Lloyd Wright Quarterly, and other publications. He is the author of two books in Living Future’s Living Building Challenge series, as well as the organization’s 2025 Materials Report, “Design to the Nines.”
Lessons Learned
1. Understand that effective material health management is essential for promoting overall well-being and ensuring that the products we use do not harm human health or the environment.
2. Analyze the safety implications of industrial processes and design choices to identify how they can either contribute to or mitigate risks to human health and ecological stability.
3. Introduce regenerative design principles that not only enhance the welfare of communities but also facilitate the restoration of the ecosystems from which building materials are sourced.
4. Articulate the importance of adhering to the Planetary Boundaries Framework as a means to advocate for environmental protection and social equity in the built environment.
The 2025 Living Future Materials Report, Design to the Nines: Using Regenerative Materials to Restore Earth’s Nine Planetary Boundaries, is a rallying call for the built environment to shift from sustainability to regeneration and reparation. Drawing from the Stockholm Resilience Centre's Planetary Boundaries Framework, the report presents the case that materials are not passive products but active participants in planetary health. By examining how industrial processes, design choices, and supply chains impact climate, biodiversity, and human well-being, the report offers both vision and guidance for designing within Earth’s ecological limits.
For this course, Living Future’s Senior Director for Materials, Mike Johnson, LFA (lead presenter), and Design to the Nines author, Justin R. Wolf, will discuss select case studies culled from the report, while highlighting the ongoing work and research of building products manufacturers, non-profits, and other stakeholders who are actively working towards regenerative and restorative outcomes in the built environment. Johnson and Wolf will also cite actionable recommendations that designers, builders, and manufacturers (comprising the target audience for this course) can implement now. The course will conclude with a 10-minute Q&A portion.
Continuing Education Units (CEUS) submitted 1 hour in*
• Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI)
• Building Performance Institute (BPI) WholeHouse
• Submitted for American Institute of Architects - AIA (HSW)**
• Certified Green Professional (NARI & CGP)
• GHI Certified GreenHome Professional (CGHP) Pillar(s): Energy, Health, Materials, Water, Place
• American Institute of Building Designers (AIBD)
• Building Science Institute (BSI) Verifier
• Passive House Consultant US (CPHC)
• Society of American Registered Architects (SARA)
**State Architect / Builder License may be applicable
Need CEUS?
Take the Quiz here:
greenhomeinstitute.thinkific.com/courses/design-to-the-nines-regenerative-materials-restore-earths-nine-planetary-boundaries
Speakers
Mike Johnson (Senior Director, Materials, Living Future) is a net positive visionary and sustainability professional whose decades-long career has led him from environmental restoration fieldwork and social entrepreneurship to corporate executive leadership. Mike’s understanding of how commerce is a powerful force in the balance of planet, people, and economy has enabled his sustainability initiatives to grow from start-up level to leading edge in various organizations. He is a founding member of the Living Product 50, whose members seeks to bring independently verified, net-positive products to market.
Justin R. Wolf is an independent journalist, author, editor, and content strategist. His byline regularly appears in Green Building Advisor, where he is a contributing editor and writes about energy policy, green building news, and climate action milestones. His articles, essays, and op-eds have also been featured in the pages of Metropolis, Fine Homebuilding, AIA Architect, Architectural Record, Green & Healthy Maine, Energy Sage, ENTER (AIA Minnesota), Common Edge, Arch Daily, Fast Company, Frank Lloyd Wright Quarterly, and other publications. He is the author of two books in Living Future’s Living Building Challenge series, as well as the organization’s 2025 Materials Report, “Design to the Nines.”
Lessons Learned
1. Understand that effective material health management is essential for promoting overall well-being and ensuring that the products we use do not harm human health or the environment.
2. Analyze the safety implications of industrial processes and design choices to identify how they can either contribute to or mitigate risks to human health and ecological stability.
3. Introduce regenerative design principles that not only enhance the welfare of communities but also facilitate the restoration of the ecosystems from which building materials are sourced.
4. Articulate the importance of adhering to the Planetary Boundaries Framework as a means to advocate for environmental protection and social equity in the built environment.
