[ swarm theory ]

Rarely do you get to work with a client/company that is helping to change the world (by that I mean improve). Its also extremely rare that you get to be part of a movement to give an old, established industry a complete makeover. San Antonio, Texas based LionForce Building Systems is changing the housing industry…and I’m proud to be a part of the movement.

What started as a contract to help with performance marketing and social media has turned into a much larger, more ambitious engagement than expected - but in a good way. Our ecoLiving System is focused on dramatically improving the green home buying and living experience. It promises to change the way a new home is designed, purchased and built and accelerate the adoption of high performance green homes nationwide.

The ecoLiving System creates a platform that streamlines and coordinates architectural design, construction science, information technology and business process. By integrating intelligently designed software common to all of these industries, we can provide highly sustainable, energy efficient homes that can be personalized to accommodate a wide range customer needs and preferences, and geographic locations at a reasonable cost.

Join the conversation by following us on Twitter @ecolivingsystem

See more on the LionForce Flickr photostream

Those are some headlines that I would never expect to see, but that’s what Fast Company is reporting in the October issue.  The green recognition appears to be based on the number of LEED certified companies we have in the area.  The “area” seems to be more West Michigan than just GR - with Herman Miller (Holland), and the Frauenthal Arts Center (Muskegon) also getting some props.

Peter Wege, Steelcase’s retired chairman, is really the driving force of the green movement here.  I remember having the Wege Foundation as a mountain bike sponsor back in the early 90’s - way before anyone heard of LEED.

“Grand Rapids leads the nation in the number of LEED-certified buildings per capita. In 2005, Mayor George Heartwell pledged that more than 20% of the city’s power would come from renewable sources by 2008; it hit that target a year early, and Heartwell upped the target to 100% by 2020. The municipal government’s energy use has been cut by more than 10%. The public-transit fleet features hybrid buses. And here, in the heart of the Rust Belt, manufacturers are leading the greenification charge. Office-furniture heavyweights Herman Miller and Steelcase both have LEED-certified buildings in the area, as do industrial firms such as Cascade Engineering.”

Very cool…now let’s shoot for some alternative transportation!