The Living Product Challenge, unveiled by the International Living Future Institute (the Institute) in April 2015, inspires manufacturers to re-imagine the design and manufacturing of products to function as elegantly and efficiently as anything found in the natural world. The inaugural Living Product Expo will bring together minds in the product industry with a goal to ignite the revolution; to gather and to learn about game-changing innovations in product design. The expo will be held Sept. 16-18 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh, Pa. Registration is now open.
“The vision for the Living Product Expo is to bring together a diverse audience of professionals across all industries to engage in a transparent, trans-disciplinary and transformative dialogue that will inspire the world’s first Living Products,” says Amanda Sturgeon, executive director of the institute. “If you come, we promise you will walk away with new tools, knowledge and connections that can only come from a very deep dive into this dynamic world of product conception, design, manufacturing and distribution.”
Speakers include:
- Arlene Blum, celebrated mountaineer, author and biophysical chemist will discuss the environmental risks of toxic chemicals in manufactured goods and the importance of a healthy materials economy.
- Bill Strickland, president and CEO of Manchester Bidwell Corp. will explain how to use creativity and the arts to solve social and economic problems and empower underserved communities.
- John Warner, considered by many to be the father of green chemistry and Jeffrey Hollender, the founder of Seventh Generation will explore the business case for healthy materials and Net Positive Enterprises.
The Institute has also announced that BuildingGreen, an independent voice on products and materials, will serve as content partner for the event. In this role, BuildingGreen will create original programming supporting the expo.
“We are thrilled to be joining forces with the Institute to create a robust dialogue around living products and beyond,” says Nadav Malin, president and CEO of BuildingGreen. Malin will facilitate industry discussion at the expo via an “Innovation Wall” highlighting challenges and opportunities for stakeholders. “Industry-wide collaboration is the fastest route to industry-wide transformation, and all of it is fueled by talking openly about the opportunities and the obstacles that we encounter on the journey,” Malin says.
BuildingGreen is also offering a webcast series before and after the expo to open dialogue between manufacturers and the wider design and construction community.