•Our developments are built to be highly energy efficient. We design projects to consume as little gas and electricity as possible, and to produce most of their own electricity. All of the appliances we use are the most resource efficient that can be purchased.

•We utilize a sophisticated graywater system to recirculate the water consumed in our live/work communities. For instance, water used for laundry and bathing is re-used to irrigate the plants.

•The materials we use in IBIS projects are purchased with the sustainable goal in mind: building frames constructed of steel from recycled cars; wood cultivated from managed forests where there is no clear cutting; concrete containing Flyash, a byproduct of the coal industry that would normally get buried in the ground, versus cement; dual-flush toilets; permeable paving so water drains back into the earth; recycled materials wherever possible; and more.

•Radiant heating in the floors and passive cooling systems—integrated + sustainable ways to heat and cool buildings.

•We use bio-remediation techniques to treat the pollutants in stormwater runoff. Our bio-remediation tanks are filled with plants, gravel and organic matter that hosts organisms which naturally digest pollutants—removing them from the water. After the natural filtration process, this cleaner water flows into the city storm drain system and beyond.

•All our projects are LEED® certified (www.usgbc.org).
LEED® certification requires us to make conscious decisions about design and construction.