In the industrial era, home is where the carbon is. The built environment accounts for about 40% of annual CO2 emissions globally. An MIT urban and environmental study recently reported that the materials used to build a new home could generate between 15 and 100 tons of CO2eq. Meet Mike Anderson, CEO and design leader at Passive Design Solutions, a pioneer in the industry who has worked on more than 100 passive single- and multi-family home projects. A passive home design can reduce the embodied carbon footprint during construction and provide long-term energy savings that cut emissions and monthly bills. Passive Design Solutions offers downloadable passive and net-zero home plans that a certified construction professional can build.

Mike Anderson,CEO & design leader at Passive Design Solutions
Mike Anderson,
CEO & design leader at
Passive Design Solutions, is our guest on Sustainability in Your Ear.

Mike’s business partner, Natalie Leonard, wrote about passive house designs for Earth911 in 2019. He shares his thoughts on the evolution of sustainable building technology, the market for environmentally responsible single- and multi-family homes, and some improvements current owners and renters can make without upgrading to a new house. You can learn more about Passive Design Solutions and find their home plans at passivedesign.ca.

By Mitch Ratcliffe

Mitch is the publisher at Earth911.com and Director of Digital Strategy and Innovation at Intentional Futures, an insight-to-impact consultancy in Seattle. A veteran tech journalist, Mitch is passionate about helping people understand sustainability and the impact of their decisions on the planet.