For the past two months almost all of the members of our team have been pursuing LEED AP, the US Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional designation. So, since mid-November much of our conversation has centered around energy usage, daylighting strategies and FSC Certified Wood.

One of the great things about our whole team pursuing this at once is that we've done a lot of studying together at lunch and have been able to share information, quiz each other and develop study techniques back and forth. And the fact that we are all doing it together has caused a great deal of ownership and celebration when someone passes.

The whole-systems thinking required to pursue LEED certification plays well to the way our team approaches projects. And in a "being before doing" theme, it has certainly raised the level of consciousness in our offices about sustainable practice and has impacted our day-to-day processes.