Lyndsay Watkins

It’s been said that the future belongs to youth and Lyndsay Watkins is set on engaging her energy to enlighten the community around issues of sustainability and impacts of the built environment.

A senior associate of decarbonization for the US Green Building Council, Watkins specializes in regenerative design, aiming to create systems that restore, renew and revitalize ecological and social systems. With a focus on materials and resources, she advocates for policies that incentivize green building design in the built environment.

More than simply minimizing negative impacts, regeneration moves beyond sustainability to actively create positive change, leaving a place better than it was found.

“My goal is to generate pathways to a brighter and more sustainable future in the built environment at a global and regional scale,” she says.

But Watkins knows she can’t do it alone, so as a founding board member, she helped bring the national ACE Mentor Program to Idaho. This free program encourages high school students in the Treasure Valley to explore careers in architecture, construction and engineering. Likewise, she co-founded the Climate Club, a local sustainability group for professionals in the field.

While completing a master’s degree in architecture at the University of Idaho Boise, she worked as a research assistant at the Integrated Design Lab until 2021. Her focus there was on the embodied carbon of building materials and community outreach on energy efficient design.

Since then, she has championed integrated sustainability projects at GGLO, a prestigious national design practice for architecture, urban design, landscapes and interiors. Watkins recognized that her career must be fully rooted in sustainability in the built environment and has thrived in her new role at the US Green Building Council, working on the technical development team.

Sharing her talents, Watkins is a frequent speaker at high-profile forums, including the Urban Land Institute, the American Institute of Architects, and the Intermountain Sustainability Summit, as well as a guest lecturer at both Boise State University and the University of Idaho’s Boise campus. She regularly visits area architectural firms to help design teams enhance their sustainability practices.

Demonstrating a rare blend of technical expertise and volunteer generosity, Watkins also serves as an active member on the City of Boise’s Community Climate Action Committee, aimed at fostering the city’s sustainability and climate action advocacy.

“Two of Lyndsay’s most admirable traits are her optimism and ability to catalyze others,” says Jessie Templeton, a former supervisor and long-time friend and mentor. “She doesn’t simply talk about sustainability and community building, she lives it ― and invites others to do the same.”

Jeff Slinger, project executive with Andersen Construction, agrees.

“In every endeavor, Lyndsay leads with integrity, empathy and a vision for a better future,” he says. “She has the unique ability to bridge the gap between global sustainability goals and local community action, making her not just a leader in her field, but a changemaker in every sense of the word.”