Laughlin Ranch Sustainable Development Council
Formed November 2004
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The Pioneers
Council Members:
David Lords: Founder
- Ron Hubert Chairman – HozHo International
- Melanie DeBo – Windy River Institute
- Charles Burke – Arizona Dept. of Environmental Quality
- Gary Deason – Deputy Director, Center for Sutainable Environments NAU
- Kevin Edwards – Edwards Design Group, Chariman Scottsdale Green Building Expo
- Anthony Floyd – Director Scottsdale Green Bulding Program
- Tony Brown – Founder, Ecosa Institute
- Paul Symanski – Add Energy Solar Consulting
- Charlie Gohman – Arizona Dept. of Commerce Community Development Division Manager Energy Office
- Stephen Reed – Architect “Green Buidling Inspector” Community redevelopement specialist
- Karon Sondgeroth – Bullhead City Community Activist
- Marlowe Stenslie - Grand Horizon Development
In the sea of master planned communities cropping up around the country and the world. The sustainable Laughlin Ranch Community is the unlikely quest of Arizona Land Advisors Specialist and Developer, David Lords Niche visionary. Lords has taken his 13,000 acre development in northwest Arizona and created a breakaway brand for himself, with major industry impact. Its pioneering distinction of being the largest, leading-edge green, sustainable, high-performance community on the planet continues to set the high-water mark for innovative implementation. It’s become an incubator for sustainable education, research, technology, community planning, and economic development and is now a model for it’s time. Responsibly planning and implementing environmental practices is not usually associated with mega-size developers; however, after a “blind date” meeting, set up by Melanie DeBo, local sustainability activist, introducing Lords to the leading minds in the Southwest sustainable community, Lords was convinced that going green had bottom-line value. He saw that sustainability has intangible values as “the right thing to do for residents, the community, and investors.” To keep the project on the leading edge of green as it unfolds over the next 15 years, he formed the Laughlin Ranch Sustainable Development Council, an advisory group made up of architects, planners, grass-roots advocates, educators, environmental managers, state consultants, and community activists. Lords’ mandate for going green was a bold move and a major challenge for the development team and the community, and the leadership role he accepted and cultivated looked to be the key to the plan's effectiveness. However, with the market dropping out in 2005, the fate of the development and its GREEN agenda is in limbo.
Laughlin Ranch, Bullhead City, Arizona
The Sustainable Community at Laughlin Ranch
Valley Forward Environmental Stewardship Awards Nomination
The Proposed Laughlin Ranch Sustainable Design Center Concept: Tony Brown, Architect
Council Members:
David Lords: Founder
- Ron Hubert Chairman – HozHo International
- Melanie DeBo – Windy River Institute
- Charles Burke – Arizona Dept. of Environmental Quality
- Gary Deason – Deputy Director, Center for Sutainable Environments NAU
- Kevin Edwards – Edwards Design Group, Chariman Scottsdale Green Building Expo
- Anthony Floyd – Director Scottsdale Green Bulding Program
- Tony Brown – Founder, Ecosa Institute
- Paul Symanski – Add Energy Solar Consulting
- Charlie Gohman – Arizona Dept. of Commerce Community Development Division Manager Energy Office
- Stephen Reed – Architect “Green Buidling Inspector” Community redevelopement specialist
- Karon Sondgeroth – Bullhead City Community Activist
- Marlowe Stenslie - Grand Horizon Development
In the sea of master planned communities cropping up around the country and the world. The sustainable Laughlin Ranch Community is the unlikely quest of Arizona Land Advisors Specialist and Developer, David Lords Niche visionary. Lords has taken his 13,000 acre development in northwest Arizona and created a breakaway brand for himself, with major industry impact. Its pioneering distinction of being the largest, leading-edge green, sustainable, high-performance community on the planet continues to set the high-water mark for innovative implementation. It’s become an incubator for sustainable education, research, technology, community planning, and economic development and is now a model for it’s time. Responsibly planning and implementing environmental practices is not usually associated with mega-size developers; however, after a “blind date” meeting, set up by Melanie DeBo, local sustainability activist, introducing Lords to the leading minds in the Southwest sustainable community, Lords was convinced that going green had bottom-line value. He saw that sustainability has intangible values as “the right thing to do for residents, the community, and investors.” To keep the project on the leading edge of green as it unfolds over the next 15 years, he formed the Laughlin Ranch Sustainable Development Council, an advisory group made up of architects, planners, grass-roots advocates, educators, environmental managers, state consultants, and community activists. Lords’ mandate for going green was a bold move and a major challenge for the development team and the community, and the leadership role he accepted and cultivated looked to be the key to the plan's effectiveness. However, with the market dropping out in 2005, the fate of the development and its GREEN agenda is in limbo.
Laughlin Ranch, Bullhead City, Arizona
The Sustainable Community at Laughlin Ranch
Valley Forward Environmental Stewardship Awards Nomination
The Proposed Laughlin Ranch Sustainable Design Center Concept: Tony Brown, Architect
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