Design for Freedom Inspires Building Industry Leaders to Action

As a leading natural stone manufacturing business, one of our top considerations is staying environmentally conscious throughout the manufacturing process. Our number one priority, though, is people, whether it comes to creating a safe and healthy work atmosphere or building relationships within our organization, community of authorized dealers, masons, and the natural stone industry. This is why we were happy to be a sponsor for the second annual Design for Freedom Summit by Grace Farms, and to support the incredible work of the Grace Farms and Design For Freedom team.

Photo from the 2023 Design for Freedom Summit; courtesy of Grace Farms.

At the end of March, Design for Freedom brought together more than 500 leaders (at least 50 were students representing 21 universities) including our own CEO, Mike Wolfe, and National Sales Director, JP Acosta. The goal of the event was to bring architects, interior designers, manufacturers, policymakers, owners, tech partners, and developers together "for a full day of action, inspiration, and connection" and to offer "resources for design and construction professionals to help implement ethical material sourcing strategies into their own practices." The movement centers on raising awareness and eliminating forced labor, which they describe as "situations in which someone’s labor or services are obtained or maintained through some coercive force, whether psychological, physical, or legal."

To initiate the movement, Design for Freedom is heavily involved in creating eight pilot projects in various locations, which will serve as a model of the principles and future, their ultimate goal being a more humane vision of the building industry. We are proud to have our Old New England Wall Collection and Connecticut Blend Collection (Ashlar) featured in one of these pilot projects at The New Canaan Library in New Canaan, CT.

Photo from the 2023 Design for Freedom Summit; courtesy of Grace Farms.

Sharon Prince, CEO, and Founder of Grace Farms Foundation, said, "We are not just in agreement that forced labor in the building materials supply chain is unethical and immoral. We are also in agreement that now is the time for action and true market transformation to design and build more humanely.”

We look forward to seeing how the Design for Freedom movement, and the pilot projects, evolve from here, and are grateful for the opportunity to be a part of it. For more information on Grace Farms and their Design for Freedom movement, visit their website. You can also learn more about our natural stone collections by downloading our catalog.