In this special series of episodes of the FHB Podcast, Rob Yagid, executive director of Keep Craft Alive and former Fine Homebuilding editor, shares his conversations with some of the most talented and dedicated people in the world of residential design and construction.

In this episode, Rob talks to architect Elizabeth Disalvo about her work designing net-zero homes with her firm, Trillum Architects—named after a climate-sensitive wildflower. Elizabeth shares her experience of getting into the field as a child who worked with her parents on their house, being a green designer in an industry slow to adopt sustainable principles, common types of goals her clients are looking for, and working collaboratively with contractors. She also talks about her company’s move to balance some of the larger, material-heavy custom homes with smaller prefab homes that are better suited for a budget while still achieving net zero.

Keep Craft Alive is an initiative powered by Fine Homebuilding to bring awareness to the skills gap in the building industry and the rich professional opportunities that exist in the trades.

The SkillsUSA #KeepCraftAlive Scholarship Fund provides tuition money to students pursuing a career in the trades. You can make a tax-deductible donation to the fund, or buy a #KeepCraftAlive T-shirt to both support the fund and show your support.