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Metro Hippie founder Joshua Foss is one of the nation’s premier green building, design, and lifestyle experts. He is an outspoken advocate for sustainable living and has made numerous trade show and television appearances throughout the country.

Foss, a LEED Accredited Professional, runs Thrive Design Studio out of Minneapolis. Through Thrive, he designs and consults businesses and residences to be cutting edge green, creatively applying the most current and authentic sustainable strategies available. Joshua is very active in both the local Twin Cities and national green scenes. He currently sits as the co-chair of the LEED for Homes advocacy committee for the Minnesota chapter of the USGBC and was recently appointed an ambassador for the Living Building Challenge, the most transformational and aggressive green building standard ever created.

On a side note, Joshua is a familiar face within various media outlets. He appeared on the second season of HGTV’s Design Star and hosted his own series on HGTV.com called Get Green. With his colorful and progressive voice, Foss has quickly made a name for himself as a national expert in sustainability. In the past three years, Josh has led over 100 seminars at major trade shows, conferences and summits, headlining with names like Ty Pennington, Ed Begley, Jr, Wynona Laduke, Sarah Susanka, and Graham Hill.

Foss’ commitment to green goes beyond his profession. He lives his message, utilizing his own life as an example of how green can be mainstream. He drives a smart car, rides an electric bicycle to his office, is a member of The Compact (doesn’t buy anything new for a year, outside of bare essentials), is a flexitarian, charges his cell phone with solar power, sews much of his own clothes, and claims carbon neutrality!

photo by Cadence Cornelius