The Wayfinder Initiative

Data: Waste Not, Want Not!

Our homes produce a continuous stream of valuable performance data… yet much of it is wasted—overlooked or shared without homeowners ever realizing its potential.

As a nonprofit initiative of Building Change, the Wayfinder Initiative empowers homeowners and occupants to reclaim ownership of their home performance data and transform it into a resource for public good.

Wayfinder brings much-needed organization and equity to this overlooked space. By fostering collaboration among government agencies, manufacturers, trades, utilities, and property owners, Wayfinder creates a unified framework for managing and valuing home performance data. The lack of consistent reporting has left homeowners unable to leverage this valuable resource to improve their lives.

Wayfinder changes that narrative by ensuring that this data benefits those who need it most. As a nonprofit program, it enables homeowners to use their data to access funding for meaningful, long-lasting improvements in comfort, energy efficiency, health, and safety—advancing community well-being and supporting a more sustainable future for all.

Home and Building Owners and Occupants

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Building Change is proud to lead the Wayfinder Initiative as a means to bring aging homes and buildings into the 21st century. As a public good initiative, Wayfinder benefits homeowners and building owners by making their properties more comfortable, efficient, healthy, and safe, all while reducing energy waste and improving occupant well-being.

Here’s how Wayfinder delivers tangible benefits to property owners and communities:

• Savings that Revitalize Communities. By improving energy efficiency and reducing costs, the money saved by home and building owners flows back into local economies. These savings empower individuals to support local businesses, strengthening the fabric of their communities.
• Supporting Seniors Aging in Place. Seniors on fixed incomes can access funding to make their homes safer, more comfortable, and more energy-efficient. These vital upgrades not only save money but also positively impact health, happiness, and independence.
• Empowering Low-to-Moderate Income Families. Young families and single-parent households can improve their home’s performance and value. Enhancements in energy efficiency, health, and safety contribute to better living conditions and long-term financial stability.
• Improving Rent-Controlled Multi-Tenant Housing. Owners of rent-controlled properties can receive assistance to improve building performance, lowering maintenance and utility costs while enhancing tenant comfort and environmental impact. These improvements elevate the quality of life for occupants and contribute to sustainability.
• Data for Public Good. Wayfinder allows home and building owners to exchange access to their home’s performance data for improvement products, services, and funding opportunities. Owners retain full control over what data is shared, with whom, and for how long, ensuring transparency and fairness.

Join this unique nonprofit initiative today to help create a brighter, more sustainable future for everyone. Contact Building Change to learn more about how Wayfinder empowers communities and improves lives!

Be a change maker, contact Building Change today!

Workforce Development

The Wayfinder Initiative not only enhances homes and buildings but also drives workforce development, fostering sustainable practices and creating opportunities for tradespeople, trade associations, and industry partners to thrive. By advancing public good workforce goals, Wayfinder supports professionals in building their skills, reputations, and contributions to sustainable communities.

• Empowering Individual Tradespeople. Wayfinder offers tradespeople access to educational and training opportunities focused on sustainable best practices. Their exceptional work is verified by reputable third parties, enhancing credibility and providing valuable referrals that help expand their businesses.
• Supporting Trade Associations. Trade associations can leverage Wayfinder to access resources and collaborate on implementing energy efficiency, health, and safety improvement programs. Associations can create and manage internship opportunities for new professionals, fostering standards of excellence, facilitating the adoption of best practices, and reducing project costs.
• Partnering with Building Material Manufacturers. Manufacturers and suppliers can participate through in-kind sponsorships, receiving significant tax benefits for donating materials. In addition, they gain access to valuable in-use performance data, informing the development of even better sustainable products.
• Recognizing and Rewarding Excellence. Wayfinder elevates tradespeople and contractors who adhere to sustainable best practices, promoting verified quality work in the marketplace. Educational and training opportunities, combined with referrals and collaborative networks, help create a competitive market that prioritizes excellence and environmental stewardship.

Wayfinder’s focus on workforce development ensures that skilled professionals are at the forefront of advancing sustainability, improving communities, and creating lasting public benefits. By participating in Wayfinder, tradespeople, associations, and manufacturers contribute to a shared mission of building healthier, more sustainable futures for all.

Data Decolonization: Empowering the Consumer

The Wayfinder Initiative is committed to advancing equity and sustainability in home and building performance. A core element of Wayfinder’s mission is to decolonize data—shifting control of valuable performance information away from centralized entities and placing ownership and its potential value directly into the hands of those who generate it: homeowners, tenants, and local communities.

A New Frontier for Data Aggregators

For data aggregators, Wayfinder represents an unprecedented opportunity to participate in a transformative model of data-driven sustainability. By connecting the dots between energy efficiency, home performance, health, and safety data, aggregators gain access to high-value insights with applications in professional and scientific fields such as urban planning, environmental science, and public health.

Unlike traditional data systems that often exploit personal and community-generated data for private profit, Wayfinder establishes a framework where data is a catalyst for public good. Aggregators play a pivotal role in this system, managing the flow of data and ensuring that its benefits are reinvested into the communities and individuals that create it.

Driving Circular Economies

The Wayfinder model ignites a circular economy in which data becomes a revenue-generating resource, funding local home and building improvement projects. These improvements, in turn, generate more performance data, creating a sustainable cycle of investment and growth. This approach fuels local economies, supports workforce development, and enhances the quality of life for residents, demonstrating the value of data as a shared resource rather than a commodity for extraction.

Empowering Consumers as Owners

Central to Wayfinder’s mission is ensuring that data ownership remains with the consumer—the real owner of the information. Aggregators, acting as stewards rather than profiteers, facilitate the ethical and transparent use of data. This approach empowers individuals to decide how their data is shared, with whom, and for what purpose, ensuring that its value directly supports their needs and goals.

Facilitating Exponential Growth

Data aggregators are integral to the exponential expansion of the Wayfinder model. By shepherding the flow of data and revenue within this decentralized, consumer-first framework, aggregators enable Wayfinder to scale its impact, reaching more homes, buildings, and communities. This collaborative effort not only improves local economies but also contributes to global sustainability goals by reducing energy waste, improving health outcomes, and creating resilient, self-sufficient communities.

Through its innovative approach to data ownership and utilization, Wayfinder redefines the role of data in society—advancing public good, supporting economic justice, and ensuring that the value of information remains with its rightful owners.

Wayfinder and Public Policy

The United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on Financing for Development and the World Health Organization’s Environment, Climate Change, and Health Committee have issued urgent calls to action—and Building Change has answered with the Wayfinder Initiative.

Our proposed Wayfinder data permissioning and exchange mega-market is a transparent data interface that facilitates the flow of funding sources, including those not traditionally tied to the home performance industry. By aligning these resources with CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) mission-driven project goals, Wayfinder creates a pathway for meaningful and impactful change.

Seven Key Stakeholder Groups Driving Change

Building Change has identified seven primary stakeholder groups that can contribute to and benefit from the Wayfinder Initiative, creating ripple effects of positive impact:

• Citizen ChangeMakers. Individuals committed to improving their homes and communities through sustainable practices and responsible resource management.
• Donor/Grantor ChangeMakers. Philanthropists and organizations funding initiatives aligned with sustainability and equity goals.
• Government/Governance ChangeMakers. Policy-makers and agencies driving systemic change through support for sustainable development and community resilience.
• Data/Science ChangeMakers. Researchers and data aggregators using insights to inform impactful policies, innovations, and resource allocation.
• Trade/Contractor ChangeMakers. Skilled professionals implementing best practices in energy efficiency, safety, and health improvements.
• Corporate/Financial ChangeMakers. Businesses aligning their investments with ESG principles to drive social and environmental progress.
• Health/Safety ChangeMakers. Advocates and professionals prioritizing improvements that enhance public health and occupant safety.

A Collective Responsibility for Change

We all share responsibility as consumers of resources, producers of value, and participants in systems that impact the environment and society. To create a sustainable future, we must embrace stewardship of our shared world, ensure equitable management of resources, and hold leaders accountable for policies that promote equality in quality of life. The true measure of any nation’s progress lies in how it addresses the needs of its most underserved communities.

Wayfinder leverages technology and collaboration to address these challenges, transforming outdated housing into safe, efficient, and sustainable homes.

Together, we are not just imagining a better future—we are Building Change!