Bruce Lipke

It is with a sad heart we are passing along the news that Bruce Lippke passed away on Tuesday February 14th.  He left peacefully surrounded by his entire extended family – both in the room and virtually. Bruce was one of two founding directors of the Consortium for Research on Renewable Industrial Materials (CORRIM) and served as CORRIM’s president for 14 years. Bruce was a deep thinker and never let up the momentum on using LCA results to build a scientific database for quantifying the environmental impact of building materials. …Bruce was a great leader. He was a professor in UW’s College of Forest Resources, Director of the Center for International Trade in Forest Products (CINTRAFOR) and the Rural Technology Initiative (RTI), and a founder and eventually President of CORRIM. Analyzing the environmental impacts of growing and using wood, a true carbon negative technology, was a passion.  Bruce’s full obituary can be viewed here. CORRIM has set up a memorial page for colleagues and friends to offer their stories and memories here. Excerpts from the tributes include:

Elaine Oneil – Director of Science and Sustainability, CORRIM. Bruce was as true visionary. I so appreciated working with, and learning from, him over the past 22 years. His view of operational research influences my thinking to this day. He taught me that we can’t solve problems with the mindset that created them and we can’t solve them at all if we are looking inside the box of our narrow view of the world. That expansiveness and focus on operational research to solve real world problems is what made CORRIM relevant way before it was fashionable to worry about environmental performance. And that broad perspective is what continues to ensure its relevance to this day. 

Jim Wilson, Professor Emeritis, College of Forestry, Oregon State University. Bruce lead a national research effort establishing CORRIM II to document the environmental performance of wood from forest through its conversion into products and their use.  He persuaded many scientists in the USA and Canada to join the effort; likewise he persuaded many universities, trade associations, research institutions, and federal agencies to both partake and help fund the effort.  Bruce was a true leader and professional, with the vision, inclusiveness, and effort to make CORRIM II an internationally recognized program.  He accomplished all of this with a persistent smile and positive attitude.

Jim Bowyer, Professor Emeritis, College of Science & Engineering, University of Minnesota. Bruce was one of the first to embrace the life-cycle research idea and an enthusiastic volunteer to investigate and lead next steps. CORRIM II was the result. Bruce turned out to be the driving force as well as the glue that held the loosely organized group together and built it to what it is today. He had a way of thinking about things that was different and refreshing. Was able to conjure up methods of making the details understandable to general audiences, with always an eye on the big picture. He leaves behind a legacy that will persist long into the future. Not only was Bruce a great leader in scientific pursuits, but in the social realm as well. The CORRIM group meetings in Seattle were always a treat as he and Barbara went all out to make sure everyone had an enjoyable experience.

Chad Oliver – Professor Emeritus,  School of the Environment, Yale University – I’ve often thought of what made Bruce Lippke so special. …As a scientist, Bruce had a “nerd-like” interest and excitement in examining science—these led to an admirable creativity. …By focusing on the issues and scientific/technical questions, Bruce engaged everyone much more than had he tried to focus on the people themselves. I’ve wondered if he was conscious of this as a technique or if this focus was just part of his overall engaging personality. I once asked Bruce if he ever got discouraged. He answered, laughingly: “Only if I run out of alternative courses of action.” And, of course, running out of alternatives was very difficult for such a creative person. Bruce had a very sincere concern about the environment and wanted to do things to make it better. But, he did not endorse bandwagons or fads. Rather, he looked for truly scientific and technical solutions that would make a real difference.

Click here for more memories of and tributes to Bruce Lipke