Global Green

Greenway Park Cohousing: 6224–26 South Kimbark Avenue, Chicago

From Blueprint for Greening Affordable Housing, by Global Green USA; published by IslandPress, 2007.

Cohousing is a type of collaborative housing that has become increasingly popular in the United States over the past decade. In this model, residents commit to active participation in their community’s daily life, as well as in its design and operations. Although individual homes are private spaces with all the features of conventional homes, cohousing projects include shared facilities such as a common house (for shared meals, classes, meetings, etc.), open space, a playground, and outdoor gathering spaces.

In an old building on Chicago’s south side, a small cohousing community has been created with a “green” identity that distinguishes it from its neighbors. The project is located in Woodlawn, a neighborhood near the University of Chicago that is undergoing gentrification after decades of building decay. Some longtime residents now struggle to afford to remain in the neighborhood. Woodlawn Development Associates (WDA) viewed this project, Greenway Park, as an avenue to provide affordable housing for local Chicago residents, as well as to strengthen neighborhood cohesiveness and self-sufficiency through the cohousing model.

When WDA purchased the decrepit three-story masonry building (as well as the vacant lot next door), it had been abandoned for six years, and was in need of major rehabilitation. The architect, Sam Marts, developer, and a core of potential residents made plans to reconfigure the traditional “six-flat” building into a 10-unit affordable cohousing project, including an interior common space and exterior areas for gardening and recreation. The project involved demolition of all interior walls and finishes, new windows, a new roof, and new heating, electrical, and plumbing systems. Completed in 2000, Greenway Park is comprised of 4 onebedroom, 4 two-bedroom, and 2 three-bedroom apartments. Four of the units are for residents making no more than 60 percent of the area median income (AMI), and the other six are designated for those making no more than 50 percent of AMI. (Currently, however, 3 of the units receive an additional subsidy to rent to very low-income residents making no more than 30 percent of AMI.)

Driven by rising energy costs and environmental concern, a trend is taking shape in cities and neighborhoods across the country. According to the National Association of Home Builders, green building increased 20 percent in 2005. And this past fall, the US Green Building Council added a certification program for green homes.

Global Green USA’s new book, Blueprint for Greening Affordable Housing, tells builders, architects, developers and affordable housing managers how they can reduce their utility bills and energy costs. The book describes best practices for green building, tips and tricks of the trade for building greener, cost-saving buildings on small budgets.

Utility bills and housing costs are becoming major drains on the average family’s income. One in seven families pays more than half its income for housing, according a June 2007 survey by the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

“Rising energy costs are a huge drag on family budgets and on the economy as a whole,” said Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy at a Senate hearing on fuel assistance this week.

Transforming a residence to a more energy-saving, green home does not necessarily require an entire facelift. Upgrades in insulation, plumbing, energy-saving appliances, and flooring and roofing materials can make utilities bill shrink, and create more comfortable, healthier homes.

Tips from Blueprint for Greening Affordable Housing include:

1. Install ENERGY STAR or pin-type fluorescent lighting and ENERGY STAR appliances

2. Design for natural ventilation and passive heating and cooling

3. Design for natural daylight

4. Use trees to shade elevations facing the east or west

5. Install light-colored or green roofs

6. Seal all plumbing and electrical penetrations

7. Install a timer delay or humidistat on the bathroom fan

8. Use low-water plumbing fixtures

9. Use recycled-content insulation, carpet, and drywall

10. Install a carbon monoxide detector

“Global Green USA aims to make green design affordable and accessible to everyone,” said environmentalist and Oberlin College Professor, David W. Orr.

Global Green USA, a national environmental organization has helped developers plan and build over 600 healthy, environmentally-conscious housing units. Blueprint for Greening Affordable Housing explores a wide range of case studies colorfully describing the unique features of developments in cities like Atlanta, Georgia; Seattle, Washington; and Chicago, Illinois, considering each of the projects’ financing and green building strategies. Blueprint for Greening Affordable Housing is published by IslandPress and is available on their website.

Check back soon: BuildingGreen TV will feature a series of excerpts from these case studies here in the coming weeks.

The new Holy Cross Project - affordable green housing complex in New Orleans - is quickly coming out of the ground.

Check out many new photos, renderings, drawings and other information at the Help Holy Cross Website:

http://www.helpholycross.org/2007/08/holy-cross-proj.html
http://www.helpholycross.org/2007/08/a-good-day-in-t.html
http://www.helpholycross.org/2007/08/the-holy-cross-.html
http://www.helpholycross.org/2007/08/greenola-emerge.html
http://www.helpholycross.org/2007/09/green-day.html

Hollywood is undoubtedly a big image-boost for environmental issues. Leonardo DiCaprio's The 11th Hour, which opened in theaters this week, is just the latest celebrity-backed project to thrust the issue of global warming into people's minds.

But to scout around L.A. beach towns like Santa Monica -- the playground of Hollywood hipsters and execs -- you'll find signs that it's more chic to shop and build green than ever before. And that's seemingly beyond the fleet of hybrid Priuses already on the roads in L.A. and Santa Monica.

On the retail front, Venice Beach (like eco-minded Berkeley but with more glam) has a new green building and art store that opened this spring called epOxyGreen. At the site of an old gas station, the shop sells things like electric-powered scooters, lamps made from recycled objects, and organic-cotton T-shirts. It also sells expertise in environmentally friendly interior design and building materials. But epOxyGreen isn't alone in green retail in the area. Even the venerable Fred Segal boutique, favored by starlets, carries the sustainable clothing line from rock star Bono and his wife.

For green building, a powerful influence in the area is Building Green sponsor Global Green. The national environmental organization that has operated one of its two U.S. resource centers from Santa Monica for the last couple of years. There, people can find out how to greenify their home with a low-flow toilet, recycled-glass tiles for the kitchen or an Energy Star clothes washer.

And if residents weren't already aware, they'll find that they can get cash back from the city of Santa Monica for taking these measures. This spring, the city of Santa Monica started offering rebates of up to $245 to residents who were conserving water by buying and installing a low-flow toilet or a qualified irrigation system.

For green-leaning travelers, Santa Monica also touts one of the country's eco-boutique hotels, The Ambrose. The 77-room hotel, which is LEED certified, serves locally grown fare, practices energy conservation and cleans with non-toxic materials.

If Hollywood sets the trend for California, the golden state will soon be the green state.

A lot of exciting things are afoot in the world of affordable green housing. As we reported earlier today, Habitat for Humanity has just completed its first green home in Idyllwild, Ca.

Meanwhile, on a larger scale, in New Orleans' Ninth Ward, the area hit hardest by hurricane Katrina, Building Green sponsor Global Green has partnered with Brad Pitt to begin construction on eco-friendly, affordable housing development for those affected by the hurricane. The project, which is being financed primarily by The Home Depot Foundation, promises solar power and other bright green amenities.

Recently, the Today Show traveled to New Orleans to interview Brad Pitt and Global Green CEO Matt Petersen about the housing project.

As Pitt explains in a particularly poignant section of the interview, historically, low-income housing has almost always entailed cheap, unhealthy building materials. At one point Pitt motions over his shoulder towards a FEMA trailer that is serving as temporary housing. "That thing is ripe with formaldehyde," he says.

The Global Green/Pitt apartments and houses, on the other hand, are being built with non-toxic materials and a healthy dose of respect for the environment and the future occupants' health.

View the Today Show interview with Pitt and Petersen here.

On average, the construction, maintenance and use of buildings are responsible for 40% of all the energy use in the U.S. With only 5% of the world's population, the U.S. uses 25% of the world's energy resources and contributes more than 25% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions.

By building green, we can protect the natural world and even have a positive impact. Typical building construction, use, and demolition, as well as the manufacturing of building materials, contribute significantly to environmental problems.

Green Building Has Tangible Economic And Public Health Benefits:

• Lower operating costs via reduced energy and water utility bills.
• Reduced maintenance and replacement costs due to greater durability of materials.
• Improved indoor environmental quality through the use of non-toxic materials.
• Reduced risk of childhood asthma and other respiratory diseases.
• Higher productivity, less absenteeism, and reduced insurance costs.
• Preservation of natural habitats, watersheds, and ecosystems, protection of air and water quality, reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and solid waste.
• Improved health and performance: students achieve 20% better performance in green schools, patients are discharged an average of 2.5 days earlier in green hospitals.

For more information, visit Global Green USA's Green Building Resource Center.