Global Green USA's blog

The Street Where Dreams Come True: Corner of Lakewood Avenue and Miller Reed Avenue in Atlanta, Georgia

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

Since Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1976, it has built over 150,000 homes in the United States and over 80 other countries. Relying principally on volunteers who donate their labor to construct the house, Habitat’s “sweat equity” model provides housing for families who commit to contributing hundreds of hours of their own labor into building their homes, and the homes of others. Homes are funded by donations of cash and building materials, and the residents’ zero-interest mortgage payments help build still more Habitat homes. Residents pay their own utilities.

In early 2002, Habitat for Humanity’s Atlanta affiliate created a small green community by building seven single-family, single-story bungalows on an abandoned, overgrown lot in just nine weeks. (Two additional homes were built a short time later; their lots were used for staging construction of the first seven homes.) One of this project’s goals was to integrate a green homes certification process into Atlanta Habitat’s existing building practices, exposing a large number of volunteers to green building practices and learning lessons for future application. Since 2004, all homes built by Atlanta Habitat have been EarthCraft certified, including those in a mixed-income, 41-home subdivision under construction in southeast Atlanta.

High Point Delridge Neighborhood, Seattle, Washington

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

“The green aspects became an important engine as we went along because they became an important rallying point for people who wanted to help. There was lots of support in the community for making High Point happen.” Tom Phillips, project manager, Seattle Housing Authority

Longfellow Creek is a 3-mile, year-round urban creek in West Seattle’s Delridge neighborhood that was once teemed with salmon. A comprehensive community effort is now underway to restore the creek as a vital fish habitat. Almost 10 percent of the stormwater that ends up in Longfellow Creek falls on the ground of High Point, originally a 716-unit affordable housing project built during World War II. Run down and decaying, the project was ripe for redevelopment. With over $37 million in federal HOPE VI funds, the Seattle Housing Authority (SHA), an independent public corporation that functions as both a property manager and a nonprofit developer, began plans to redevelop the entire site into a mixed-income community. Concurrently, the city of Seattle expressed interest in integrating a natural stormwater drainage system into the redevelopment project to treat the stormwater runoff in an ecologically sensitive way and improve salmon habitat.

SHA spent time in initial planning determining how it could integrate a natural stormwater management system and identifying the specific permits needed. After deliberation, it agreed to integrate a natural drainage system into the project if the city granted several concessions. These included permitting narrower streets (25 feet wide, with parking on both sides) that would reduce impervious surfaces; assist in city permitting process; and supporting an approach that integrates the drainage system into a traditional-looking neighborhood. The city agreed to support these concepts, as well as to provide $2.7 million to cover the difference between a typical new-construction stormwater system and the natural system proposed SHA.

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.

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.