Salt Lake Habitat is going green
Habitat for Humanity International is launching a pilot program of the Partners in Sustainable Building — a national green-building partnership with The Home Depot Foundation — that will provide funding and resources to assist in making Salt Lake Valley Habitat houses more sustainable and energy-efficient.
Over the next five years, some 5,000 homes — 17 percent of the homes Habitat will build — are to be constructed according to nationally recognized green standards. They will be more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly. The project will have the advantage of technical resources and training underwritten by $30 million of financial and hands-on support from Home Depot.
The aim is to establish a pool of green-building expertise that will make both the homes and Habitat viable in the coming years, said Stella Allen, Salt Lake Valley executive director.
Salt Lake is one of only 30 Habitat affiliates selected to participate in the yearlong pilot program. A larger national launch of the five-year partnership is scheduled in May 2009.
"This partnership will provide our affiliates with the additional resources and training they need to create homes that are more durable and energy-efficient, which will make them even more affordable to our homeowners," said Jonathan T.M. Reckford, chief executive officer of Habitat for Humanity International.
In addition to the affiliate grants, the pilot program also will consist of four $100,000 grants to Habitat state support organizations to employ staff dedicated to supporting the energy-efficient, sustainable-building needs of affiliates in their state. Habitat's state organizations also will be encouraged to use a portion of the grant funds to provide responsible building training events for affiliates.
Although Home Depot and Habitat for Humanity have worked together in many ways over the years, this is the first formal partnership between the two organizations at the national level in the United States. In Canada, Home Depot has been the largest supporter of Habitat for Humanity Canada since 1996, donating more than $1 million in cash and in-kind contributions to affordable-housing projects each year.
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Our little tiny HFH affiliate down in Sierra Vista AZ built several...
Good for SLC Habitat! | July 19, 2008 at 8:57 p.m.
