The Green Gobbler

Habitat for Humanity DC takes on the daunting task of taking 8 existing  homes in the center of Ivy City and renovating them to the stringent LEED for Homes Standards with the help of the EarthCraft Virginia team.

Project manager, Teresa Hamm and her eager crew of volunteers and Habitat for Humanity DC core members see the eight rehabilitation homes at Ivy City as a labor of love. Set as in urban infill project, this LEED for homes project seeks to create a standard of living for the new homeowners that not only lessens the impact on the environment, but also brought opportunity to the area for sustainability, and health and wellness for years to come.

Going above and beyond the call of her job is not something unfamiliar to Teresa, as she has worked on EarthCraft projects before, but this LEED for homes project taking on multiple builds in one fell swoop is something a little bit different for her and the team. This time around, the whole project went under one checklist, which would make it seem a little bit less challenging; however, that means that the standards for the project as a whole get thrown for a loop or heightened, so to speak. Teresa was kept on track by the Earthcraft team throughout the process and with the help of her amazing staff and volunteers who aided in the detailed data collection process and on site verification through scheduled site visits and LEED green rater feedback. This project incorporated both renovation and new construction projects which were aiming for LEED Silver ratings.

This infill development project is in close proximity to parks, transit, community resources and has immediate access to open space; items which are all key to the LEED for homes rating system. The site met basic landscaping design requirements to lessen the impact on the environment and of course, the urban heat island effect. Water efficiency and indoor air quality were paid very close attention to on the Ivy City projects as well as the use of environmentally preferable products. This sort of project is so important to the low income housing community because it truly is a sustainably built development. We’ve recently been discussing the need for sustainably built housing the the low income community and how we see that there is a definite trend upward for sustainably built properties for lower socio-economic families in rental markets with the lower operating costs for the developers and owners, but this makes just as much sense for the low income owners, too.

It is fantastic that this project and the team has put so much work into the LEED for homes program, but they are also shooting for EarthCraft Virginia rating as well! These homes are going to have very high standards set for the area and the homeowners should be very happy with the comfort levels, energy bills and health that they get to experience once they are inside of their homes. We’re looking forward to being a part of another Habitat for Humanity DC project in the near future!