Building Healthy Communities

Last week, we had an Advisory Committee of experts in a variety of areas community development, affordable housing and green building come to Atlanta to assess the finalist for our 2010 Awards of Excellence for Affordable Housing, Built Responsibly.  (Sorry - I can’t tell you who the winners are yet, but check out the case studies of recipients from prior years if you want to get a taste of the outstanding and inspirational work being done by dedicated, talented, passionate professionals across the country.)  The conversations turned into mini-debates on some of the issues practitioners building healthy homes for families of modest means every day.  Most of the time, there’s not a “right” answer, but rather an attempt to find the best balance of competing needs and limited resources. I wanted to toss several of these issues out to get input from a larger group.  So, let me know what you think about these issues.

Affordability vs. Responsibility:  This one is really at the crux of everything we do at The Home Depot Foundation: how do you build the best home possible at a price that remains affordable.  (One question we won’t address here is “Affordable for whom?”  We’ll have to save that one for another day.) We actually started this Awards of Excellence program because we kept hearing people say that it wasn’t possible.  We knew that not only is it possible, but that people are doing it amazingly well.  Obviously, though, a home that incorporates every new technology that enhances its efficiency and health would be cost prohibitive.  So what’s the right balance?  When does a product become “green bling” rather than a practical upgrade.  Take for instance photovoltaics.  PVs are a great way to keep energy costs low for residents by tapping into the free energy of sunlight, but they are very expensive.  If there are no subsidies to pay for them, does it make sense to invest in a technology that won’t pay for itself for 20 years?  Maybe it does if you are planning for someone to live in the home for 50 years, but that’s a big upfront expense to absorb.  On the other hand, siting a building to take advantage of the sun’s heat  in a cold climate or to reduce the heat build up in a warm climate is one way to control the impact of the sun’s heat on a building through thoughtful design rather than expensive technology.

Now vs. Later:  There are trade-offs in every decision.  Among the hardest are those that pit current impacts of our choices against the long term implications.  Here’s an example that seems at first blush to be fairly simple, but gets very complicated very quickly.  You are selecting windows for your new apartment complex, but you are limited in what you can spend for each one (just like everything else).  You can choose wood or composite windows that are more efficient than what the local code requires.  For the same money, you can use vinyl windows that are even more energy efficient.  The wood windows are more environmentally friendly to make and at the end of their useful life as the wood will decompose.  The vinyl windows use less energy, which means more money in the residents’ pockets each month, but raise environmental issues related to how the vinyl is manufactured and the fact that it will be with us essentially forever.  This one, to me, has no “better” answer.  What would you do?

Developer vs. Resident:  Unfortunately, there is still some incremental cost to building a more efficient, healthier home.  Depending upon who you ask, that can be next to nothing up to 15-20% more than traditional building.  (Keep in mind, that it is very difficult to define what a “traditional” building is:  Is it one that merely meets code?  - And by the way, which code?  California’s stringent energy efficiency code or a state that has no statewide standard?) - One that includes Energy Star appliances?  Or one that is already built to a minimum green building standard?)  At any rate, it is a fact today that the developer is going to spend some extra amount to build a green home, but will not realize a huge financial incentive.  If it’s a home that will be purchased, the homeowner will receive the benefits in lower monthly utilities and less maintenance.  Even in the case of apartments, financial institutions don’t consider the cost savings that will come over time when they are calculating reserves and the amount that can be borrowed.  Affordable housing has been ahead of the game because grants and subsidies have been available to cover the incremental costs and because the developers are mission-driven nonprofits, but the financial and insurance industries must start to factor in both the costs and benefits if we are going to achieve real market transformation.

As I said to start, I don’t think these are easy issues, and this certainly isn’t an exhaustive list, just a few examples of the kinds of thoughts the Advisory Committee grappled with. Every building development is unique in terms of location, residents and finances and each one has to find it’s own “right” balance.   One thing I do know, however, is that we are fortunate as a country to have people who are working at getting to the best housing outcomes for families, neighborhoods and the environment.  Just wait ’til you see out winners!

I am struggling with a question, that I hope someone can help me with:  why aren’t we passionate about affordable housing as a cause?  I know some people are, a small cadre of activists, those who work in social services and community development.  But I mean just people - our neighbors, friends, colleagues.  Why don’t we donate, raise money, do walks to allow others to live in safe, healthy homes that they can afford?  Sometimes it seems we care more about where stray dogs are kenneled than we do about where people in our communities sleep at night (and please don’t misunderstand, I love animals and firmly believe that we should care about both).

I have two reasons why I struggle to understand this lack of public interest:  first, so many of us spend a huge amount of time, thought, planning and money making our own homes a comfortable,  loving place; and second, without a stable home, how can you expect anyone to have a successful life?

With regard to the passion millions of people have for their own homes, think of the number of magazines, internet sites, stores and professions (architects, builders, inspectors, decorators, etc.)  dedicated to helping people create their dream home.  It’s a huge industry, and we do love our homes.  Just think of the way we talk about what a home can mean: it’s the embodiment of a shared American dream, a foundation, a nest, our home base.  It’s a safe place where you can start to decide what you want for the rest of your life.  So if we all want this for ourselves and for our families, why aren’t we interested in helping other people achieve this too?

On the second point, I wish everyone would pause to think about what living in the same home over several years means for the other aspects of their lives.   What if you had to find a new place to live every six months or year because you didn’t make enough at your job as a teacher or fireman or waitress to keep paying the rent where you are.  Can you find another place close enough to your current job(s) or will you have to find a new one?  Can you find an apartment in the same school district or do you need to transfer your kids to a new school?  You’re already having trouble paying your bills, so how can you afford to move, with all of the transportation costs and security deposits?  Forget about the money for a minute, how much stress is it causing to be moving or worrying about whether you are going to have to move?  And if all of this is going on, how do you have time to help your kids with their homework or ask them how their day was?

All of this really hit home with me this week while I was visiting a neighborhood in Chicago.  This community has a network of strong nonprofits that are providing job training, health care and tutoring to families in the area.  They are also rehabbing homes that have fallen into foreclosure to resell them and building new homes as well.  They’ve worked with their city councilman to build new schools and create new parks.  This is a tough place, but one where progress is being made even in this economy.  As we walked down the street, I was distracted by two signs I kept seeing in the windows.  One said “We Call Police,” meaning we are paying attention and call for help if we see bad things going on - we aren’t going to have our neighborhood taken away from us.  The other sign actually gave me a chill; it read “Don’t Shoot, I Want to Grow up.”

Would you allow your child to wait for the bus or play outside in a place where you would hang that sign?  How can we allow any child to live there?  What can we expect from a boy or girl who calls that home?  And how would you feel if that’s the only home you could afford to provide for your child?  Shouldn’t we all care about helping each other change that situation?

I’m having a hard time understanding how anyone couldn’t.

Well, it’s the end of another December, another year.  I just recycled my 2009 desk calendar.  Honestly, I’m never quite sure what we are celebrating when one year ends and another arrives, but for 2010, I’m going to try to really take advantage of this new year as the proverbial fresh start.  I’d like to share with you a few things I am committing to do  - because they will be good for me economically, they’ll be good for the environment and they will make me feel better about myself.  By making my resolutions public, I hope to also do a better job of sticking to them.

First, I’m not going to replace that paper calendar.  I’ve like being able to glance down and see the months laid out year after year, but it really is a waste of paper, let along desk space.  Besides, I think it makes me seem old to like information on paper - only the computer will track my days from now on.

Along the same lines, no more unnecessary printing and copying.  I tend to print e-mails to have the paper as a reminder (that’s what the little flags in Outlook are for, I know!) and to print documents to revise them, and I feel guilty even as I do it.  I resolve to read and comment on documents on my computer, and to make meetings paperless as well.  Whew - I already feel better on that front.

I will remember to get the shopping bags out of the trunk of my car and actually take them into the store with me.  Why is this so hard?  On the top of the pad I use to make lists (I know, there’s that paper again, but I have to start with baby steps) I have written “REMEMBER BAGS.”  I plan to copy this as the first item of every list (now I just have to remember to take the list into the store).

I’ll reduce my phantom load.  Sounds spooky, doesn’t it?  This is the electricity used by TVs, DVD players, computers, chargers and appliances when they off, but still plugged in and drawing a small amount of electricity.  By most estimates, this standby power usage accounts for about 10% of the electricity used in a typical home.  So I’m going to unplug all my charges when they aren’t actually charging anything, and I’m going to put my electronics on a power strip and unplug it when I’m done using them.  I’ll let you know if I can see a change in my electricity bill.

To paraphrase President Carter, I’m going to wear a sweater.  I’m always cold in our house; my husband is always hot.  We are going to set the thermometer to a cooler temperature this winter.   I’ll tell him I’m doing it so he’ll be comfortable, but we’ll know the real reason!

Finally, I’m going to plant a tree.  A tree that will grow for many years and give shade and protection to our home.  This summer, I think I’ll relax under its branches and think of the money I’ve saved by sticking to my resolutions.  I hope to be congratulating myself on a job well done, but check back in the next months and I promise to tell you how I’m really doing.  Wish me luck and Happy New Year!

I’m in Phoenix at Greenbuild, the US Green Building Council’s annual mass gathering of enviro building professionals.  USGBC started out just focusing on commercial buildings - skyscrapers and fancy office buildings, but yesterday we were here talking about affordable housing.  We had about 130 representatives of nonprofit organizations, architecture firms, city housing officials and greenbuilding experts, each of whom wanted to learn more about how to create homes that are more affordable and healthier for families of modest means.  In particular, we talked about rehabbing existing homes, senior housing and transit-oriented developments, which is a fancy way of saying homes near train and subway stations and bus stops.

The speakers and panels were great and imparted a huge amount of information about existing projects, best practices and lessons learned.  In the afternoon, though, the real action began when we broke up into small working groups to discuss 9 projects from throughout the country that are still in the pre-development or design phase.  The key here was that the construction manager was able to talk to experts and peers about how to make their projects more efficient and healthier while still staying within their budget.   Because these are projects that are going to be built and that are still in a phase where changes can be made, all the participants were very engaged and excited about the conversation.  It wasn’t just a theoretical exercise.

At the end of the day, each group did a short report out.  Without exception, every project manager saw that they could build a project that would meet a national green building standard (in several cases, LEED Platinum) and stay withing their budget - WOW!  That’s a real accomplishment with 9 projects that ranged from a large Hope VI redevelopment of public housing to the renovation of a high school to be an apartment building to a Habitat house!  Even better, in just a few hours, we had project managers come to see that green wasn’t scary, overly complicated or expensive.  One even proclaimed to the crowd that he had been cynical about green building, but that he had been converted!

We’ll keep tabs on what happens as these projects come out of the ground and families actually move into them, and report back to you.  The 30,000 attendees of the Greenbuild conference are streaming into Phoenix, with meetings starting today.  On Friday, we’ll be presenting the Foundation’s Awards of Excellence for Affordable Housing Built Responsibly - check back for the winners and case studies - to an audience of almost 10,000.  But, in terms of real progress and truly making a difference, I think Greenbuild has already been a success.