An Evolution of Excellence?
The Foundation staff convened a group of experts in green building, sustainability and community development for two days last week to review applications and help select the recipients of our annual Awards of Excellence in Affordable Housing Built Responsibly. (We selected the finalists, are conducting site visits, and the winners will be announced in November at Greenbuild - sorry no previews!) This recognition program was created five years ago to answer the question “Can non-profit organizations build houses that are green while they are affordable?” We knew that the answer was “yes,” and we wanted to showcase examples of organizations not only doing it, but doing it exceptionally well. We believed this would inspire others to strive to complete similar projects.
I was struck during the discussion how the world has changed during these five years - and how much it hasn’t. In 2004, we were scrutinizing data about the type of lightbulbs and windows selected, the efficiency of the faucets and whether low-VOC paint was used, even though it was more expensive and difficult to find. Last week, we were comparing projects that have achieved platinum LEED certification (if you aren’t familiar, take that as shorthand for a very green, very efficient building), considering how accessible transportation is to the residents, and debating whether the density of the buildings had too great of an impact on the natural surroundings. This was essentially because today only CFLs are used; typical low-flow fixtures reduce water consumption by 30%; and no-VOC paint costs the same as the smelly stuff.
And while I was struck by how our discussion of the projects had evolved to take certain basic sustainable building items as givens and moved on to consider broader community issues as well, I also realized how competitive the 2004 winners would have been in the discussion to select 2009’s recipients. (See case studies of all of our awards of excellence recipients.) In fact, this was a reminder of how far ahead mission-based organizations have been when thinking about the practical, pocketbook and health issues of green homes. Early on, they saw the importance of bringing the benefits of green building to the families they helped and who are now paying less for their utilities every month, having fewer asthma attacks and enjoying the other economic and social benefits stable housing brings.
This also made me think about who was catching up with whom. While the Foundation was only thinking about the four walls of the building and from the lot line in, the nonprofit builders were certainly thinking more broadly about the community-wide issues. They were considering whether their residents would be able to travel easily to jobs, stores and services, whether they were providing assets for the community at large, such as green areas and community centers, and whether they were hiring and training people from the neighborhood. So while I think back over the organizations we have recognized, I want to add an additional note of thanks for the education they have provided us along the way.
And so it starts
I am starting a blog - much like many others today. I hope, however, that I offer something different than others. As President of The Home Depot Foundation, I am privileged that on a daily basis, I’m able to support and partner with nonprofits that have enormous impacts in our communities; to have discussions with influential leaders in government, philanthropy and business; and to influence how our cities address the numerous and interconnected social, economic and environmental issues they are facing, even as their budgets continue to dwindle. Much of these efforts focus on how to provide healthy, affordable homes for families throughout our country. And we think a great deal about the pocketbook issues facing these working families and how to ensure the long-term affordability of the homes. (Much more on that to come.)
As a Foundation, we’ve had many successes. In 1993, we started talking about efficiency, conservation and health as they relate to affordable housing. This was long before “green” was cool – in fact at the time “green building” was too crunchy, too “out there,” so we called it “responsible building.” Two years ago, we made a commitment that to address the long-term issues involving the lack of housing and communities that are affordable and healthy, we would invest $400 million over ten years to help build and rehabilitate 100 homes and to plant 3 million trees. Since we made that announcement, we’ve already seen our funds support 27,000 homes and plant and maintain 500,000 trees. We are a founding funder of Enterprise’s Green Communities and are partnering with Habitat for Humanity to help their affiliates enhance the sustainability of at least 5,000 of the homes they build. There’s lots of information about our accomplishments on our website at www.homedepotfoundation.org.
And, while the opportunities to do good and help others are huge, we aren’t always successful in our first attempts, and sometimes getting a project completed looks a lot like the passing of legislation or the proverbial making of sausage – no matter what analogy you use, it ain’t pretty. So my commitment to this virtual conversation is to share with you the things we get right (you know I have to!), but also the complicated issues we are thinking through and discussing, the disagreements we have and the stumbles we experience. My goal is that it will offer enough of a different perspective, raise issues that are relevant enough and be thought-provoking enough that it will compel you to join in the discussion.
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