News Release

April 22, 2009

Contact: Douglas Robinson, 202-220-2360, drobinson@nw.org
Erin Angell Collins, 202-220-6317, ecollins@nw.org

NeighborWorks America Renews Commitment to Go Green
Highlights Green Community Development Projects throughout the Nation and Announces Green Building Symposium at Phoenix NTI

Washington D.C.—As the nation celebrates Earth Day 2009, NeighborWorks® America reaffirms its “green” commitment to help low- and moderate-income communities across the nation become healthy, sustainable places for people to live and work.

The commitment begins at home with NeighborWorks America’s pledge to reduce its carbon footprint by 10 percent by 2012, and to offer training and education on green practices to the nonprofit community development field.  The commitment continues throughout the NeighborWorks network, which is working hard to promote green practices in communities through green home design and construction, rehabilitation, weatherization, and energy efficient rental properties.  NeighborWorks America and the NeighborWorks network are fully committed to help create and rebuild healthy, sustainable communities across the country.  

“This is an exciting time for the nonprofit community development field and its efforts to create healthier, sustainable and affordable housing,” said Thomas P. Deyo, Senior Advisor, Green Strategies and Gulf Rebuilding at NeighborWorks America. “NeighborWorks is committed to being a leader in employing and promoting green and sustainable practices for the long-term benefit of the environment so that people can live, work, and play in healthy, ecologically friendly and affordable places.”

Just a few of the local NeighborWorks organizations’ green initiatives currently underway include:

• Cambridge Neighborhood Apartment and Housing Services' (Cambridge, Mass.) Trolley Square is a 40-unit sustainable design project that incorporates many green components, including water conservation, attention to building envelope to keep heating and cooling costs low, energy-efficient lighting and appliances, an efficient, gearless elevator, and a 42 kW solar photovoltaic array to power the lights in an underground garage.  Residents moving in to Trolley Square are given two resources:The “Trolley Square Living Green Guide” to teach them about the green features in their new homes as well as the importance of living an environmentally friendly lifestyle; and personal assistance from a Resident Service Coordinator who can help residents make full use of the green features at Trolley Square.

• Columbus Housing Partnership (Columbus, Ohio) earned Platinum Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from U.S. Green Building Council for a home built in the North of Broad neighborhood of Columbus. The home is the first Platinum-certified residential dwelling in the state of Ohio and the first in the Midwestern United States.

• In December 2008, Homewise, Inc. (Santa Fe, N.M.) received the Environmental Protection Agency's 2008 Water Efficiency Leader Award for helping nearly 600 New Mexico homeowners reduce water usage by an estimated 64 percent. Homewise reduced water consumption by implementing its Watersmart Program, a one-step program designed to make conservation in homes simple and affordable: simple because it’s a one-stop program that offers effective water conservation measures for each home in one convenient setting; and affordable because Watersmart offers homeowners below-retail pricing on name brand fixtures and appliances. 

• Foundation Communities (Austin, Texas) uses 100 percent renewable energy (solar or wind) for all of the organization’s learning centers and supportive housing, making Foundation Communities one of the largest private producers of solar energy in central Texas.

In addition to supporting the groundbreaking green and sustainable energy projects being piloted and replicated throughout the NeighborWorks network, NeighborWorks America will host a Green Symposium – “Greening Your Roadmap to Succeed in a Changing Landscape” – during the NeighborWorks Training Institute in Phoenix on May 6, 2009.  Nonprofit leaders and community development professionals will gather to experience the best discussions and the latest ideas in green building, green property management and green economy, and learn how greening their organizations, green economic opportunities and cost-effective green building methods are essential to surviving and thriving in the current economy.

Lastly, more information about NeighborWorks’ green efforts can be found on the NeighborWorks Green Agenda web site: www.nw.org/green.  The site, launched in November 2008, features information about green education and training offered by NeighborWorks, best green practices of community development nonprofits, and the latest industry news and research.  The Green Agenda is designed to help the housing and community development industry create “greener” and healthier housing and communities. 

For more information about NeighborWorks green activities, visit www.nw.org/green or contact Erin Angell Collins, 202-220-6317, ecollins@nw.org, or Doug Robinson, 202-220-2360, drobinson@nw.org.

About NeighborWorks America
NeighborWorks America creates opportunities for people to improve their lives and strengthen their communities by providing access to homeownership and to safe and affordable rental housing. In the last five years, NeighborWorks organizations have generated more than $19.5 billion in reinvestment in these communities. NeighborWorks America is the nation’s leading trainer of community development and affordable housing professionals.