The Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc. (SFI) will provide funding to get 25 Habitat for Humanity Homes green-certified. The NAHB (National Association of Home Builders) Research Center will use funds coming from SFI’s Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program to support Habitat affiliates in Delaware Georgia, Iowa, North Carolina, and elsewhere. All of the homes are expected to meet the NAHB’s ANSI/ICC 700-2008 National Green Building Standard.
The NAHB Research Center will receive funds through the National Housing Endowment to certify the homes through the following affiliates:
- Habitat for Humanity Quad Cities, Bettendorf, Iowa.
- Habitat for Humanity Bay-Waveland Area, Bay Saint Louis.
- Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County, Wilmington, Del.
- Chatham Habitat for Humanity, Pittsboro, N.C.
- Lexington Habitat for Humanity, Lexington, Ky.
- Habitat for Humanity -- Grand Traverse Region, Traverse City, Mich.
- Habitat for Humanity of Greater Greensboro, Greensboro, N.C.
- Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Metro Atlanta, Smyrna, Ga.
- Palouse Habitat for Humanity, Moscow, Idaho.
- Habitat for Humanity of Southeastern Connecticut, New London, Conn.
NAHB Research Center President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Luzier said that green certification needs to be accessible for homes in all price ranges. “That’s why our certification is more affordable and not as time consuming as other national certifications while delivering the same third-party credibility and rigor,” he said. “There is also an NAHB members’ discount for Habitat for Humanity affiliates.”
“The National Green Building Standard recognizes wood from all credible third-party forest-certification standards, including SFI, making it easier for builders to build with North American wood,” said Kathy Abusow, president and CEO of the independent SFI forest certification program.
Habitat for Humanity affiliates that want to be considered under the program are urged to contact the NAHB Research Center at www.nahbgreen.org/ContactUs. Homes must not have been previously registered with the Research Center for certification, and construction must start this year and be completed by May.
For each home, at least $200 is being allocated for certification expenditures, Danny Karch, SFI’s national director of green building, told Green Building Insider. Ten of those homes have been registered for grant support, but grant applications for the other 15 homes are expected to be submitted in the near future. He noted that green features for individual homes have yet to be determined.
The NAHB-Habitat initiative is funded through an SFI community grant that is part of the SFI Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program. To date, SFI has committed more than $1 million for grants to help build knowledge, support landowner outreach, strengthen global supply chains, and deliver benefits in forests and communities across the United States and Canada. Partner contributions will leverage additional resources, raising the total value of the projects to $4.2 million.
