Summit Convenes Green Communities Leaders
More than 100 developers of green affordable housing recently came together in Minneapolis to help shape the future of Green Communities.

The Green Communities Developers Summit, April 14-15, convened leaders from across the country to:

• Strengthen green affordable development by identifying what’s working and the field’s leading innovations.
• Prioritize actions to address the challenges of making all affordable homes in the United States green.
• Learn more about the costs and benefits of Green Communities developments.
• Foster the community of leading green affordable developers.

During the two days, participants discussed best practices, sought new ideas, grappled with critical challenges and forged relationships with colleagues from across the country. Together, they identified priorities for supporting the needs of green affordable developers and assessed the direction of the field.

Enterprise is actively incorporating lessons and feedback from the summit into the development of new resources and initiatives to expand the remarkable momentum that developers described during the summit.

The summit was convened by Enterprise in partnership with AmericaSpeaks, a non-partisan, nonprofit organization with the mission of providing Americans with a greater voice in the most important decisions that affect their lives. Green Communities Developers Summit Report. (PDF, 177K)

Enterprise Issues Federal Policy Platform for Green Affordable Housing
Bringing Home the Benefits of Energy Efficiency to Low-Income Households (PDF, 5MB) ,Enterprise’s 10-point policy platform, lays out a national plan for expanding green affordable homes as part of a national commitment to fighting climate change and increasing energy efficiency. The paper frames the housing, environmental and energy benefits that such a commitment would deliver and outlines specific policy recommendations to achieve them.

The recommendations have a relatively modest cost and could be funded without cuts to other environmental, energy and housing priorities. They are designed to support the innovation among the private sector, leading mayors and governors and professional associations that is gaining ground but needs federal leadership to get to scale.

Edward Norton Testifies on Capitol Hill on Climate Change and Green Homes
Actor, director and Enterprise Community Partners Trustee Edward Norton testified on Capitol Hill May 13, urging lawmakers to put opportunities for low-income people at the forefront of the nation's response to the climate change crisis. He spoke before the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming.

“My grandparents' generation rose up, faced a great war against fascism, totalitarianism. My parents' generation carried the torch of civil rights and social equality,” Norton said. “The legacy of my generation is going to hinge on how we respond to these revelations that we're not living sustainably, and that we're altering the environment.”

Joining Norton were San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom; Kent Peterson, president, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers; and Michelle Moore, senior vice president of policy and marketing development, U.S. Green Building Council.

News release. (PDF, 26K) Read Norton's testimony. (PDF, 66K) Listen to Norton’s testimony. Enterprise Community Partners Policy Page.

Annual Symposium on Green Homes and Sustainable Communities
“Green Homes and Sustainable Communities 2008,” the annual national symposium on green affordable housing and community development, is set for Aug. 7-8 in Chicago. More than 250 leading developers, designers, funders and public agency staff from across the country will gather for two days of workshops on leading edge innovations in the transformation of low-income communities.

Cosponsored by Enterprise and the Institute for Professional and Executive Development, the symposium is expected to sell out well in advance. Limited tuition assistance is available to nonprofit and government agency staff.
Conference details.  

Green Communities Receives Bridge Builders Award
Enterprise was honored to receive the Bridge Builders Award from Partners for Livable Communities at its Tenth Annual Bridge Builders dinner and awards program April 10 in Washington, D.C. The award recognizes Enterprise for its efforts in collaboration with many partner organizations to advance sustainability in the construction and preservation of affordable housing.

“In addition to fulfilling the legacy of its co-founder James W. Rouse, Enterprise’s efforts to promote green building have ushered in a new era of affordable housing,” said Partners President Bob McNulty. “This green initiative should do wonders for ensuring that housing around the country is environmentally friendly, energy efficient and affordable for all.”

The Bridge Builders Award honors individuals and institutions who build bridges of understanding and cooperation across divides – social, economic, regional and racial – to create beneficial partnerships for the betterment of their communities. Read more about the award.

Federal Grant Funds Available for Green Affordable Developments
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced the availability of $1 million in grant funds to support affordable housing developments that receive Energy Star certification. In making awards, HUD will consider the extent to which proposed development would incorporate holistic environmental features consistent with the Green Communities Criteria.

Eligible applicants are state and local jurisdictions that administer federal HOME block grant funds. Jurisdictions will pass through grant funds to Community Housing Development Organizations as defined under the HOME program. The deadline for applications is July 1. Apply for the Federal Grant.

Green Communities Project Profile: The Essex, San Francisco
Mercy Housing California and the Community Housing Partnership converted a seven-story hotel in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco into green apartments for homeless individuals with disabilities. The development also integrates social services along with extensive green elements.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom talked about the development in his testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming on May 13.

“Visionary organizations like Enterprise, one of the leaders of this movement represented here today, are through their Green Communities initiative constructing and renovating buildings like Hotel Essex, an 84-room affordable housing development built in 1912 that will feature a rooftop of solar arrays and a building full of sustainable features,” Newsom said. The Essex project profile. (PDF,567K)

Green Communities in the News
Edward Norton in the news: Washington Post, SF Chronicle and Multi Housing News.