Evergreen housing design project garners national award

(Portland, Ore.) – The Evergreen Sustainable Home Project, a collaborative project of The Evergreen State College and South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity has won a national leadership award. 

The award, presented by the Healthy Building Network, is dedicated to one organization each year for efforts made to advance the use of building materials that protect human health and promote environmental integrity throughout their lifecycle. The Evergreen and Habitat for Humanity project designed an affordable and efficient single-family home in West Olympia.  Students in Evergreen’s “Eco Design” program designed the house.

Evergreen student Luke Howard and local green building activist Tom St. Louis took key roles in the project.

The home has received high praise from the Olympia Master Builders Association, and was featured on their “Parade of Homes” during the summer of 2004.  The house exceeds a “Three Star Built Green” rating by over 400 points, and the state Department of Natural Resources uses the home to show the public how to build houses that are wildfire resistant in urban areas.

According to a press release from the Healthy Building Network, the group is a national network of green building professionals, environmental and health activists, socially responsible investment advocates and others who are interested in promoting healthier building materials as a means of improving public health and preserving the global environment. HBN focuses on promoting alternatives to particularly unhealthy building materials such as arsenic treated wood and PVC.

The Leadership Award was presented last week at BOORA Architects in participation with the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Portland, Ore.

On the web:
http://www.healthybuilding.net