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Feature article "It’s
Getting Easier to Be Green", Thief River Falls
Times, showcases success of Minnesota Green Communities.
(April, 2008)Click
here to download .pdf
"A Short History of
Greenness", Minnesota Real Estate Journal (May,
2008)
Click here to download .pdf November 2007
Inclusive of both affordable and market-rate
housing, Minnesota Green Communities is now the
largest green
building program in Minnesota, with 190 units completed,
423 under construction, and another 1,223 under
development. Demonstrating the growing interest in
building and
designing green, and indicative of major policy
changes at the state level, there was a significant
increase
in the number of applications for Minnesota Green
Communities funding in 2007. In 2007, the Family
Housing Fund and Greater Minnesota Housing Fund
staff reviewed 35 proposals, 22 from the metro area
(as
compared with 11 in 2006), and 13 from greater
Minnesota (as compared with eight in 2006). The following
nine
green projects were selected for grant funding
throughout Minnesota in 2007:
| Development |
Location |
Units |
Bemidji Supportive Housing Project |
Bemidji |
20 |
Crossing at Valley View |
Bloomington |
50 |
Dakota County Youth Supportive Housing |
Eagan |
24 |
Fond du Lac Supportive Housing |
Cloquet |
24 |
Living Works Crystal Lodge II |
Crystal |
12 |
Lowry Limited Partnership |
Minneapolis |
30 |
Twin Ponds |
Farmington |
25 |
Urban Studios |
Duluth |
8 |
Youth Foyer Project |
Virginia |
15 |
Past Events
Green by Design
- May 2007
Greater Minnesota Housing Fund and the Family Housing
Fund convened the second annual statewide Minnesota
Green Communities conference on green building, Green
by Design 2007. This conference provided expert training
and education to nearly 350 (up from 200 in 2006)
housing developers, builders, architects, contractors,
city planners, policymakers, and other professionals
concerned with creating sustainable housing and communities
in Minnesota. Robert
F. Kennedy, Jr. inspired and
motivated audience members with his powerful keynote
luncheon address that was as much a call to action
as a speech. Due to a medical emergency, scheduled
health keynote speaker Xavier Bonnefoy was unable
to attend. Fortunately, Ellen Tohn of Tohn Environmental
Strategies, a national expert in housing-based environmental
threats (and a scheduled presenter for Day Two),
was able to step in for Bonnefoy, and provide a compelling
speech on the strong connections between housing
and health.
Green by Design offered a rich assortment of more
than 20 different technical and policy sessions by
local and national experts on a wide range of green
building and design topics, including energy efficiency,
stormwater management, green building products, urban
and rural design, global warming, and health and
housing. On more than a few occasions, workshop sessions
left standing room only. At the end of the workday,
many attendees stayed for a “Green Happy Hour” for
an opportunity to network with other conference participants
and staff, discuss topics of interest from the day’s
workshops, share details on plans for new housing
developments, and to get to know their colleagues
from around the state. The transit-friendly location
appealed to a number of attendees with over two dozen
arriving on bicycle, bus, or light rail. For more
session descriptions and presentations, and more
details, click
here.
Green by
Design - November 2006
Minnesota Green Communities hosted three day-long
trainings on state-of-the-art green building practices
for developers, builders, architects, policy makers,
and funders working in greater Minnesota. The trainings
focused on how to create affordable, healthy, and
energy efficient homes in sustainable communities,
highlighting the unique opportunities and challenges
of green building in greater Minnesota. Topics of
special emphasis included increasing local energy
self-reliance, healthy homes, protecting local water
quality, sustainable development planning, and natural
resource preservation.
Green by Design -
April, 2006
Minnesota Green Communities hosted a pioneering
two-day training on green building practices by local
and national experts. With rising housing and energy
costs, the interest in creating sustainable, energy-efficient
affordable housing is at a new high. The training
included detailed technical information on the Green
Communities Criteria™, and highlighted several
Minnesota-specific case studies. Additionally, Minnesota
Green Communities announced funding for another round
of demonstration projects in coordination with Minnesota
Housing's 2006 Super RFP.
Renewable
Energy: Solar and Affordable Housing – An
Event with Chris LaForge
February 2007
Minnesota Green Communities, along with LISC, Minnesota
Housing Partnership, Minneapolis Consortium of Community
Developers, and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
sponsored a workshop with solar expert Chris LaForge
of Great Northern Solar. The workshop provided an
introduction to solar uses in affordable housing,
utilizing slides of solar installations, and providing
plenty of interactive question and answer time. The
crowd was at capacity, and the project received substantial
positive feedback about the quality of the Minnesota
Green Communities’ events.
Prior to the workshop, Minnesota Green Communities
hosted a private lunch with LaForge and the development
teams from Viking Terrace and The Wellstone, two
demonstration projects with solar applications. During
lunch, teams were able to review documents and receive
expert technical assistance on their specific projects.
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