In January 2003, Habitat for Humanity of Ventura County formed a "Green Team" of volunteers dedicated to implementing change in methods used in construction of Habitat homes. With over twenty years of experience in implementing sustainable building practices, I was asked to join the team to assist in providing Habitat families with homes that are economical to operate, healthy to live in and which reduce the impact of local home construction. For one year I served as the Chairman of the Green Team. Currently the green team is working on projects to green homes under construction in Oxnard,. If you would like to assist in these projects see http://www.habitatventura.org/getin_green.html

In developing direction for implementing sustainable practices for Habitat for Humanity I researched, developed and wrote comprehensive Green Building Guidelines. These guidelines are available online in Word, HTML or PDF format from the Sustainability Council or Habitat websites. In writing the guidelines, I specifically did not copyright the document to enable their free exchange and adaptation to meet specific requirement for the user. http://www.sustainabilitycouncil.org/habitat.htm

One recent project of the Ventura County Sustainability Council was to gather local Green building professionals and urge them to implement a local green building organization. The outcome of the meeting was the formulation of the Green Building Council of Ventura County. As a side note my home is one of the local green projects featured in the groups first publication.

Building environmentally sound homes is often thought to be more expensive than following conventional building practices, so most likely just the privileged few may consider including “green” practices in designing their homes. However while some choices may increase the initial cost, others choices may reduce it. The greening process in building a home includes site selection and preparation, careful choice and use of building materials, managing the construction process and finally occupying and living in the home. In the final analysis homes built with green materials and construction practices are more economical to operate in the long run. Because they provide a healthier environment, overall living expenses can be reduced.

The greening process does not have to be associated only with the radical chic. The Ventura County chapter of Habitat for Humanity, which builds affordable housing for low-income families, is providing leadership in the move to change traditional building practices that often ignore the benefits of considering environmentally sound design and building options. Habitat Ventura is taking the common sense approach to providing local families with affordable homes that are also green.

The initial impetus for the change occurred when Habitat for Humanity International implemented a Green Initiative several years ago. Its affiliates were directed to establish green programs at the local level, but no specific guidelines were provided. Habitat Ventura is the oldest affiliate in the state and has a record of accomplishment in renovating over 500 homes and constructing 32 new homes to provide housing for local families in need. Habitat Ventura first initiated greening actions by opening the ReStore four years ago, a building materials reutilization and reuse thrift store. The proceeds from this endeavor have already funded the construction of one local Habitat home. The next big step was to undertake a program to green the construction of homes built by Habitat Ventura while maintaining the requirement to keep costs down.

In January 2003, Bethany Lee, Habitat’s Volunteer Coordinator began her efforts to form a local Green Team. The purpose of this team was to promote energy-efficient, environment friendly construction, and encourage good stewardship of natural resources by raising awareness of the environmental impacts of house construction. Phone calls to the community resulted in a group of individuals deeply committed to the environment who wanted to volunteer their efforts to provide greener homes for residents in Ventura County. The Green Team members included individuals with a personal interest in environmental issues, and with professional interest, expertise, and experience. The team included people who work at the Navy Facilities Engineering Service Center, the County's Energy and Resource Department, Channel Islands National Park, the Sustainability Council of Ventura County and partners in Adapt Design Studios.

In the initial meetings, the Green Team proposed a variety of sustainable features that were desirable in a sustainable home. These include tankless water heaters, energy efficient lighting and appliances, solar power systems, green landscaping, use of green building materials and sustainable construction management practices. One outcome of the Green Team's work was the decision that providing some form of guidelines were required to serve as a road map for the sustainable construction process. After researching existing green building guidelines or programs, this writer found that they did not meet the needs of Habitat Ventura. Therefore, I decided to develop and write Green Building Guidelines that considered the local characteristics. The guidelines were designed to provide best management practices while addressing local building practices, codes and conditions. In order to facilitate its widest use, the guidelines are also readily adaptable for use by other Habitat affiliates, housing development organizations or agencies. To facilitate their free exchange and utilization, the Guidelines specifically were not copyrighted and are available online.

Habitat Ventura has affirmed its commitment to sustainable construction by adopting a green construction policy. In November 2003 groundbreaking for two homes in Oxnard occurred. These two homes will use the Green Building Guidelines and incorporate many sustainable features to include energy star appliances, energy efficient lighting, tankless water heaters and each will also be provided with 2.5 kW grid tied photovoltaic systems. The Green Team is proud that their work is having tangible effects on the next homes being constructed by Habitat of Ventura County. We hope that the common sense approach considered throughout the process will provide the community at large with ideas and resources in building or remodeling “green.”

Resources-
Habitat for Humanity of Ventura County http://www.habitatventura.org/
Habitat ReStore, 167 Lambert Street, Oxnard, CA (off Vineyard)
Habitat Green Building Guidelines http://www.habitatventura.org/Green%20Guidelines.PDF Green Guidelines in HTML
Green Guidelines in Word

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Last Update 03-20-2007