Speakers Discuss Green Building in Rural Areas During Housing Assistance Council Conference

On June 9, representatives from several local housing organizations and two Members of Congress met in Washington to discuss green and sustainable housing in rural areas at the Housing Assistance Council's symposium, "Building Green in Rural America."  NCSHA staff attended the symposium.

John Olver (D-MA), Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies, was the keynote speaker.  He outlined the budget challenges Congress faces, including a tight budget constricted by both spending demands and declining tax revenues caused by the economic downturn.  Olver said Congress is very interested in policies that can save money to reduce the deficit, create new housing opportunities to serve the disadvantaged, and address issues with the nation's energy use.

Pointing out that energy costs related to heating and cooling homes make up a significant portion of the average family's budget, Olver said the nation must work to create housing that is sustainable and affordable in both rural and urban settings, including doing more with the HOPE VI program and tearing down agency barriers that prevent interagency cooperation.  He said that funding for the Housing Capital Fund and energy retrofit programs included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act were a good start.  He also commented favorably on HUD and the Department of Transportation working together to create sustainable communities.  Olver said he was encouraged to see that the President’s Budget included $650 million for the Sustainable Housing Initiative.

The symposium also included two panels on green and sustainable housing in rural areas.  The single-family housing panel included speakers from Utah, Arkansas, and Massachusetts giving presentations on successful local housing developments.  Kim Datwyler of the Neighborhood Nonprofit Housing Corporation of Utah spoke about the successes she has seen in "self-help" housing programs, where families are required to help build their own homes and must put in a certain number of hours per week over a period of six to ten months.  Anne Perkins of Rural Development Inc. of Massachusetts gave a presentation on Wisdom Way Solar Village, a new mixed-income housing development that uses solar power to create zero-net energy homes, funded in part by a partnership with MassHousing.

The panel on multifamily housing included speakers from Virginia, Maine, and Washington state.  Laura Buxbaum of Coastal Enterprises, Inc. gave a presentation on creating new green multifamily developments in Maine that meet the new energy standards put in place by MaineHousing.  From the Community Housing Partners of Virginia, Orlando Artze detailed how they have created new rural Low Income Housing Tax Credit developments that meet the Virginia Housing Development Authority's energy efficiency standards, including the first Housing Credit development that received the EarthCraft Virginia certification.

The conference concluded with presentations by Congressman Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX) and Casius Pealer of the US Green Building Council.  Hinojosa told attendees about the importance of remembering rural housing when dealing with green and sustainable development.  He emphasized the importance of weatherizing homes and the need to simplify and streamline the process of converting residences into more energy efficient buildings no matter where they are located.

Pealer told attendees that the US Green Building Council believes that "green building and affordable housing go hand-in-hand" and that they are beginning to focus on rural housing in addition to urban buildings.  He said that green housing begins with energy-efficient construction and continues with regular home maintenance, and that organizations must adopt a longer view when evaluating the return on investment regarding green housing.