For Immediate Release
January 11, 2008
From: Live Green, Live Smart
One of World’s Greenest Homes is a Remodeled 1948 Rambler
Environmental Organization Live Green, Live Smart™ announced today that its green housing project – Live Green, Live Smart The Sustainable House – has been awarded the US Green Building Council’s (USGBC) highest certification for residential Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).
The Sustainable House received LEED Platinum certification for the ambitious remodeling of a 1948 rambler, located in Minnetonka, Minnesota. According to Live Green, Live Smart™ founder and CEO, Peter Lytle “This is not only the first LEED for Homes™Platinum Certification for a home remodel – it is also the first LEED Platinum Certified home in any class in Minnesota. With the collaboration of a team of dedicated and innovative people, we were able to demonstrate that energy efficiency and contemporary living standards are compatible. We appreciate the work of all these individuals and companies - and the support and training from the USGBC and the Alliance for Environmental Sustainability.”
The house and landscape underwent major alterations focused on energy efficiency, water conservation, habitat protection, resource efficiency and healthy occupancy. The landscape was restored more nearly pre-development condition, materials from the existing home were recycled into the remodel or another building, and renewable energy systems utilizing solar, geothermal, wind and innovative co-generation make the home close to zero-emission.
In awarding the USGBC’s first-ever LEED for Homes Platinum rating, USGBC President and CEO S. Richard Fedrizzi said “The U. S. Green Building Council is proud to recognize the effort and accomplishments of the homebuilder and project team by awarding the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification for Homes™ for the house located at 3502 The Mall in Minnetonka, Minnesota; this home is now rated at a LEED Platinum Certification level”.
According to Live Green, Live Smart’s Lytle, when project concept discussions were begun in 2006 the organization was “.... told by some very knowledgeable sources that it was not possible to remodel a home and achieve any significant certification level within the LEED program or any other program. Many of the organizations and companies that we approached for resource support, information and research could see little value in even attempting a green remodel. Two years later, we know that green remodeling is going to provide an essential contribution to our planet’s survival by preserving existing resources and fostering more sustainable systems and practices in both remodeling and new construction of homes.”
The USGBC is the preeminent green certification agency in the United States. A program of the United States Department of Energy, it is a non-profit organization committed to expanding sustainable building practices. More than 12,000 member organizations from across the United States’ building industry are working to advance structures that are environmentally responsible, profitable, and healthy places to live and work. Members include building owners and end-users, real estate developers, facility managers, architects, designers, engineers, general contractors, subcontractors, product and building system manufacturers, government agencies, and nonprofits.
The Alliance for Environmental Sustainability, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is a LEED rater and trainer for the USGBC. Founded in 2000 as a vehicle to bring the residential construction industry into the 21st-century, its founders’s goal was to provide training to builders and homebuyers for environmentally friendly, healthy and energy efficient building practices and products.
Live Green, Live Smart™ is a Wayzata, Minnesota-based organization dedicated to promoting a sustainable planet through education, linking of resources, and fostering a global, green community. The organization is formed for the benefit of those individuals concerned about the impact their housing, transportation and lifestyle choices have on the environment.
For more information, press kits, photos and the construction diary on the Live Green, Live Smart Sustainable House or Live Green, Live Smart visit: www.livegreenlivesmart.org or contact: editor@livegreenlivesmart.org or by phone at: 651.253.6825/