Neighborhood House

GREEN LIVING

Resources
Stories
Lesson plans
Buy a T-shirt

The Green Vision

The vision of the new High Point Neighborhood Center is to create a building that meets all the needs of the tenants (NH and partner agencies) and the community residents. Construct it in a way that leaves the smallest imprint on the earth. Build it to teach -- about energy, resources and stewardship. This would require the ultimate joining together of an innovative design process and the practical use of green technology to create a high performing, sustainable building that reflects the community.

The embodiment of this design will take into consideration the following factors:

Utilizing environmentally friendly building materials that helps to maintain carbon balance
Use of technology to aid in the creation of an hyper-efficient building and to generate energy for the building
Taking special care to minimize the impact on the earth with a focus on the protection of soil, water and air; minimizing the introduction of toxins into the ecosystem; and maintaining natural biodiversity and existing ecosystems
Utilizing the Center as a living breathing model of sustainability by creating natural opportunities to teach about sustainable practices. This would be accomplished by the integration of art and interactive educational features throughout the inside and outside of the building

Neighborhood House Green Team
A diverse group of volunteers interested in sustainable living and building has formed under the banner of the Neighborhood House Green Team. Its role is to help identify practical innovations that connect green elements and LEEDtm design features of the new High Point Neighborhood Center with interactive displays to educate a diverse multi-age, multi-cultural audience about living green. The Green Team advises on building a technologically advanced Neighborhood Center that combines services and environmental learning opportunities situated in an urban setting comprised of residents from all socio-economic and cultural backgrounds.

The group is made up of designers, architects, engineers, residents and educators including representative from IslandWood, The Cedar River Watershed, Ikea, King Counties Green Team and Camp Long. To learn more and to join the Green Team contact Ray Li, Director of Strategic Initiatives, at rayl@nhwa.org or (206) 461-8430 ext 260.

Resources
Article on environmental justice (PDF)
Architects article on green elements
High Point Neighborhood Center Energy Modeling (Excel)
Schematic Design Energy Modeling Report, Sept. 10, 2007 (PDF)