Pete Palmer, Habitat Director, with Baja Dalla, homeowner, Ethan Collier of Collier Construction and Anj McClain of Green|Spaces in front of the first LEED Certified Habitat home in Chattanooga

Southside Habitat Home Receives LEED Certification

Future Builds to Be EarthCraft Certified

Over the past two years, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga has been working to improve the energy efficiency of the homes it builds and sells to economically challenged families.  This effort has reached a new milestone with the certification of the homebuilding organization’s first home built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards, and the decision to build future homes to EarthCraft Standards.

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is an internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies to increase energy and water use efficiency, decreased CO₂ emissions, and improved indoor environmental quality.

“We are proud that the home we built for Baja Dalla and his family in partnership with the Southside Community has been LEED certified,” says Dennis Neal, LEED AP, Director of Construction and Land Development with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga.  “Collier Construction and Green|Spaces worked with us as we learned about the methods and technologies needed to meet LEED standards.  This knowledge has helped us improve the energy efficiency of all of our homes. As funds become available in the future, we hope to build more homes to LEED standards.”

In the meantime, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga has increased its efforts to build more efficient homes on a regular basis.  For some time, Habitat homes here have been built to Energy Right Standards.  “EarthCraft reflects a higher standard of practice, and having our homes formally certified helps raise awareness of the impact that careful use of materials and technology can have on energy efficiency of a home,” says Neal.

EarthCraft House, a residential green building program of the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association in partnership with Southface, follows a systems approach to home building that stresses an understanding of how the different components of a home work together. This approach results in a home that performs better, is more economical for the homeowner and costs little more to build than a comparable home built with standard construction practices.

“Building the most energy efficient home we can within our funding resources benefits our homebuyers,” says Neal.  “When you are on a fixed or very limited income, being able to be comfortable without spending a fortune on utility bills is a tremendous blessing.  Some of our families come out of situations where they are freezing or roasting depending on the season. Having a home that is simple, decent, affordable, and efficient dramatically changes their situation and helps them direct funds to other family needs.”

“Building more energy efficient homes to sell to low income families is not without cost,” says Neal.  “Whether it is donations of skilled services from Green builders, donations of materials or funding, we are always in need of partners to work with us to change lives and help us be better stewards of the environment.”

Baja Dalla receives the keys to his new home earlier this year. His story, and the details of the effort to build his home are detailed in a film to be shown at a national revitalization conference

Though construction of the Habitat for Humanity home built in Chattanooga’s Southside last year has been completed for several months, its impact continues through a locally produced film that will be shown at the National Brownfields Conference in New Orleans on November 17.

Main Street: More than a Home, by Dave Porfiri and Linda Duvoisin of Chattanooga based film and television production company Mindflow Media , documents the construction of the first Habitat for Humanity home in Chattanooga to be built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards.  It also touches on the inspiring story of Baja Dalla who lost his family in the genocide in the Sudan, grew to adulthood in a refugee camp, fell in love, was married, and now has found a new home in Chattanooga, thanks to the generosity of the Southside Community.

“This event is the most comprehensive conference on environmental revitalization and economic redevelopment in the nation,” says Pete Palmer, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga.  “The Southside build was a special experience for everyone involved.  I am confident that the film will touch many hearts, and will encourage others to initiate change in their communities.  It is a real honor for our community, and particularly for Dave and Linda to have this film shown at such an important conference.”

More information about the conference is available at www.brownfieldsconference.org.  Information about the  filmmakers is available at www.mindflowmedia.com.  Film details are available at www.greeninghabitat.org.  Baja Dalla’s story is available at www.transformchattanooga.org.  More information about Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga is available at www.habichatt.org.