New Five-Year, $30 Million Program will help Habitat Affiliates Build More
Sustainable, Energy-Efficient Housing
ATLANTA, March 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Habitat for Humanity International
and The Home Depot Foundation today announced a national green building
initiative, Partners in Sustainable Building. The program will provide
funding and resources to assist in making at least 5,000 homes built by
Habitat affiliates more energy efficient and sustainable according to
nationally recognized green building standards. Sustainable homes cost less
to operate and maintain and have less of an impact on the environment. The
Home Depot Foundation is providing $30 million in financial and in-kind
support, technical resources and training to establish a foundation of
green building expertise that will impact Habitat builds for years to come.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050501/NYSU020LOGO )
The Home Depot Foundation's Partners in Sustainable Building program
will provide energy-efficient and sustainable building resources for
approximately 17 percent of all single- and multi-family homes built by
Habitat for Humanity over the next five years. Building a home to these
standards can create significant savings in annual energy bills for Habitat
partner families.
"This partnership will provide our affiliates with the additional
resources and training they need to create homes that are more durable and
energy efficient, which will make them even more affordable to our
homeowners," said Jonathan T.M. Reckford, chief executive officer of
Habitat for Humanity International. "We are truly grateful to The Home
Depot Foundation for making this partnership possible, because it will
improve the lives of thousands of low-income families while promoting good
stewardship of our natural resources."
The five-year partnership begins with a one-year pilot program with
approximately 30 Habitat affiliates in a variety of climates and in rural
and urban areas to best gauge the impact of the program. Future components
of the program will include educational and scholarship programs. Partners
in Sustainable Building is an opt-in program, which will be available
across the United States early next year. Funds and resources provided by
the Foundation will help Habitat affiliates expand their use of
energy-efficient equipment, install more water-conserving fixtures and
ensure good indoor air quality. The funding will also help Habitat
affiliates secure third-party verification of nationally recognized green
building standards.
"Our organization supports the construction of homes for families that
are healthy to live in and affordable to own," said Kelly Caffarelli,
president of The Home Depot Foundation. "We are thrilled to be partnering
with Habitat to create additional opportunities for thousands of families
of modest means to experience the economic and health benefits of green
building practices. We believe that the impact of this program will be
far-reaching and will add to the long-term success of families and
communities across the country."
The Home Depot and Habitat for Humanity have worked together in many
ways over the years, including individual store donations and new home
builds completed locally by Home Depot store associates and various
affiliate partnerships. This is the first formal partnership between the
two organizations at the national level in the United States. In Canada,
The Home Depot has been the largest supporter of Habitat for Humanity
Canada since 1996, donating more than $1 million in cash and in-kind
contributions to affordable housing projects each year. With its strong
commitment to the environment, The Home Depot Canada will also direct
funding to support energy- efficient sustainable housing projects in 2008.
About The Home Depot Foundation
The Home Depot Foundation was created in 2002 to further the community
building goals of The Home Depot. The Home Depot Foundation is dedicated to
building homes for working families that are healthy to live in and
affordable to own. Through the incorporation of responsible design, homes
built with durable and quality materials are more energy and water
efficient, have good indoor air quality, and are overall a safe and healthy
space to live. Since its formation, The Home Depot Foundation has granted
$70 million to nonprofit organizations and supported the development of
more than 50,000 affordable, healthy homes. For more information, visit
http://www.homedepotfoundation.org.
About Habitat for Humanity International
Habitat for Humanity International is an ecumenical Christian ministry
that welcomes to its work all people dedicated to the cause of eliminating
poverty housing. Since its founding in 1976, Habitat has built more than
250,000 houses worldwide, providing simple, decent and affordable shelter
for more than 1 million people. For more information, visit
http://www.habitat.org.
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SOURCE Habitat for Humanity International
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Related links:
http://www.habitat.org
http://www.homedepotfoundation.org
Photo Notes:http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050501/NYSU020LOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
CONTACT:
Caroline Counihan of The Home Depot
Foundation, +1-770-384- 2944, caroline_counihan@homedepot.com, or
Mandy Hunsicker of Manning Selvage & Lee for The Home Depot
Foundation, +1-404-870-6815, mandy.hunsicker@mslpr.com, or Duane
Bates, Habitat for Humanity International, +1-404-733-3079,
dbates@habitat.org
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