(Photo | Courtesy of The Environmental Center)
The 20th Annual Green Tour is transitioning to its first-ever virtual event with even more opportunities for residents to engage with the local green building community. More than ever, we need the enhanced environmental stewardship, affordability, health, comfort and durability associated with high-performance new and existing homes.
The Green Tour will demonstrate that the path to high performance homes isn’t just built with big ideas — it’s been demonstrated with real projects right here in our own community. From DIY to zero energy homes, there is a course of action for everyone.
The Green Tour kicked-off last week with keynote speaker Sam Rashkin, the U.S. Department of Energy’s chief architect of the Building Technologies Office. Rashkin is a veteran of the green building industry with 25 years of experience in the field and has overseen the certification of over 1 million ENERGY STAR homes. He shows our community the opportunities that are often overlooked to demonstrate the value of high performance homes and drive the industry forward.
“High-performance home advocates couldn’t be more passionate. Sharing that passion has always proven difficult because the benefits of high-performance homes are invisible to most consumers,” said Rashkin. “This conversation is too important and too easy not to get right.”
To view the introductory video, please click here: app.vidhug.com.
In the midst of the COVID pandemic, the spirit of the Green Tour will remain the same, although how the community engages will look a little bit different. Ten sites are being released on the Green Tour website throughout this week. The stories of each site will be told through a variety of videos, virtual tours and photos.
The community will be introduced to homeowner-builders, DIYers, upcyclers, zero energy enthusiasts and affordable housing advocates. You’ll see panelized construction that allows a home to be constructed in a matter of days, and what happens when two economists tackle home energy upgrades with an eye for sustainability and cost effectiveness.
“The Green Tour is all about offering practical solutions and showcasing innovation so that this work can be more accessible to the entire community,” said Lindsey Hardy, program director at The Environmental Center. Tour-goers will be able to engage with the project team members — homeowners and experts alike — through live, virtual panel discussions centered around a variety of important green building topics such as zero energy homes, energy retrofits, reducing construction waste, accessory dwelling units and electric vehicles.
One of the events will take a deep dive into a local project that truly exemplifies what it means to evolve in the homebuilding space. Kor Community Land Trust is using a land-lease model to build its first community of zero energy homes that will provide homeownership opportunities to low- and middle-income residents. Their mission is to address the need for sustainable and attainable homeownership in Bend.
“What if, as our population grows, instead of needing to increase our power production, we develop and build zero-energy homes that do not further tax our power production capacity and our environment?,” asks Executive Director Amy Warren. “What if we could do that affordably?”
What does a virtual home tour entail?
We’ll give you the insider’s scoop on what’s happening behind the walls, in the garage and on the roof and you’ll still get to ask questions of the experts and home occupants. Through virtual events, we’ll showcase cutting-edge projects and introduce you to the key project team members.
Virtual tour experiences
Over the course of this week, we’ll release video tours of each site and host live online events for you to join us and learn first-hand from your peers and community. This format will give us a unique opportunity to see projects in progress, see the finished product, and connect with more energy experts.
Here are remaining events:
Tuesday, 9/22
- 5pm: Zero Energy Homes: How to take high performance to zero energy. Register here.
Wednesday, 9/23
- 4pm: Attainable and Sustainable Housing: How Kor Community Land Trust is building affordable zero energy homes. Register here.
Thursday, 9/24
- 12pm: Reimagining the Construction Waste Stream: Reducing waste in new construction and retrofit projects. Register here.
- 5pm: Backyard Uprising: How ADUs enhance our urban landscape. Register here.
Saturday, 9/26
Visit Kor’s Site in-person! You must register to reserve your spot because they will cap the number of people that can visit for each 1/2-hour spot. Register here.
To view the full schedule of virtual events and to explore Green Tour sites, visit envirocenter.org/tour.
