If You Missed It...

by Kate Perkins, Community Blogger.

Check out this short NPR program on green affordable housing:
http://wamu.org/programs/mc/08/07/18.php

Celebrating a year of the re-opening of "Galen Terrace" an apartment complex in Anacostia with many section 8 units, NPR highlights the progress of the 2006 "Green Building Act" passed by the DC city council.

In 2006, the District city council passed a bill saying that all new affordable housing construction had to meet green building standards. Long seen as only for elites or the wealthy, the special argues that green buildings are actually long-term more affordable for low-income residents. Residents of Galen Terrace comment that the renovation has made the complex safer and more hospitable for residents as well as lowering energy bill costs.

Washington, DC has one of the most progressive Green Building requirements in the world--requiring LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) on all new public and private buildings. It applies to all building plans submitted after January 1st 2008.

The long-term impact of this legislation and its effects on public and affordable housing issues is yet to be seen. However, this appears to be a positive step for the District, especially passing a year of the first green affordable housing complex!