 In 2004, Atlanta Habitat committed to build EarthCraft homes, as the first non-profit developer in a group of 115 builders already in the program.
All of our homes protect the environment in addition to being high-quality, attractive and affordable. The EarthCraft House program, founded in 1999 by the Greater Atlanta Home Builder’s Association and Southface, offers guidelines for the construction of healthy, comfortable homes that protect the environment while reducing utility bills. EarthCraft program ensures a home’s energy and water bills remain low, which goes hand-in-hand with Atlanta Habitat’s program to teach homeowners about responsible home maintenance and financial management.
Southface certifies homes based on a point system that requires compliance in a number of categories. Site planning, energy efficient building techniques and equipment, resource efficient design and materials, waste management, indoor air quality, water conservation, and homebuyer education all work together to qualify homes as EarthCraft.
At move-in, houseleaders review energy efficient and environmentally friendly features of the new home with the homebuyer. Homebuyers learn the specifics of why their utility bills are more affordable than those of a home constructed in a more typical manner. An EarthCraft house improves the residents’ quality of life by alleviating budgetary concerns and helping to conserve energy and improve air quality.
Volunteers are an important part of EarthCraft procedures, since under houseleaders’ instruction they are the ones caulking and sealing the building envelope, making the house more airtight. Volunteers benefit by learning about “green” building.
In January 2005, Southface honored Atlanta Habitat with the 2004 Non-Profit Builder of the Year Award. Former Southface Program Manager Mark Newey shared, "The immediate success of Atlanta Habitat's program for building EarthCraft houses is evidence that green building can be feasible for companies across the spectrum of home construction, from the high-end market to more affordable homes."
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