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Fall 2016

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Dear friend,

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The Governor’s Housing Policy Advisory Council recently released the 2015 Economic Impact of the Virginia Housing Industry showing housing as the 6th largest private sector industry. The collective work of our industry is responsible for $47.8 billion of economic activity in 2015, and, as the study notes, “this activity supported over 314,000 jobs paying more than $14 billion in annual wages, salaries, and benefits.” Viridiant is very proud to be a part of this strong industry sector and to contribute to the economic vitality of Virginia’s housing market.

Interested in learning more about all the ways that Viridiant contributes? We are pleased to share our 2015 Annual Report (see below) with specifics on certification numbers, energy savings, our strategic plan, relevant research and more.

Economic, environmental and structural sustainability serve as the foundation for all of our efforts within the housing arena. Having served nearly 20,000 families since we began over a decade ago, we know that through education and technical support, we can reduce a family’s monthly housing expenditures, allowing families to invest in their future and community. This, combined with the reduced impact on our environmental resources, will serve a healthier, more sustainable future.

If you have participated in this effort, we thank you. If you believe in this work, I encourage you to invest in our future through the gift of a charitable donation.

All the best,

KC Bleile
Executive Director

• Single Family: 2,671 single family homes
• Multifamily: 247 projects housing 16,778 dwelling units

1. Latitude 38 – HERS 40, EarthCraft and ENERGY STAR certified
2. Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville – 3 homes at HERS 44, EarthCraft and ENERGY STAR certified
3. Miller & Associates – HERS 44, EarthCraft certified

With Sean Shanley, Viridiant
Thursday, October 20th

Two options to participate:

1. Via webinar from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm for a virtual presentation ($10)
2. In-person at Gather in Richmond, VA from 3:00 – 4:30 pm for the presentation followed by networking and drinks ($5)

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With Philip Agee, Viridiant, and representatives from Grimm + Parker and CPDC
Thursday, December 15th

In-person at Highland Park Apartments in Richmond, VA from 3:00 – 4:30 pm for the presentation followed by networking and drinks ($5)

January 12th from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm, VHDA Housing Center

This 7-hour builder training provides a comprehensive overview of best practices for sustainable construction and design as well as explores how the EarthCraft program can help you get started in the green building sector.

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FREE BULLETINS SHARED ON LECTURE TOPICS

In an effort to increase the reach and longevity of our lectures series, Viridiant now develops and shares a bulletin recapping what was discussed at each lecture. Lectures that have been published so far cover: Water in Buildings, Energy Efficient Retrofits, and Resiliency and Sustainable Buildings. We hope you’ll check them out and find them useful.

Spring 2016

 

Dear friend,

Yes, that’s right, we have a new name and face! In case you missed it, we’ve just announced our new name: Viridiant. People are asking us why and how we came up with the name.  After a thorough strategic planning process with staff, board, and Wally Stettinius, we adopted our strategic plan in June 2015, with the first goal of rebranding the organization to allow for programmatic and geographic expansion. We then embarked on a brand study to identify strengths and gaps. Working with Kelly O’Keefe of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Brand Center, board and staff settled on Viridiant, a hybrid of “viridis” (Latin for green) and “servant,” as we are mission-driven stewards. We went on to clearly define sustainability into: Economic, Environmental, and Structural Sustainability; these three pillars will serve as the foundation for our organization and helped in development of the new logo.

Specifically, we are expanding our efforts in education, consultation, and certification. We’ll continue to administer the EarthCraft family of programs, just as we’ve done since 2006, but as Viridiant, our goal is to do even more, focusing on our Three Pillars of Sustainability. We look forward to helping you create structures that are more affordable, more livable, and more durable.

For those of you who missed this exciting name reveal and the announcement of our annual award winners at the Sustainable Leadership Awards on March 22nd, we’re thrilled to share the winning projects, builders, and developers below. We’re so proud to be a part of the impressive work done by our partners in 2015.
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Looking ahead, we have lots of opportunities to connect with us in the coming months. On April 23rd, we’ll host our 4th Annual Earth Day 5K Race Without A Trace held in conjunction with Earth Day Richmond. This casual run/walk will take place on the newly built Virginia Capital Trail in downtown Richmond – we hope that many of you will lace up your sneakers and join us! We also have two lectures coming up – April 21st on Water in Buildings and June 16th on Energy Efficient Retrofits. More information on all of these events can be found below. We hope to see you soon!

 

All the best,

KC Bleile
Executive Director

TOTAL CERTIFICATIONS TO-DATE​

• Single Family: 2,322 single family homes
• Multifamily: 229 projects housing 15,612 dwelling units

1. Health E Community Enterprise – HERS 16
2. Miller Custom Homes – HERS 39
3. Southern Development Homes – HERS 48

Join us in person at Gather in Richmond, VA from 8:00 am – 9:30 am (free) or online via webinar from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm ($10).
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With Matt Waring and Chuk Bowles, Viridiant
Thursday, April 21 ​

With Matt Waring, Viridiant, and Susan Hill, Richmond Region Energy Alliance
Thursday, June 16

May 19 from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm, VHDA Housing Center

This 7-hour builder training provides a comprehensive overview of best practices for sustainable construction and design as well as explores how the EarthCraft program can help you get started in the green building sector.

For more information and to register, click below.

Register

Coming this June!
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Mark your calendars to join industry experts from Mitsubishi, Ultra-Aire, and Huber Engineered Woods for a discussion of VRF HVAC products, whole home dehumidification, and energy efficient air barriers. Dates and locations coming soon.

Regional leaders in the advancement of sustainable design and construction were recently honored as winners of Viridiant’s Sustainable Leadership Awards. Winners were announced at the organization’s 7th annual awards ceremony on March 22nd at the historic Bolling Haxall House in downtown Richmond. The event drew over 150 individuals representing home builders, non-profit and for-profit housing providers and developers, sponsors, homeowners, affordable housing advocates, and those interested in creating green housing opportunities in Virginia.
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To learn more about this year’s winners here, and help us celebrate their achievements, please click below.

Viridiant, a 501c3 non-profit, prides itself on offering superior quality, affordable programs that can suit the needs of any builder or developer who shows a commitment to high performance home building. With seven full time employees in our Richmond office and technical advisors around the state, we strive to remove any financial barriers to green building by delivering our programs at a fraction of the cost of similar programs.

Residential buildings make up almost 27% of the energy consumption in Virginia. With your support, we can touch more houses, making a significant impact not only on the state’s energy use but also on the lives of the residents who will enjoy comfortable, healthy, and affordable homes.
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Please consider making a donation to Viridiant today.

Donate