At Homeward Bound Villages, we focus on three main areas for the communities we seek to develop: cooperative communities, forever affordability, and sustainable dwellings. In honor of Earth Day, we’d like to highlight some of the sustainability focuses for our Karwick Village project. We’re putting the core value of sustainability into practice through thoughtful, environmentally conscious design choices.
Building Smaller for Bigger Impact at Karwick Village
One of the primary ways we’re honoring our sustainability focus is through our approach to housing design. Our community features smaller-footprint, high-impact housing units that require significantly fewer building materials than conventional housing. This reduction in materials means:
- Reduced material usage
- Reduced energy consumption during the manufacturing process
- Decreased transportation emissions for building supplies and construction
- Minimized construction waste
- The reuse of some materials that have been donated to Homeward Bound. Such as sinks, and select pieces of furniture.
Long-Term Energy Efficiency
Our sustainability vision extends far beyond the construction phase. Each trip-plex building at Karwick Village is designed with energy efficiency as a priority, featuring:
- The smaller footprint allows lower energy usage.
- Reducing reliance on fossil fuels through electric heating and cooling systems. These are also more efficient to use and reduce overall energy consumption.
- Thoughtful sustainability architecture; attractive but simple, allowing for efficient heating and cooling.
These design elements mean our community members will consume less energy throughout the lifetime of their homes, reducing both environmental impact and utility costs.
Preserving Green Space
Perhaps one of the most visible commitments to sustainability at Karwick Village is our dedication to preserving and enhancing green space throughout the community. By building with smaller footprints, we’re able to:
- Maintain more natural landscape, including protecting the designated wetland area at the back of the Karwick Village property.
- Create community gardens and shared outdoor spaces.
- Improve local biodiversity.
- Reduce heat island effects through the use of green spaces.
Looking Forward
As our cooperative community takes shape, we remain dedicated to finding additional ways to honor our sustainability principles as an organization. By creating this environmentally conscious community living model, we can demonstrate that sustainability and quality of life go hand in hand.
We invite you to follow our journey as Karwick Village is built and residents thrive. Our mission is to create community through affordable housing, and we are committed to doing this through sustainability as well.
