CDCs Go Green by Developing and Preserving Sustainable Buildings

CDCs Go Green by Developing and Preserving Sustainable Buildings

July 2018
Don Bianchi

CDCs throughout the Commonwealth are leaders in the green economy according to two new reports by MACDC detailing these efforts. The first report, "CDCs Go Green Part I: A Snapshot of the Environmental Initiatives of MACDC’s Members," released in March of this year, describes a wide range of sustainability programming, ranging from activism and advocacy, to supporting the local food economy, to open space preservation and stewardship. The report also describes CDC involvement in restoration and environmental clean-ups, recycling and waste initiatives, and resiliency and climate change preparation. All these initiatives reflect community-driven priorities to promote sustainable development.

MACDC is now releasing CDCs Go Green Part II: Developing and Preserving Sustainable Buildings. Part II, like the first report, was authored by Allison Curtis, MACDC’s Graduate Student Research Intern. This report focuses on buildings, which, according to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), account for 39% of CO2 emissions in the United States. It covers the housing and other real estate developed by CDCs, energy retrofits for existing buildings, clean energy technologies, and healthy housing.

    Here are some highlights from the report, obtained from the MACDC GOALs Survey:
  • Eighty- three percent of new developments in 2017 included some sort of environmental strategy including efficient building systems, healthy indoor air quality, exterior insulation, and more;
  • Over 5,500 of the rental units in CDC portfolios have been retrofitted to be more energy efficient in the last five years, with more than 1,100 units receiving retrofits in 2017 alone, representing a value of more than $9.7 million;
  • Fifty-seven percent of CDCs surveyed utilize clean energy technologies, with solar photo-voltaic technology being the most prevalent;
  • The rental portfolios of 92% of CDCs surveyed are either fully or partially smoke-free.

MACDC is committed to supporting and enhancing CDC environmental sustainability initiatives, through our advocacy for policies and resources, and through our training and peer learning efforts. We hope that these reports will shine a light on the comprehensive approach that so many CDCs have adopted to preserving the finite resources entrusted to us.

CDCs Go Green Part II: Developing and Preserving Sustainable Buildings