The 2020 Green Tour was an entirely virtual event. You can “visit” the sites virtually and check out the discussions below.
The 2020 Green Tour was an entirely virtual event. You can “visit” the sites virtually and check out the discussions below.
Check out the 2020 Green Tour sites by clicking on the images of each site below.
High-performance home advocates couldn’t be more passionate. Sharing that passion has always proven difficult because the benefits of high-performance homes are invisible to most consumers. This conversation is too important and too easy not to get right.
Tune in to hear from Sam Rashkin as he shares his insight from his 25 years in field overseeing the certification of over 1 million ENERGY STAR homes. He’ll show us opportunities that are often overlooked to connect with consumers to demonstrate the value of high-performance homes.
Going solar and switching to an electric car are great moves on their own. In this panel we explored how doing both can be even better. Join our panelists to see how two businesses and one zero energy home incorporated solar and electric vehicle charging into their daily operations and lives.
How do we build better homes? There are a few key steps, design elements, and pieces of technology that make building zero energy homes easy, affordable, and totally doable. Join this panel discussion to learn about a few projects that are happening right here in Central Oregon. We’ll be talking about the journey of getting to zero, lessons learned along the way, and key practices and technology that we can incorporate into our homes right now to help us save energy and be more comfort
able.
It’s estimated that about 31% of the waste that is generated in Deschutes County comes from construction and demolition. This is especially relevant right now because Knott Landfill is estimated to be full by 2029.
During this discussion, we heard from homeowners who are salvaging materials, getting creative (like stenciling their old tile floors to give them a whole new modern look!), and utilizing great finds from the Restore. We were joined by the Habitat for Humanity Restore too so we can learn what types of materials can be salvaged and donated to be reused in the community. On the new construction side, we heard from two builders who are reducing their waste footprints with panelized designs.
We have a housing problem in Central Oregon. We don’t have enough of it and we need more affordable options. Infill development poses the opportunity to flip this narrative and create a more livable community with housing choices that meet the needs of more members of our community. One example that we see popping up in backyards and above garages–Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs).
During this panel, we heard from those who are fueling this uprising in a backyard near you, including the experts who are developing and designing properties with ADUs and some homeowners who are bringing these projects to life.
Connect with the professionals who can help you get started (or, depending on where you are at in your journey, finish up!).
There are additional resources to dive deeper into a lot of green building topics on each of the site pages, but here are a few from our blog.
As part of the Green Tour, we’d like to acknowledge the land where these events are taking place and the privilege attached to homeownership. Learn more here.