Green Living Program at LA Apartment Property Wins Grant
Enterprise Community Partners has awarded a $25,000 grant, funded by Home Depot, to affordable housing developer Abode Communities to further the "Green Living Youth Program" at its newest development.
By Dees Stribling, Contributing Editor
Los Angeles—Enterprise Community Partners Inc. has awarded a $25,000 grant, funded by retail giant Home Depot, to affordable housing developer Abode Communities. The developer will use the money to further the “Green Living Youth Program” at its newest development, Ivy Terrace, a 52-unit affordable multifamily property in Van Nuys, Calif.
The program at Ivy Terrace, the second development by Abode to be awarded LEED for Homes platinum certification, represents a furtherance of the property’s green status. According to Abode, the Green Living Youth Program will serve as a prototype for similar programs at its existing and future developments. The program’s goal is to create a curriculum to educate young residents about the benefits of sustainable living.
More specifically, the program has engaged 15 youths between the ages of 7 and 17 in learning how sustainability can provide healthier living environments, and how conserving natural resources—mainly by reducing energy consumption—can save money. The program began with young residents participating in the annual Los Angeles River Clean-up and continued with weekly activities led by Abode staff or guests. Participants in the program made solar ovens from pizza boxes, container gardens from reused household objects and jewelry from old magazines as they learned about environmental stewardship.
The program will culminate in an open house in which the youth participants share their experiences with other residents through short video presentations and visual displays. Adults will complete surveys before and after the presentation to indicate what they have learned at the open house. Each household attending the open house will receive green cleaning products, and the adults will be invited to attend upcoming workshops on sustainable resources.
“The Green Living Youth Program is a first step in providing a tangible connection between the daily choices our youth residents make and the impact those choices have on the environment,” Robin Hughes, president of Abode Communities, tells MHN. “Ultimately, this knowledge will be shared and spread throughout our communities, resulting in maximized tenant health, reduced tenant utility costs and reduced development costs—allowing Abode Communities to continue developing affordable housing throughout Los Angeles County.”
