Construction of new ‘Green’ home begins
Old house gone, waiting for new house materials
On March 17, 2009 at the 30th anniversary celebration for YouthBuild USA on the Capital Mall in Washington DC, the Community Development Corporation of Brownsville (CDCB) was presented with the beginnings of a house that will soon become a home for a Cameron County family devastated with the destruction of their home by Hurricane Dolly.
The construction site, on the Capital Mall, was visited by many congressional VIP’s including our own Congressman Solomon Ortiz. The highlight of the day was the visit by First Lady Michelle Obama, where she promoted both the YouthBuild Program and Green Technology in the building process.
The YouthBuild program seeks to link job training, educational enhancement, and affordable housing production. Working with youth, from low-income families, between the ages of 17 and 24 that have dropped out of school. CDCB YouthBuild’s goal is to teach the new technology for the new worker, introducing our students to new “Green Building” technologies allowing them to be trained and employable in cutting edge housing construction methods.
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- Old house gone, waiting for new house materials
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- Truck Carrying New Green Technology Walls Built by YouthBuild Students from all over the County arrives on April 21, 2009.
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- Walls are unloaded from the Truck
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- Walls ready to go
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- Concrete is poured – April 21, 2009
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- Ready for Walls – April 23, 2009
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- Exterior walls are up – April 24, 2009
CDCB has made a commitment that by January 1, 2010 all homes produced by CDCB will be at least Energy Star Certified. The YouthBuild Green Home represents the first home in toward CDCB’s goal to make the home building process more energy efficient for future owners as well as help to reduce the overall carbon footprint of our construction activities. CDCB’s belief is that new homes can be both energy efficient and affordable for homeowners and the YouthBuild Green Home will help us prove that affordability and energy efficiency are possible.
Please visit our website every few days to witness the progress of the home and hear from those responsible for its construction, the YouthBuild students themselves. Each few days a student, counselor, construction trainer and homeowner will write a few words about the progress of the home, their future after YouthBuild and the way their life has changed because of YouthBuild and their job training experience in green building technology.
This is neat. I look forward to the progress!