MNN - Mother Nature Network

BOULD tackles the issues of unemployment, low-quality housing and environmental awareness with one innovative program, launching green careers and making healthy homes available to all. The Denver-based venture partners with 1,500 Habitat for Humanity affiliates across the United States to turn the nonprofit's affordable housing projects into green "learning laboratories" educating the next generation of professional builders.

In this video, Jim Payne, BOULD's director of business development, explains how the group is working to get students out of the classroom and into real-world building situations while simultaneously increasing the quality of low-income housing. The program has already built 27 homes and trained more than 200 LEED-certified professionals.

"There are jobs out there, but there's not a trained workforce in the green building industry," says Payne. "BOULD provides 50 hours of on-site experience and a letter of attestation."

BOULD aims to eliminate substandard housing for low-income families who simply don't have the money to build a green home. With a green home design, homeowners save about 40 percent per month on utility bills, equating to about $50,000 over the life of a mortgage. These homes also emit 60 percent less greenhouse gas emissions than ordinary houses. BOULD homes are constructed using recycled materials and are built to stand the test of time.

BOULD is one of 10 finalists in the Points of Light and Village Capital Civic Accelerator program, which provides funding, mentorship, entrepreneurial eduction, peer support and brand awareness to promising civic ventures. Two startups will be selected by their peers to receive an additional $50,000 investment.