What better place to launch a new nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing the benefits of green building to underserved communities than at Greenbuild 2009? This week, the Green Building Foundation officially launched and through its work, people who are least likely to be able to afford green building upgrades will be able to take advantage of the many eco-friendly building benefits.

 

The mission of the Green Building Foundation is to ensure “A sustainable future for our children’s children requires that we care for all of nature, including one another. By focusing on social equity – the overlooked heart of the environmental movement – the Foundation will utilize a three-part approach to transform the lives of people and communities: sustainable buildings, sustainable stewardship, and mission-related investment.” Source: Green Building Foundation

 

This mission can be summed up as GIVE+DO. Individuals, businesses, grant foundations, and others can donate money and these funds will be put to work on actual life-changing green building projects.

 

The group envisions that several different types of green building projects will be funded through its work including:

Although the group eventually wants to fund projects in all of these categories, it is focusing its energy on green schools. When children are able to learn in a healthy environment, they can achieve more.  This ties in to something that U.S. Green Building Council CEO Rick Fedrizzi said at last night's Greenbuild 2009 Opening Celebration.  We need to green our schools because "kids hold the key to our future and they deserve better."  The Green Building Foundation hopes to address this very important need - the need to green America's schools.

 

For more information about the organization, or to learn how you can help the Green Building Foundation serve disadvantaged communities, visit the group’s website.