Enterprise Community Partners Commits $4B to Green 75,000 Units in Five Years

Published October 22, 2009

WASHINGTON, DC — The nonprofit Enterprise Community Partners Inc. has pledged $4 billion to an ambitious plan to create, preserve or retrofit 75,000 green homes and community and commercial buildings within the next five years.

The organization announced the plan yesterday with the help of high-profile backers that include the Home Depot Foundation, which provided a $1.5 million grant toward the initiative, and the Kresge Foundation and the Kendeda Fund, which each contributed grants of $1 million to launch the fundraising effort that is intended to fuel the transformation.

Representatives from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Green Building Council and the Natural Resources Defense Council were also on hand to voice their support for the initiative.

As part of the drive, Enterprise issued a national call to the public, private and nonprofit sectors to make all new and existing affordable housing green by 2020 -- and to help the organization build on the $4 billion commitment.

The nonprofit has set an even tighter timeline for its own operations. "We want everything Enterprise touches to be green by 2013," said Charles R. Werhane, president and CEO, Enterprise Community Investment, Inc.

The nonprofit released a study yesterday, "Incremental Cost, Measurable Savings: Enterprise Green Communities Criteria" in conjunction with its initiative. The research, a look at 27 affordable housing developments in the United States, found that estimated lifetime savings from green and affordable housing exceed the initial investment necessary to create it.

The study provides "all the proof we need that fundamental change is possible and on the way," said Doris W. Koo, president and CEO of Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. "We like to say that we had a hunch five years ago when we launched the first phase of Enterprise Green Communities -- and that hunch is going to take best practices and make them common practice."

The organization was founded in 1982 by Jim and Patty Rouse and was initially called the Enterprise Foundation. In the years since, it has become a major source of capital, as well as expertise, for affordable housing and community development.

With various partners in the public and private sector, the group says its work has resulted in more than 14,600 energy efficient, healthy and green homes in some 355 developments in 33 states. Total investment has exceeded $10 billion and yielded 257,000 affordable homes across the U.S., according to the organization.

Jim and Patty Rouse are the grandparents of actor-director Edward Norton, who is a trustee for Enterprise.

Photo by Jackson Smith -- Courtesy of Enterprise Community Partners Inc.

to 10/22 at 16:32

Anonymous, October 26, 2009 - 06:04

Your post made my eyes bleed.

enterprise green 4 billion waste of money

Anonymous, October 22, 2009 - 15:32

now lets review and get it clear....there are more than 10 million homes sitting on the market that are worth less than their mortage value.currently there are 5 milion homes sitting on the market nationwide that are empty.
now here comes enterprise with a call to action nationwide to drum up 4 billion dollars when the entire capitol markets are frozen and have been frozen for more than one year.
and what did enterprise do over the last 5 yrs with their billion dollars pissed away? they paid and educated non profit contractors to build these homes when all other home builders have access to zero financing. these contractors should be working for free now being paid and leveraging low income tax credits.the only homes that are selling and holding their value are green built. you do not pay to eduacate non profit contractors to built. this is just part of the failed enterprise business model.by a harvard educated leader that does not understand the marketplace.in addition habitat for humanity used free donated labor not enterprise this failure of a firm has its hand out in the marketplace.
and the reason these vendors donate money is for tax credits which have fallen in value over last year. the only entity spending money in this economic environment is the government.there are many other worth while programs in the market energy star,non profits that use free labor that deserve donations not enterprise....so thiis really a call for non action by enterprise.

What?

Anonymous, October 27, 2009 - 12:12

A non profit without funds

Anonymous, October 22, 2009 - 08:28

A non profit without funds pledging 4 billion dollars?

Lotsa smoke around here!

BSR 2009: How Business Can Make the Changes the World Needs At the opening sessions of the 2009 BSR conference, industry and public-sector leaders explored the scope of the problems facing the world, and proposed how the global business community can shape policy to encourage action on a much-needed scale....	GE, Cleantech and Your Tax Dollars Let me state my bias upfront: I'm am admirer of GE. But I can't help but be struck by the extent to which the firm's clean energy businesses depend on federal and state tax and regulatory policy, along with grants and loans from the government. ...
California, Massachusetts Top State Energy Efficiency Scorecard The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy has released its latest scorecard rating states on their energy efficiency policies and programs, many of which assist homeowners. The federal government is talking a big step toward helping residential energy efficiency with a new report laying the framework for a residential energy efficiency retrofit industry....	Tesco Raises the Bar for Its Green Agenda and Launches BOGO Campaign In a new twist in waste reduction efforts, U.K. retailer Tesco will begin offering customers the option of buying a promotional perishable product and getting the second item later, when needed. Tesco also unveiled plans last week to reduce its supply chain greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent and become a zero-carbon business by 2050....
Green Cities California Unveils Best Practices Website Green Cities California, the collaborative of 10 cities and counties acknowledged as sustainability leaders, launches a website today that's to serve as a resource for other communities striving to go green....	Sowing the Seeds of a Good Food Revolution There's a good food revolution brewing. By bringing locally grown, organic, nutritiously rich food to a table near you, the good food revolution can help us tackle larger societal issues, and benefit us all....
Can IT Make Airports Greener -- and More Efficient? A million-dollar research project just announced aims to bring computing power to bear on every aspect of airport operations, with the goal of cutting waste and pollution while reducing delays and speeding baggage handling....	Chipotle to Mount Solar Panels at 75 Restaurants, Dell Installs Arrays at Its HQ Chipotle Mexican Grill is installing solar panels at 75 restaurants over the next year, the company said today, while Dell announced that it has completed a solar project at its headquarters....

Alternative content

Enterprise Community Partners Commits $4B to Green 75,000 Units in Five Years