Green Building

Artists for Humanity is the first Platinum LEED Building in Massachusetts.

ArtistLink is dedicated to building an affordable and sustainable future for artists and our society. Sustainable building practices, known as ‘green building,’ have been applied to several artist based projects and should be looked at by any developer of artist space. There are lots of options and opportunities to make your building more Green!

The following is a list of resources for those interested in Green Building:Green Building Technical Assistance

NEW! - The state, through the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, has launched launched a new PV rebate program called Commonwealth Solar: http://www.commonwealthsolar.org/

New Ecology, Inc.

New Ecology, Inc. ("NEI") was founded in 1999 to spearhead sustainable development in distressed urban communities in New England. One of just a handful of organizations across the country dedicated to joining the pursuit of environmental quality with economic development in urban communities, their work has evolved from largely experimental in nature to a more distinct and intentional theory of change, promoting strategies that represent best practice in the emerging area of sustainable development.

ArtistLink has an agreement with New Ecology, Inc. to provide a few free hours of green building technical assistance to a few of our projects. If you are interested in knowing more, please contact us.

Read their new study entitled the Costs and Benefits of Green Affordable Housing

The Green Roundtable

GRT takes a strong leadership role creating and implementing market transformation programs through a range of activities within the focus areas of Education, Policy, and Technical Assistance.

The Sustainable Performance Institute, a program of The Green Roundtable, offers SPI Green Firm Certification for design and construction firms throughout the United States. SPI Certification recognizes a firm’s capability to deliver consistent, high quality sustainability services and projects.

Web Sites:

The Green Playbook
Another new online resource spearheaded by USGBC in partnership with the city of Seattle is The Green Playbook for Green Buildings and Neighborhoods, a web-based resource that provides strategies, tips and tools for cities and counties to take immediate action on climate change through green building, including green affordable housing, green neighborhoods and sustainable infrastructure. Read more.

Building Green
Building Green provides articles, news, reviews, product listings, and case studies on every topic related to green building as well as a directory of over 1,800 environmentally preferable building products with descriptions (GreenSpec). In addition to its monthly
newsletter, its website is a tool to help developers, architects, and other members of a design team with information categorized by CSI (construction materials) divisions, homebuilder categories, and LEED credits (LEED is a certification of a green building).

The US Green Building Council
The U.S. Green Building Council is a national coalition of leaders from across the building industry working to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. Council members work together to develop LEED products and resources, the GreenBuild annual International Conference and Expo, policy guidance, and educational and marketing tools that support the adoption of sustainable building. Members also forge strategic alliances with key industry and research organizations and federal, state and local government agencies to transform the built environment.

Enterprise Foundation's Green Communities Initiative
Green Communities is a five-year, $550 million initiative to build more than 8,500 environmentally healthy homes for low-income families. Created by the Enterprise Foundation / Enterprise Social Investment Corporation in partnership with the Natural Resources Defense Council, Green Communities will transform the way America thinks about, designs, and builds affordable communities. The initiative provides grants, financing, tax-credit equity, and technical assistance to developers who meet Green Communities criteria for affordable housing that promotes health, conserves
energy and natural resources, and provides easy access to jobs, schools, and services. The web site includes information on case studies, news, and other useful information.

Rocky Mountain Institute
Rocky Mountain Institute is an entrepreneurial nonprofit organization that fosters the efficient and restorative use of resources to make the world secure, just, prosperous, and life-sustaining. They do this by inspiring business, civil society, and government to design integrative solutions that create true wealth. RMI's Green Development Services (GDS) is one of the world's leading proponents of green development, a fast-growing field in which the pursuit of environmental excellence produces fundamentally better buildings and communities-more comfortable, more efficient, more appealing, and ultimately more profitable. RMI staff also compiles case studies and researches new policies, technologies, and techniques for improving the performance of buildings. Team members lecture widely, conduct seminars on green development, and author both popular and specialized publications-including the groundbreaking book Green Development: Integrating Ecology and Real Estate.

Artists for Humanity
Artists For Humanity's mission is to bridge economic, racial and social divisions by providing at-risk youth with the keys to self-sufficiency through paid employment in the arts. The Artists For Humanity new EpiCenter is a 23,500 square-foot sustainable facility constructed to house Artists For Humanity's offices, programs, studios and gallery. The project includes a 50 Kilowatt solar ray on the roof, is made from recycled material, and uses natural ventilation, among other features that earned its "Gold LEED Certification." A large gallery designed for caterers and event planners will be a venue to support AFH’s art leasing and art sales and showcase the artists’ work.

Grants and incentives for green building: DSIRE
This site is the best starting point to find grants and incentives for green building on the web! The Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE) is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility, and selected federal incentives that promote renewable energy. Established in 1995, the Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE) is an ongoing project of the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), funded by the U.S.Department of Energy and managed by the North Carolina Solar Center.

Smart development codes for Green Building

A Green Buildings Matrix is available from the April 2005 Zoning Practice, the American Planning Association's newsletter that helps guide you as you write and administer smart development codes.

The matrix is available online as a PDF document and assesses more than two dozen municipalities and cities regarding the use of green buildings, incentive programs, and green building guidelines or requirements.

Federal Agencies (DOE, FEMP, EPA, GSA)

U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

U.S. General Services Administration

Massachusetts/Northeast websites

Massachusetts Green Communities - a new grant program for developers!

Tax credits from the state

MassSAVE - A home Energy solution web site

Massachusetts Technology Collaborative's Renewable Energy Program gives grants and tax credits - read their PDf here to learn more about their programs.

Click here to learn more about the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative's instructions on the economics of installing solar panels.

Northeast Sustainable Energy Association

City of Boston’s specific effort: