100 percent and a gold star – Grow aces the solar test

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Already the largest solar neighborhood in Washington state, Grow Community hit another milestone this week.

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With the completion of two more solar installations, every single-family home and duplex in Grow’s first phase, the Village, is now powered by photovoltaics.

PV systems numbers 22 and 23 are online and producing renewable energy, improving the neighborhood’s already stellar self-sufficiency while promising generous utility savings and financial returns for the homeowners.

“It’s a landmark moment for Grow Community and Washington solar,” says Greg Lotakis, project manager. “With 100 percent participation, our residents are really showing the way forward for neighborhoods that want to choose solar for a sustainable energy future.”

Grow’s next two phases, the Grove and the Park, will also offer the solar option.  Stay tuned for more details.

Progress, with a chance of rain

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February Construction Update 

We’ve had one of the mildest winters in recent memory, with no snow and only a few nights hitting freezing temperatures.

At the same time, we’ve had quite a few significant bursts of rain – 2 inches or more at a time. Such is the nature of winter construction in the Northwest.

The crews continue to work on footings and foundation walls at the north end of the site, including those for the Salal and Elan buildings.

Once the foundation walls are done for these buildings, the form work for the ceiling or “lid” of the garage will start. This will be the first peek for the public to get a sense of what we’re building as the main floors begin to take shape.

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Conscious Company finds the future at Grow

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Conscious Company Magazine, a new journal focusing on innovation and sustainability, recently paid a call on Grow Community to get the scoop on our über-intentional neighborhood.

logo“It’s an inspiring model of community development and one that we hope will begin to scale throughout the rest of the country,” writes Maren Keeley, whose magazine bills itself as “The Future of Business as Usual.”

Maren sat down with Greg Lotakis, our project manager, for a great interview that highlights the best of what Grow has to offer. Here’s an excerpt:

MK: What aspect of this community are you most proud of?

GL: Ultimately, all the “cool” around sustainability means nothing without community. Really, Grow Community Bainbridge is about creating opportunities for residents to support each other in the pursuit of One Planet Living. Being able to walk across your path and connect with your neighbor over a glass of wine, share time in the garden with your grandchild, or watch kids and dogs play in the open space at the end of a day makes Grow special. It all comes back to health and happiness.

MK: Do you feel this idea can scale and be brought to other communities in the U.S.?

GL: We truly hope so. There are so many great builders and innovators in green building that now it’s time to be thinking large-scale. Too many neighborhoods have been developed for one particular moment in our lives, lack energy efficiency, or allow vehicles to disconnect us from one another.

You can read the whole interview with Greg Lotakis here.

Thanks to Maren Keeley and the new Conscious Company Magazine for the fantastic coverage.

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Another BIG award — Best In Green for Grow

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That Platinum Award we brought home from the National Home Builders Association conference recently wasn’t the only hardware for the trophy case.

Grow Community also earned the NAHB’s prestigious Best In Green Award, honoring the very finest in sustainable design and construction.

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While the home builders have honored green building in the past, this marked the first time projects have gone head-to-head for the honor across a range of construction types and categories.

The competition included projects including 50-plus housing, multifamily construction, and top marketing and design for systems-built homes. And of course the Best In American Living category, in which Grow earned the very top honors.

“The award program is one of the largest in the industry to recognize high performance and innovative distinction in design and construction,” the NAHB writes.

Both the Best In Green Award and Best In American Living Platinum Award were announced at NAHB’s recent annual conference in Las Vegas.

Thank you, from Grow Community and PHC Construction, to the NAHB for these tremendous honors.

Click here to view the magazine spread about Grow.