Kohler Co. has teamed up with Cherokee
Investment Partners to build a home that will reduce water
consumption by at least 50 percent in a demonstration project designed to prove
that green building can be both functional and earth-friendly.
Kohler Co. has teamed up with Cherokee Investment Partners,
a developer involved in the sustainable revitalization of environmentally
impaired properties, to build a home that will reduce water consumption by at
least 50 percent in a demonstration project designed to prove that green
building can be both functional and earth-friendly.
The National Homebuilder Mainstream
GreenHome near Cherokee’s world headquarters in Raleigh, N.C., uses Kohler’s
water-efficient Kohler and Sterling brand fixtures and faucets. Along with touchless faucet technology,
Kohler is providing water-conserving plumbing fixtures that minimize the water usage
of toilets, showers and faucets, yet still provide adequate flow and practical
design.
“Many homebuilders may not realize the
importance and availability of environmentally-friendly building materials and
construction techniques,” said
Rob Zimmerman, LEED
AP and senior staff engineer for Kohler’s water conservation initiatives. “The
GreenHome is the perfect project to spotlight that green building can be easily
integrated into conventional architecture, subdivisions, lots and homes that
would be appealing to a wide range of homebuyers and homebuilders.”
The Mainstream GreenHome showcases a
number of innovative, environmentally friendly features, while looking and
functioning as a traditional home. It is intended to help reverse the negative
stigma sometimes associated with green building and show that
environmentally-focused construction is compatible with conventional building
and better living. The home utilizes a range of technological innovations to
minimize impact on the environment without sacrificing comfort. As a result,
the GreenHome aims to:
- Use 50 percent
less fossil fuel than the conventional home.
- Recycle or reuse 90 percent of all
organic waste on site.
- Consume 50 percent less water than the
conventional home.
- Recycle 75 percent of all construction
and demolition waste.
- Retain 95 percent of all storm water
on site for reuse.
- Create wildlife habitats.
- Provide exceptional indoor air quality
with 95 percent of all products having low or zero volatile organic
compound.
Cherokee’s GreenHome is the first home
in the nation known to be built in a typical subdivision under the National
Association of Home Builders’ Model Green Home Building Guidelines. In
addition, the home will be certified with the EPA’s Energy Star program and the
North Carolina Solar Center’s Healthy Built Homes state program, among others.
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