Intervale Green: Helping Women and the Environment

Quite often green building is viewed as the kind of thing that only wealthy Americans take part in. If you hear someone claiming that sustainable designs are only for the rich, they’ve probably never heard of Intervale Green. EnviroCitizen.org did a bit of research and discovered that it is the biggest affordable housing, multi-family high-rise that is Energy Star certified. It’s a 128-unit building designed to accommodate low-income and homeless families and women.

Located in the South Bronx in New York City, New York, Intervale Green was built with healthy materials and environmentally friendly construction. Each unit is outfitted with energy-efficient appliances and the building has high-efficiency heating, ventilation and insulation. These eco-friendly features reduce energy needs by 30%, allowing the financially-struggling residents to spend less on electricity. Intervale Green is certified by Energy Star, the efficiency standard set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE). The three green roofs atop Intervale Green are probably the most noticable eco-friendly features. They reduce energy needs by helping to insulate the buildings and they also reduce the heat island effect (where the ambient air temperature is increased due to the presence of concrete and building materials that retain heat), an environmental problem that most New Yorkers face.

One of EnviroCitizen.org’s favorite features of Intervale Green is that it doesn’t look like affordable housing. The units were designed for aesthetic appeal and the common areas, including the lobby, the courtyard, and the garden, are dotted with art installations. Families living in Intervale Green are also given a free computer and low-cost internet access. Clearly, Intervale Green is the exact opposite of what comes to mind when many of us think of low-income housing.

Nancy Biberman founded the Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation (WHEDCo) in 1991. Biberman spearheaded the Intervale Green project and has received a lot of attention in the news for her success. Biberman wanted to cater to low-income and homeless women with children because such a huge portion of those living in low-income housing are women. About 87% of the residents at Intervale Green are women, many of which have children. One third of the units are reserved for families coming from homeless shelters. Biberman wanted Intervale Green to be more than just basic housing. She believes that beautiful places can change people’s attitudes by reducing their stress and giving them greater hope.

EnviroCitizen.org believes that Intervale Green and Nancy Biberman are the kind of inspirational stories of success that we need to start moving in the right direction. EnviroCititzens.org challenges you to take on this selfless attitude and innovatively green way of thinking when you tackle your daily decisions, whether big or small. The world will be a happier, healthier place for it!