Jackson Free Press

Mississippi 2020 and Habitat for Humanity are seeking groups and individual volunteers to work Saturdays starting June 21 (skipping the July 4 weekend) throughout the summer. Volunteers must be fairly able-bodied, but no particular construction skills are required. Call Laura at Jackson Habitat, 353-6060.

It took three years to find the funding, research the technologies and put a plan in place, but construction starts this June on an "earth-friendly" Habitat for Humanity house spearheaded by Mississippi 2020 Network, Inc. The house, designed by David Perkes and Chris Dorin of the MSU School of Architecture, and built with a HUD grant, is an attempt to build and maintain a house in a way that has the least impact on the environment.

"The goal is to prove that if you design a house differently— intentionally—to save energy and water…that the family will have a higher-quality of life with less money going out," said Bob Kochtitzky, who heads Mississippi 2020.

The "greenness" of the house is measured in many different ways, from the materials chosen to the low-flow showerheads, a rain-capturing system for watering the organic garden, insulated windows and solar panels on the roof to run attic fans. Special, super-efficient appliances have also been chosen, including a washing machine that saves 30 gallons per wash and uses 75 percent less detergent. Every light in the house will be fluorescent, according to plan, which will save 75 percent over typical light bulbs. The design includes three skylights to cut down on electricity use during the day.

Kochtitsky said that these technology and techniques are "off-the-shelf" and available today—in a $100,000-150,000 suburban home, the increase in costs would be negligible. He'd like this project to be a working model both for decreasing monthly costs in housing for homeowners of all income levels, while helping to curb the use of finite resources such as coal burned to create electricity or drinkable water used for lawns.

The project remains a Habitat House, meaning a low-income family has been chosen to work on and live in the house, which will be built on Central Street near Poindexter Park west of downtown Jackson. Mississippi 2020 plans to teach conservation techniques to the homeowners, who have agreed to document their living costs to see what benefits arise from the environmentally-aware design and construction.

Mississippi 2020 and Habitat for Humanity is seeking groups and individual volunteers to work Saturdays starting June 21 (skipping the July 4 weekend) throughout the summer. Volunteers must be fairly able-bodied, but no particular construction skills are required. Call Laura at Jackson Habitat, 353-6060.
—Todd Stauffer

Previous Comments

ID

63922

Comment

I was in the Habitat office earlier today and met Kim, the lady who the 2020 house is being built for. She's an incredibly nice women and is excited at the prospect of blazing new territory in eco-friendly housing. The construction of this particular house promises to be an interesting experience, so anyone who is interested please call the above number and come join in a couple of Saturdays of fun.

Author

lowgreynite

Date

2003-05-22T12:46:33-06:00

ID

63923

Comment

If I had the time on my hands, I'd be all over this not only for the charity and "green" aspects but to see first hand the "technologies" being used to make such a "green" home at what I'm assuming are cost-efficient rates. I definitely love the idea of solar powered ceiling fans! How genius?!? Will have to look into that online now.

Author

Knol Aust

Date

2003-05-22T14:13:20-06:00

ID

63924

Comment

The Free Press is definitely going to participate. Todd is a Habitat fanatic and a tree-hugger, truth be known. (Shhhh.) If y'all want to schedule your participation on a special JFP day (or more than one JFP day), get in touch with Todd at [email][email protected][/email] and y'all can coordinate the right day(s). We'll bring in some sort of food and such.

Author

ladd

Date

2003-05-22T17:43:26-06:00