Green Initiative
Habitat for Humanity Tucson cares about the environment and makes every effort to reduce its carbon footprint on our planet. Click The Local Trust’s logo below to find out your carbon footprint or read more about how Habitat for Humanity Tucson is going green.
On September 11, 2008, at our 7th annual Building Freedom Day, Habitat for Humanity Tucson began implementing an initiative for all new build sites to recycle drywall, lumber, steel, copper, mixed plastic and cardboard.
These four homes were completed in June 2009 and were the first Habitat homes to receive a HERS rating of 69, Energy Star certification and Pima County’s first Silver Standard green certification.
For our future homes we are exploring the use of greywater. A recent High School Build home, completed in June 2010, features all edible lanscape (ten fruit trees) with 90% of their annual water demand met by passive greywater and rainwater. The greywater system used on that home is the test installation for all future Habitat homes; it uses water from the home’s tub, shower, and two vanity sinks along with a simple gravity flow to mulch basins. No pumps, filter, tanks or exposed water were used and the basins, which are large enough to support worst case surge, expect no flow to storm water system.
Thanks to a grant, our next Women Build home, which was started on September 11, 2010, will be Habitat Tucson’s first LEED certified home.
Please help us continue to go green by donating the funds
for items that help our homes qualify for green certifications!
| Green Item | Quanitity needed per home | Cost per item |
| 1 ton of landscape rock | 2 tons | $25 |
| 1 Mesquite shade tree | 3 trees | $25 |
| 3 Interior recycle bin (24 in. x 16 in. x 16 in.) | 1 bin | $25 |
| 3 Collapsible clothes-drying rack | 1 rack | $25 |
| 3 HVAC filters. MERV 11 | 1 filter | $50 |
| 1 Ceiling Mounted Energy Star light fixture | 15 light fixtures | $50 |
| 2 six-packs of organic fertilizer | 1 six-pack | $75 |
| 1 Formaldehyde-free Bathroom vanity | 2 vanities | $75 |
| 1 1.5 gpm kitchen faucet with aerators | 1 kitchen faucet | $75 |
| 1 case CFL light bulbs | 5/8 case | $75 |
| 1 case of Crack sealing spray foam, regular and fire rated | 1 case | $100 |
| 1 Energy Star bathroom exhaust fan | 2 fans | $100 |
| 3 bags of R-38 formaldehyde-free, recycled fiberglass thermal under-roof deck insulation | 19 bags | $250 |
| 2 boxes Pipe insulation, R-4 minimum | 1 box | $250 |
| 2 Low-flow toilets | 2 toilets | $750 |
| 1 Solar water heater with manual bypass | 1 water heater | $1000 |
Designate your gift today.
Here is a list of just some of the standards Habitat Tucson has in place to ensure energy efficiency in Habitat homes.
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All Habitat for Humanity Tucson homes also carry Tucson Electric Power’s energy guarantee.
We plan to continue the evolution of our commitment to sustainable design and green building including passive and active solar design, greywater plumbing, and adherence to community standards like the City of Tucson’s green certification program.
