Home Depot Foundation Teams with Habitat for Humanity to Build "Green" Houses

By Jim Burress

Atlanta, GA – The Home Depot Foundation is donating $30-million to Habitat for Humanity to build 5,000 homes in the next five years. The homes meet the Environmental Protection Agency's "Energy Star" efficiency guidelines, meaning they're 20-30% more energy efficient to maintain than the average house.

Home Depot Foundation president Kelly Caffarelli says while many focus on how so-called "green" initiatives benefit the environment, the idea behind the Habitat partnership is long-term affordability.

"We come at green building from an economic standpoint, and really think of it as a pocketbook issue for the families."

Caffarelli says as more homes are built to the Energy Star standard, the price of the materials used has come down.

The first 1,500 homes under the "Partners in Sustainable Building" project will be built this year and next, and will be scattered nation-wide.

Jim Burress, WABE News.