Thanks to Our Early Funders!

“Early support from both Edwards Mother Earth Foundation and the Bullitt Foundation not only validates the Exemplary Building Program’s efforts, but gives us the infusion of resources we need to begin bringing our vision to life.”  

–Steve Gelb, Director, Emerald Cities Seattle and Exemplary Buildings Program task force member

We’re deeply honored (and really excited) to announce that HDC’s Exemplary Buildings Program has been awarded essential early support from two regional funders known for their commitment to visionary environmental philanthropy.

In June 2019, Edwards Mother Earth Foundation become our program’s first official funder. Bruce Reed, EMEF’s operations manager, stated that “EMEF is pleased to partner with the Housing Development Consortium of Seattle-King County to advance green building efforts in the Cascadia region.”

The Exemplary Building Program’s task force will allocate the EMEF grant funds to demonstration projects specifically targeting a significant obstacle in achieving ultra-efficient buildings: the deployment of CO2 heat pump domestic hot water systems. According to task force member David Reddy of O’Brien 360, “Making the shift to this emerging technology has been identified as one of the most crucial shifts in practice essential for the Exemplary Buildings Program to succeed.”

October 2019 brought more exciting news in the form of funding from the Bullitt Foundation. Their award supports the program development, project management, and technical assistance that are so vital to launching this work. Marty Kooistra, executive director of HDC and coordinator of the Exemplary Buildings Program, notes that “A crucial early gathering of community leaders at the Bullitt Center analyzed how Brussels enacted their exemplary building initiative. Not surprisingly, this was a pivotal meeting. It’s fitting that we can recognize the Bullitt Foundation as one of the first supporters of this effort.”