Certified Case Studies

In 2009, The City of Berkeley adopted their climate action plan with an aggressive goal: reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 33% (below 2000 levels) by 2020 and by 80% by 2050. To reach their target, the city realized they would need every new building to operate at net zero energy. In 2008, a measure was…

The Old Oak Dojo is a small, privately owned ancillary building, built next to a multi-family residence. It resides on a wooded lot in a dense urban neighborhood of Boston. The multipurpose studio space is available for educational gatherings, performances and a community space where neighbors can congregate to rediscover how to create healthy and…

The Brock Environmental Center will be the beachhead for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s (CBF) lower bay programs, bringing the community together to solve complex environmental issues and empower the next generation of citizens through environmental education programs in the Chesapeake Bay. The center is located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where the Chesapeake Bay meets the…

The purpose of this project is partly contained in its name, Journey to Net Zero, but the purpose generally is to refit a century-old Seattle home to produce all of its energy, and to have edible and pleasant landscaping that is a resource for humans & wildlife. The project has a broad environmental focus that…

2938 Madrona Street in Bellingham, WA, was the 100th home to enter into the Kulshan Community Land Trust, an organization that promotes beautifully-designed, energy-efficient homes. The home was developed in partnership with The Cascade Joinery, a design-build firm that specializes in green building and custom timber work. Located in Bellingham’s Birchwood neighborhood, this affordable, low…

Conceived as a high school science building dedicated to the study of alternative energy, the new Energy Lab at Hawaii Preparatory Academy functions as a zero-net-energy, fully sustainable building. The project’s fundamental goal is that of educating the next generation of students in the understanding of environmentally conscious, sustainable living systems. The building’s donor, the…

The United States Territory of American Samoa, located just 14 degrees south the equator and just west of the international dateline, has a unique set of climate, cultural and environmental challenges. The local agency tasked with navigating these challenges is the American Samoa Environmental Protection Agency (AS-EPA).

Owner David Kendall spent his career as a marine biologist, acutely aware of the impacts of climate change upon ecosystems and human life. Upon retirement, he and his wife decided to take environmental responsibility into their own hands and lower their carbon footprint as much as possible. In 2012, they downsized to a house in…

Sunshine Mathon designed and remodeled the Willowbrook house with the primary goal of providing his family with an inspiring and comfortable place to live. A critical aspect of the inspiration was to reduce the impact of his family’s lifestyle on the land, and the community in which they live. Though Mathon had a tacit goal…