Mission Zero Fest to Offer Tours of Six Ultra-Energy-Efficient Homes Including America’s Oldest Net Zero Home and Michigan’s First LEED® Platinum Certified Home

Mission Zero Fest to Offer Tours of Six Ultra-Energy-Efficient Homes Including America’s Oldest Net Zero Home and Michigan’s First LEED

• 723 Spring Street: Ann Arbor’s first LEED^® Platinum home is jam-packed with green features, including geothermal heating and cooling and 8.6kW solar array, both of which help this home achieve near net-zero energy usage.
  

• Monica Patel from the Ecology Center and Doug Selby from Meadowlark Builders led a tour of 723 Spring Street on Friday, February 28th, 2011.  Monica captured the event as follows

• 215 W. Summit Street: A tired, run-down 1910 Victorian evolved into a beautiful historic home that’s ready for the next century with a “deep-energy” retrofit. This home is pending LEED^® Platinum certification.

• 217 S. Seventh Street: America’s oldest net-zero home has been featured as one of USA Today’s seven Best Green Homes of 2010.

• 1303 Brooks Street: Michigan’s second LEED^® Platinum certified whole-house remodel employing Not So Big^® House-inspired design strategies to make the home live much larger than its footprint.

• 1005 Brooks Street: This striking contemporary home, which has been featured in Dwell Magazine, pays respect to the sun with its unique siting and orientation and passive solar design features.
• 512 Hiscock Street: This home has been radically transformed to nearly its original 1917 appearance on the outside, but with the many energy-saving renovations on the inside to make it ready to take on the next 100 years.

These homes are within walking distance of the main festival area in the 700 block of Fountain Street in Ann Arbor. Mission Zero Fest takes place Saturday, June 9 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, June 10 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Water Hill neighborhood, located just northwest of downtown Ann Arbor.

Along with home tours, Mission Zero Fest has a jam-packed agenda that promises to offer real solutions for saving money and living a more purposeful life. This event is unlike anything that’s been seen before – its part sustainability symposium, part environmental exhibition, part green home tour, and part neighborhood block party. While speakers and workshops exhibit the how and why of sustainability, organizations will exhibit an array of green products and services for living a healthier, more comfortable life with a lighter footprint. With a wonderful mix of local food vendors and a stellar musical line-up of nationally and locally known acts, Mission Zero Fest will be a party for the whole family.

View photos of the Mission Zero Fest tour homes at: http://www.flickr.com/groups/2012mzf/.

Mission Zero Festival is being organized by a collective of regional green organizations, which include Ecology Center, Meadowlark Energy, Clean Energy Coalition, Architectural Resource, Ann Arbor 350, USGBC, GreenovationTV, Recycle.com, Urban Ashes, Meadowlark Builders, and Clean Water Action.