Community members are invited to celebrate 20 years of the Sustainable Building Program. The community inspired program, which began in 2003, came out of a desire from county residents for an easier path to building sustainably.
They also saw a need for more community education and awareness about sustainable building practices, methods, technology, and innovations. The program evolved into a free certification program allowing homeowners and builders to participate in a third-party certification based on points achieved for building sustainably. The benefits of participating include:
- Improved efficiency and comfort
- Reduced utility bills
- Increased home value
- Participants can become community models
- Recognition
Other benefits are fast-track permitting, resources and consultations, and participation in the program’s annual Sustainable Building Tour. The program has had great success over the past 20 years, with over 250 projects certified, adoption of codes for strawbale and earthen building, policies for passive solar design and tiny homes, and educational outreach to thousands of County residents.
Additionally, the Innovative Materials and Systems Pilot Program, adopted in 2019, was created to allow rural owner-builders of small innovative dwellings the option of seeking an exemption from some aspects of currently adopted building codes. The program received a Crescordia Award from Arizona Forward in 2014.
On March 28, the County will recognize those certified in the program in 2022 and 2023. The County Sustainable Building Program’s annual award ceremony showcases sustainable building projects that went through the certification process. The celebration is open to the community and will take place at Coconino Community College’s Lone Tree Campus at 5:00 p.m. Light refreshments will be served prior to the presentation.