WASHINGTON — The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has appointed Tommy Linstroth, owner and founder of Savannah, Ga.-based Trident Sustainability Group, a sustainability and green building consulting firm, as a 2013 co-chair for its Value Healthy and Efficient Affordable Housing advocacy campaign.

The campaign promotes the USGBC’s green affordable housing philosophy through advocacy of smart policy changes and adoption of greener building practices by housing finance authorities, public housing authorities, and the projects that they fund.

“I am thrilled and honored to be chosen by the USGBC for such a great undertaking, as the expansion of green affordable housing can have an impact on those who truly need it the most,” said Linstroth.

“One of the main issues in green affordable housing is addressing utility bills. In fact, according to a recent study (www.nliec.org/facts.pdf), low-income households spend on average 19.5 percent of annual income on home energy costs, while the average for median-income households is just 4.6 percent. My co-chair and I hope our campaign will expand the availability of green affordable housing nationwide and help a large number of families keep more money for needs like healthy food than paying a power bill.”

Publication date: 4/22/2013