WASHINGTON - Home Depot has awarded a $375,000 grant to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to help with the development of the LEED for Homes (LEED-H) rating system. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Homes rating system is a voluntary initiative that promotes transforming mainstream home building toward green building practices.

The grant supports the development of the LEED for Homes rating system with a special Initiative for Affordable Housing that will include a reference manual, pilot demonstration of LEED for Homes in six markets, and new affordable housing training sessions at the Greenbuild International Conference and Exposition, an annual conference organized by the USGBC, to be held in Atlanta this November.

"The Home Depot Foundation's support will make it possible to fully engage the affordable housing community in the development of LEED for Homes," said Rick Fedrizzi, USGBC president, CEO, and founding chair. "The grant will also help position the LEED for Homes rating system as the nationally recognized standard for all types of homes at every price point."

The grant also includes a venue at the Greenbuild International Conference to announce The Home Depot Foundation's inaugural Awards of Excellence for Affordable Housing Built Responsibly program. This awards program seeks to identify, recognize, and showcase the work of nonprofit housing developers who have successfully combined affordability with healthy, sustainable measures in the design and construction of housing.

"The Home Depot Foundation is extremely pleased to have entered into a national partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council to develop LEED for Homes. The need for a nationally recognized standard in environmentally sound and healthy home construction is critically important," said Kelly Caffarelli, executive director, The Home Depot Foundation.

For more information, visit www.usgbc.org.

Publication date: 07/04/2005