EcoHouse in the News

The Contra Costa Times WEST COUNTY & BAY AREA
Saturday, March 13, 1999

EcoHouse may be a model

Members of the project hope to turn an abandoned Berkeley home into an environmentally friendly, energy efficient example

BERKELEY—A ramshackle house on the city's north side may soon become a model for eco-friendly living.

Environmentalists hope to turn the abandoned Hopkins Street house into a showcase for alternative energy sources, recycled building materials, composted garbage and other green living habits.

"Every single thing that is put into that house will be ecologically friendly," said Mark Gorrell, the architect heading the project.

The project, dubbed EcoHouse, has a long way to go before it transforms from a run-down house filled with cobwebs and dead appliances. Supporters, led by Councilwoman Linda Maio, first need $240,000 to buy and refurbish the house. Then they will need grants and donations to keep it going.

But the EcoHouse advisory board is dreaming big. Volunteers envision a house that environmental groups will eagerly subsidize, and one homeowners will look to for lessons in eco-living.

"Berkeley can send a message and a vision for the world," said board member Claire Greensfelder. "It starts with us, it starts in the home and it can start right here."

For EcoHouse, it starts with a $190,000 price tag. The advisory board has raised $95,000 from eight donors. Board members hope to find others willing to loan at least $10,000 apiece so they can close the deal next month. Loans would be repaid in two years at 5 percent total interest, paid by the city.

The plan is to spend 18 months and $50,000 fixing the house while lining up grants to pay off the loans.

EcoHouse would be open to the public and serve as a "living laboratory" for architects, developers and homeowners interested in making houses energy efficient and environmentally friendly. The house will be rented to a tenant willing to help manage the project, show visitors around and answer questions. When finished, the house will feature a glass greenhouse, a landscaped yard with native plants and modern, energy efficient appliances.

"It will be a home," Maio said.

Volunteers hope to find support from community organizations and green businesses to refurbish and finance the house. Supporters are confident the project will succeed and say Berkeley's tight housing market means the property is almost certain to grow in value. But just to be safe, the city has agreed to pay the interest on the loans, and the City Council on Tuesday is expected to guarantee them.

Chuck Squatriglia covers Berkeley.
Reach him at 510-262-2723 or e-mail csquatriglia@cctimes.com.

Caption:

ANDREA MONTALBANO, Mark Gorrell, center, and Karl Linn tour an abandoned house in Berkeley that environmentalists hope to make into a model for green living. The project, dubbed EcoHouse, will feature alternative energy sources, a greenhouse and native vegetation, among other amenities.