Dover, DE – On Monday, July 13 at 10:30 a.m. the National Council on Agricultural Life and Labor Research Fund, Inc. (NCALL), a member of the NeighborWorks network, will host a dedication ceremony to celebrate a newly installed solar system panel to their building and for reaching a 6,500 first time homebuyers milestone. The event will take place at 363 Saulsbury Road, Dover, DE.
In keeping with NCALL’s mission to create affordable, green, sustainable housing opportunities and services, the extensive installation of the solar panels on the existing property included the use of environmentally-responsible building practices and design features. By setting a goal to reduce its use of traditional energy sources, developing a financing plan to purchase and install the photovoltaic panels, NCALL was able to complete a project that enabled the non-profit to reduce its non-renewable energy usage at its headquarters site by 70 percent.
“We have a monitor in our lobby that shows daily and cumulative kilowatt hour generation, monetary savings, reduction in carbon footprint as well as other charts and graphs. We are hoping to transfer this technology to our multi-family housing and first-time homebuyer work,” said Joe L. Myer, NCALL executive director.
In 2009, NeighborWorks America will provide over $81 million in grants to NCALL and the NeighborWorks network of more than 230 nonprofit organizations operating in over 4,400 rural, urban, and suburban communities. The grants will be used to revitalize and strengthen communities by providing counseling for homeowners on the brink of foreclosure and homeownership; increasing the number of certified foreclosure and homeownership counselors through training; and empowering consumers through financial and homeownership education and counseling.
Non-profit housing organizations rehabilitate or build thousands of homes each year and these grants will help them do that important work more environmentally friendly and at lower long-term cost for the owner, renter and the community at large. The grants will help build energy efficient and healthy homes, improve the heating and cooling environment and water conservation for homes occupied by lower income families, and help NCALL to improve its carbon footprint as it conducts business.
“Whether an organization takes the steps to reduce waste, to improve energy efficiency, to address employee commuting, foster a healthier work environment, creating a greener organization produces tangible, bottom line results for the organization and for the community, ” said Thomas Deyo, Deputy Director of Green, National Real Estate Programs and Community Stabilization.
