2009 Green Building Sponsors
Sponsor Highlight: Whatcom Transportation Authority
Quick Fact: WTA's annual ridership increased by 32% in 2008. This represents 1.1 million additional boardings! Total boardings for 2008 were 4.7 million.
Most recent project: Trip Planning capability on our website, Wi-Fi at our transit stations, and pursuit of federal funding for our fleet replacement project.
For SmartTrips, bus schedules, maps and more feel good information about those 4.7 million (!) trips, hit up www.ridewta.com
For SmartTrips, bus schedules, maps and more feel good information about those 4.7 million (!) trips, hit up www.ridewta.com
Sponsor Highlight: Barkley Company
Most recent project: The Drake is a five-story building with 36 residential units, a parking deck, street-level retail and a branch of the Bellingham Public Library. The Drake is the first of several planned residential projects in Barkley Village.
For more information on Barkley Village, visit them here.
For more information on Barkley Village, visit them here.
Sponsor Highlight: Aiki Homes
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Aiki Homes has been leading the way for smart design & sustainable growth since 1992. We are committed to quality building and community & homeowner education. In addition, Aiki is committed to creating a business model that places its highest values on environmental, social and business ethics. We believe in the principle of partnership and understand that a successful business depends on maintaining good relationships with clients, community, and the natural world.
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"It is Sustainable Connections' proactive constructive approach to making a difference in our community that just makes a person feel good. Their accomplishments and achievements are putting our community on a path to being the leaders in sustainable, smart growth. This is why Aiki Homes felt there is nowhere else in this community our dollars would have more of an impact. We are proud to be a silver sponsor to this year's Green Building Program", Rose Lathrop
Current Project: Millworks Co-housing

This unique development on 1.8 acres of land in Happy Valley will be home to 8 households. Millworks is a collective group of people dedicated to fostering community and a reduced ecological footprint. Aiki Homes is delighted to have offered planning and development services, as well as our many years of expertise in green building to help design and build out in 2009, 8 single family homes for this co-housing project. By utilizing low impact development techniques, green building strategies, and smart growth this community is a ideal example of good infill & responsible development for our community.
The Millworks design includes:
- A common house for a large gathering space, storage, and guest quarters, allowing the homes to be smaller than average
- Pervious pavements and raingardens to infiltrate and treat stormwater on-site.
- All homes will include passive solar design, energy efficient systems, and meet a Built Green and Energy Star certification
- Pervious pavements and raingardens to infiltrate and treat stormwater on-site.
- All homes will include passive solar design, energy efficient systems, and meet a Built Green and Energy Star certification
Contact the team at Aiki Homes to find out more information.
Sponsor Highlight: RMC Architects
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RMC supports the Green building program at Sustainable Connections as an organization that has vision to challenge and encourage both the public and private sectors to rethink how our community will address the coming growth to our community (and region). This involves changing our planning models and construction strategies to become more sustainable, while still maintaining local economic vitality. |
RMC quick facts:
· Established in 1986
· Seven LEED professionals on staff; staff of fifteen
· Mix of public and private sector projects
· Staff collectively reduced our commuting mileage by 20% in 2008 by
· Established in 1986
· Seven LEED professionals on staff; staff of fifteen
· Mix of public and private sector projects
· Staff collectively reduced our commuting mileage by 20% in 2008 by
biking, walking, bus riding, or carpooling

Current Projects:
· BHA Walton Place 1 and Walton Place 2
Walton Place 1: 57,500 sf, 51 affordable housing units, 5 stories
Walton Place 2: 53,300 sf, 40 affordable and market rate units, 4
Walton Place 1: 57,500 sf, 51 affordable housing units, 5 stories
Walton Place 2: 53,300 sf, 40 affordable and market rate units, 4
stories, over parking garage, meeting Evergreen State Sustainability
Design Standards (ESDS)
· 1835 Barkley Building
23,600 sf two story office building, Further enhancing the Neo-urbanist
· 1835 Barkley Building
23,600 sf two story office building, Further enhancing the Neo-urbanist
Barkley District
· Two initial light industrial, R&D structures totaling 49,000 sf, implementing
· Two initial light industrial, R&D structures totaling 49,000 sf, implementing
many LEED Core and Shell strategies for the site and building
· WWU Renovations and Remodels
Visit the crew at RMC and see more examples of their work.
· WWU Renovations and Remodels
Visit the crew at RMC and see more examples of their work.
Sponsor Highlight: Bellingham Bay Builders
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Bellingham Bay Builders is an idealistically driven worker's cooperative. Sustainable Connections mission and vision align nicely with the values of the member-owners of BBB. |
In just a few short years Sustainable Connections as an organization and as a group of small business owners have profoundly and positively changed the shape of our local marketplace. For these reasons BBB has chosen to support Sustainable Connections and their Green Building Initiative.

Latest Project: This old house was originally constructed in 1907 with many piecemeal remodels over the next century. In 2001 we started by gutting the original house and adding a small 240 square foot two story addition. The objective was to minimize the building's and family's impact on our planet's carbon cycle. To that end:
We re-used the existing structure allowing us to save money and:
▫ use less virgin materials and all the associated embodied energy
▫ decrease disposal of construction waste and the associated energy costs
▫ have less site soil/vegetation disturbance and the associated run-off problems.
It was designed to maximize use of free energy and minimize use of carbon-based energy. The design employed a few strategies to accomplish this including:
▫ orienting windows for maximum solar advantage and daylighting to the center of house
▫ insulating the envelope using high-density fiberglass batts to get the best economical R-value from the old 2x4 walls
▫ using EnergyStar appliances and CFL bulbs
▫ designing a compact, highly efficient space with less than 500 square feet per occupant
Contact the cooperative today: Dylan, Dave and Ross
We re-used the existing structure allowing us to save money and:
▫ use less virgin materials and all the associated embodied energy
▫ decrease disposal of construction waste and the associated energy costs
▫ have less site soil/vegetation disturbance and the associated run-off problems.
It was designed to maximize use of free energy and minimize use of carbon-based energy. The design employed a few strategies to accomplish this including:
▫ orienting windows for maximum solar advantage and daylighting to the center of house
▫ insulating the envelope using high-density fiberglass batts to get the best economical R-value from the old 2x4 walls
▫ using EnergyStar appliances and CFL bulbs
▫ designing a compact, highly efficient space with less than 500 square feet per occupant
Contact the cooperative today: Dylan, Dave and Ross








