by Edward Mazria, Architecture 2030

What if there were a way for states, cities, and counties to leverage each dollar of federal stimulus money they spend to generate $14 of private spending, create 14 times the number of jobs, reimburse the federal government $3, and get a dollar back to boot?

And what if that economic solution could also help us tackle climate change by constructively attacking building-related carbon emissions?

Well, there is a way, and we call it the "14x Stimulus" plan. In order to capture the job-creation and private-spending potential of the private building sector, this plan encourages households off the sidelines and into the renovation and home-buying market.

The proposal recommends using state and local stimulus money to create a local mortgage buy-down program that offers reduced mortgage interest rates contingent upon renovating or building to meet specific energy-reduction targets.

Architecture 2030 and its partners — ICLEI–Local Governments for Sustainability, Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET), and Veterans Green Jobs — propose this public-private partnership to strategically focus stimulus dollars to enable a full-scale building industry revival while simultaneously reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.   >>>

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SUBSCRIPTION SAMPLE The RainShine House in Atlanta, Georgia, was designed by Robert M. Cain, Architect. Photo: Paul Hultberg Photography Extra Large Image RainShine House has received both LEED Platinum and Energy Star certifications, and is a candidate for certification by the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) program. Photo: Paul Hultberg Photography Extra Large Image   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.