CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, September 27, 2017 — The Resurrection Project’s (TRP) Casa Querétaro, a 45-unit affordable housing development, recently earned LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum Certification, becoming TRP’s first affordable housing property to earn this honored distinction. This status enables us to be better landlords while also advancing our greater goal of creating healthy communities and positioning us as better stewards of the environment.

The LEED rating system, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is the foremost program for buildings, homes and communities that are designed, constructed, maintained and operated for improved environmental and human health performance. LEED homes are built to be healthier and safer by providing cleaner indoor air. They also use less energy and water, leading to monthly savings on utilities, and maintain their value over time.

This efficiency allows TRP to charge lower rents, thereby enabling more people to rent homes, while also practicing corporate sustainability and generating a higher quality of life for its residents.

            “Casa Querétaro is a healthy place to live because it’s green, it’s sustainable, it creates the best air quality, and it has many desirable features such as natural light, environmentally sensitive material choices, and energy efficient systems and design,” said Chief Real Estate Development Officer Edgar Flagg. “Those are things that were done that will benefit the tenants and also benefit us because we can attract and retain tenants that value those features.”

Casa Querétaro’s environmentally efficient elements include close proximity to public transportation, efficient use of space as a compact development, low maintenance landscaping, energy-conserving appliances and insulation, an indoor tenant bike room, and a light-maximizing orientation around a central courtyard in which no unit faces north.

Going forward, TRP hopes to earn LEED Certification on all new construction and renovation projects to more effectively create healthy, safe communities.

“LEED-certified homes are transforming America’s neighborhoods,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO, USGBC. “Innovative products, technology and sustainable strategies are making homes more resilient, healthy and high- performing for years to come.”

            This initiative is part of our Vision 2020 Strategic Plan which is directly supported from the many donors and supporters that contribute to our Imagine More Campaign.