Environmental sustainability is a central element of our work at Nuestra Comunidad. We emphasize sustainability in our real estate, organizing, and community outreach programs not only to reduce our environmental impact, but also to improve health, safety, financial stability, and quality of life for residents of our buildings and members of our communities.
Championing Mixed-Use, Transit-Oriented Development
Nuestra's real estate development strategy concentrates on building homes close to shops, services, and public transit, reducing residents' dependence on cars and creating walkable neighborhoods. Our flagship mixed-use project, Bartlett Place, will create over 300 new homes and a wide variety of small businesses a short walk away from the Dudley Square transit hub. Nuestra staff also participate in the MBTA's Transit Needs Study Advisory Group, which works to understand transit needs for Roxbury, North Dorchester, and Mattapan and develop transit plans that improve residents' access to quality public transportation.
Nuestra Comunidad is a participant in the Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance Great Neighborhoods program. In collaboration with community members, peer nonprofits, and the Alliance's member agencies and technical experts, our staff are building a sustainablity plan for Roxbury's Warren Street corridor that will:
- Reduce commuting time along Warren Street - the busiest bus route in the entire MBTA system
- Increase walking and biking
- Develop nearly 1,000 new homes
- Create or retain more than a hundred local businesses
- Work with the City of Boston to ensure that the long-term build-out of Dudley Square is consistent with the Roxbury Master Plan.
Building & Maintaining Green and Healthy Homes
Our sustainable design and building strategies increase comfort and indoor air quality for residents, reduce our buildings' water and energy consumption, and improve the health and beauty of the surrounding area. We use energy efficient lighting and heating systems, water efficient toilets, faucets, and washing machines, and advanced air sealing and insulation techniques to reduce residents' ecological footprint (and utility bills!). We also incorporate a variety of features to ensure excellent indoor air quality and prevent respiratory disorders such as asthma, including advanced ventilation systems and low-VOC paints.
Nuestra's real estate team is experienced in converting contaminated vacant lots into safe, welcoming homes and public spaces. Finding and removing toxins and harmful debris from the ground is an essential first step in our development process. The Thomas I. Atkins Apartments were built on a former brownfield, and the future site of the Quincy Commons development has already been remediated in anticipation of construction. The proposed Bartlett Place development will replace a contaminated 8.5 acre bus yard, which Nuestra will remediate with funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Harnessing Clean Energy Sources
We seek to integrate renewable energy into our developments wherever possible in order to reduce our carbon footprint and our residents' utility costs. Photovoltaic solar panels power common areas in our Adams Court buildings in Mattapan and the Thomas I. Atkins Apartments in Roxbury. The Atkins Apartments also feature a geothermal heat pump system, which draws energy from the ground beneath to help heat and cool living spaces in the building.
Promoting Home Energy Efficiency
Nuestra is collaborating with the City of Boston to connect local residents to no-cost energy efficiency services through the Renew Boston program. Our full-time Renew Boston organizer works with homeowners, neighborhood groups, businesses, and peer nonprofits to spread the word about home energy efficiency and to help residents receive energy upgrades, including energy auditing, insulation, and air sealing, on their homes. Read more about Renew Boston.
Creating Community Green Space
Nuestra works with YouthBuild Boston to establish green spaces that are attractive, accessible, and well-maintained on vacant and underutilized land in our service area. Our community design process brings community members together with designers, builders, and landscapers to develop a vision for each site and to turn that vision into reality. Our first garden, the Generations of Hope Community Garden in Dorchester, opened in spring 2011. Read more about this space.
