Rio Tinto Alcan Sustainable Award

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Announcing the Winners of the 2009 Rio Tinto Alcan Sustainable Homes Programme Award

Long-time Partner, Rio Tinto Alcan, Invests in Sustainable Homebuilding for Canadian Families in Need

Rio Tinto Alcan has been a valued partner of Habitat for Humanity Canada (HFHC) since 2004, and this year their continued support and promotion of sustainable construction and efficient energy use has led to a creative grant award program: the Rio Tinto Alcan Sustainable Homes Programme. This initiative focuses on the promotion of safer and more sustainable building practices for Habitat affiliates across Canada, and it provides them the opportunity to share best practices and inspire each other to raise the bar as leaders in sustainability.

Read here to find out more about what Rio Tinto Alcan and

Habitat have accomplished together.

Through this innovative incentive program, Rio Tinto Alcan has awarded a total of $200,000 in financial donations to Habitat affiliates this year and, as such, has empowered a new level of excellence for affordable homebuilding in Canada. With 22 affiliate participants in its first year, the program was incredibly successful. Applicants were judged on three key areas of building achievement: quality, safety and innovation.

Through this innovative program, Rio Tinto Alcan helps make the dream of affordable homeownership come true for more working families across Canada while delivering on its commitment to protect the environment. - Lucie Dion, Manager, Rio Tinto Alcan Canada Fund

For more information on the Rio Tinto Alcan Sustainable Homes Programme see our Spring Newsletter,

"The Habitat Spirit" or visit www.riotintoalcansustainablehomes.com

The winners were announced in May at HFHC’S Annual General Meeting in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Alongside ten runner-up grant winners of $1,000, congratulations to the following affiliates for winning the top three prizes – a combined $190,000 to fund future sustainable building projects:

Habitat for Humanity Winnipeg

Habitat for Humanity Grey Bruce

Habitat for Humanity Yukon

Leading by Example: Why These Green Affiliates Deserve to be Recognized

Our top three affiliate winners have demonstrated a level of distinction in safe, sustainable homebuilding practices while providing our partner families an affordable home in which to live, grow and thrive.

Habitat for Humanity Winnipeg: $100,000 Top Prize

Building the Greenest Affordable Housing Development in Canada:

HFH Winnipeg has already been building to green standards and have recently adopted the prominent Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating, thus positioning itself as a Canadian leader in green building.

This particular affiliate has also cultivated impressive community partnerships across all of their operations, including some of the top green building experts in Manitoba.

They use a unique and comprehensive approach to safety and training and has also focused on promoting environmental responsibility; Habitat homeowners are educated on how to properly use and maintain their home, ultimately saving them more money for other necessities.

Ongoing Green Efforts: By 2010, HFH Winnipeg will have built 34 sustainable homes for families in need – a single development set to be the greenest affordable housing project in Canada.

Habitat for Humanity Grey Bruce: $60,000 Prize

HFH Grey Bruce impressed the panel of judges with the following achievements:

Establishment of a comprehensive Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) Committee, made up of 13 safety professionals from the local community, proactively managing safety in ReStores, on build sites and in office environments

Commitment to using Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) - one of the most energy-efficient building strategies available in homebuilding today

Quality education of both partner families and volunteers on sustainable building

Enrollment in the Energy Star program for their upcoming build in 2009, in addition to adopting all achievements thus far as a minimum standard for future projects

Habitat for Humanity Yukon: $30,000 Prize

HFH Yukon is being recognized for the following, among other achievements:

Building to a very high standard which could very well compete with LEED

Managing building waste and recycling or reusing products and materials in all aspects of operations

Developing an impressive list of innovative partnerships to engage both the local community and the entire Yukon Territory, which are critical for maintaining a strong building program along with a true environmental focus

Ten runner-up affiliates won a $1,000 grant for sustainable projects:

Habitat for Humanity Halton	Habitat for Humanity North Bay and Blue Sky Region
Habitat for Humanity Huronia-Orillia	Habitat for Humanity Northumberland
Habitat for Humanity Iqaluit	Habitat for Humanity Prince Edward-Hastings
Habitat for Humanity Kelowna	Habitat for Humanity Toronto
Habitat for Humanity National Capital Region	Habitat for Humanity Victoria

Donors Going Green: The Habitat for Humanity Sustainable Building Fund

While close to 40 percent of the homes Habitat now builds meet a recognized provincial sustainability standard, the goal is to increase that number to 100 percent by 2011!

If you are interested in donating to our Sustainable Building Fund, please email us or phone 1-800-667-5137 ext. 353.