The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation honored Minnesota Green Communities at its 4th Annual Upstream Health Leadership Award and Policy Program for their work around creating affordable, healthier and more energy efficient housing throughout Minnesota.
The event was held on Friday, October 30, 2009 at Minnesota Public Radio’s UBS Forum in St. Paul, Minn. In addition to the award, the foundation provided a $15,000 grant to support and advance Minnesota Green Communities' “upstream” work.
Minnesota Green Communities is a statewide collaboration of Minnesota-based Greater Minnesota Housing Fund and Family Housing Fund and nationally based Enterprise. The initiative, launched in 2005, supports the production of affordable housing with markedly reduced energy costs, use of materials beneficial to the environment, conservation-minded land use planning and attention to the creation of healthy environments and lifestyles for individuals, children, families and communities. It is the largest green building program in Minnesota, with 1,000 units completed, 1,000 under construction, and another 1,000 under development.
Minnesota Green Communities Advisory Committee is chaired by Warren Hanson, Greater Minnesota Housing Fund; Tom Fulton, Family Housing Fund; and Dana Bourland, Enterprise. Janne Flisrand serves as the initiative's program coordinator.
The foundation also gave special recognition to David Jacobs, PhD, CIH, Director of Research, National Center for Healthy Housing, for his national leadership around housing and health, including his role with the Viking Terrace Project in Worthington, Minnesota. Funded by the Blue Cross Foundation, Jacobs led a first-of-its-kind study on the Viking Terrace Project, an affordable housing preservation project, to evaluate the health impacts of green housing. Jacobs and the National Center for Healthy Housing in Columbia, Maryland work to control childhood exposure to lead, mold-induced illnesses, carbon monoxide poisoning and other influences on health while preserving affordable housing.
2009 Upstream Health Leadership Award Program
