ALLIANCE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
Better Homes for All!
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The Alliance for Environmental Sustainability has a mission to empower people to make healthier choices in the places we live. The primary problem we are addressing is the continued degradation of our environment as a result of conventional residential building methodologies. These traditional construction methods result in a high generation of waste, the inclusion of toxins in the home, and low-efficiency energy use in households.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Green Building Certification
GHI has been a LEED for Homes provider since the program launched in 2005 and an enterprise green communities technical assistance provider since 2008. Between these programs and administering the GreenStar Homes Certification and Zero Energy Capable program we have ensured the certification of over 8,000 living units in the Midwest. Through these programs we do consulting, design review, energy modeling, documentation management, 3rd party onsite verification and quality assurance to make sure homes are built or renovated above code.
Green Building Education
We provide free weekly continuing education approved webinars on green building concepts and ideas. We do local education events in the Midwest and Michigan. We also do LEED for Homes Green Rater and AP Homes training. We launched our new Building Green and Beer Series in West MI in 2018.
DOE Home Energy Score Partner
We help administer the Dept of Energy Home Energy Score program in West Michigan.
Grand Rapids Green Affordable Housing
Through funding from the Wege Foundation we help ensure ceritified green affordable housing renovations and new builds.
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
United States green building council 2005
External reviews
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of conference attendees
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Green Building Education
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
2021 is 2020
Number of individuals certified as raters.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Green Building Education
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of participants attending course/session/workshop
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Green Building Education
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
The number of educational webinar participants include consumers and housing professionals taking either free or fee-based webinars. Some of these webinars qualify for CEU's.
Total number of organization members
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Green Building Education
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Members are individuals that join our organization as students, individuals, or corporate members.
Number of sustainable housing projects achieving certification.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Green Building Certification
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
GHI seeks to transform the built environment through certification, education and consultation, and public policy advocacy. To achieve these goals, GHI leads or is engaged with an inclusive set key stakeholders and partners to advance the mission of empowering people to make healthier and sustainable choices in the places we live.
GHI conducts its work in three primary categories
Education
GHI provides training for individuals seeking accreditation as Green Raters for residential sustainability Programs including the USGBC Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (LEED), GreenStar, Enterprise Green Communities, and the Department of Energy HERS Program.
We also conduct weekly YouTube webinars targeting housing professionals and consumers on sustainable residential technologies, products, and services.
Project Consultation
GHI is "Provider Organization" for residential construction projects that are either single family or multifamily dwellings and new construction or renovation projects. We provide green consulting services to ensure the construction project meets required standards to achieve certification in LEED, GreenStar, Enterprise Green Communities, and/or DOE HERS Program.
Public Policy
GHI recently began to engage in activities with the goal of influencing public policy that advances residential sustainable development. We partner with local, state, regional, national, and international coalitions to assist with shaping and implementing sustainable housing policies.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
The GreenHome Institute has a set of outcomes related to our major areas of operations; Education, Project Consultation, and Public Policy. For each of the outcomes, we have a set of related strategies to define how we will achieve the proposed outcomes per focus area; Education, Project Consultation, and Public Policy.
The attached 2023 GHI Strategic Plan outlines the outcomes and related strategies.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
GHI has formal partnerships in the areas of Residential Sustainable Education, Construction Project Consultation, and Public Policy.
With regard to Education, we have a formal agreements with the US Green Building Council (USGBC) and the Green Business Certification, Inc (GBCI), Department of Energy Home Energy Rating Systems, and a variety of colleges, universities, and public sector entities to provide certification training for Green Raters and others to conduct project consultation and house energy assessments.
We have contractual agreements established with building professionals (architects, designers, contractors, etc.) to provide sustainable residential project consultation services to ensure that the projects meet green building standards for certification.
We are in the process of developing formal partnerships with legislators, appointed public officials, and other key stakeholders to advance public policy in support of sustainable residential development. Currently, we participate in local, regional, and national coalitions that promote legislative initiatives in support of environmental protection goals.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
GHI has been in the green build industry for over 20 years. We have established the organization as a "subject matter expert" with regard to sustainable residential education, project consultation services, and public policy advocacy.
We have trained and certified over 100 individuals as green raters, we have provided project consultation services for over 10,000 sustainable residential projects that have received green certification, and we have facilitated the drafting/revision, and adoption of public policy and legislation.
The organization is financially strong and we had expanded our organization by adding an Education Manager and Program Manager in addition to the existing Executive Director. Our operations continue to grow and improve; the addition of personnel was compelled due to high success in service delivery quality and an increase of demand for our services.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals, To develop pubic policy proposals and initiatives
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Some are reluctant to provide feedback.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
ALLIANCE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
Board of directorsas of 02/26/2024
Kay Rose
Alliance for Environmental Sustainability
Term: 2023 - 2023
Brendan Molony
Arrow Electronics
Term: 2023 - 2023
Kay Rose
Self Employed
Brad Keuning
Aquinas College
David Dye
DFD Archicture
Madeline Miller
NexTiles
Bill Spohn
TruTech Tools, LTD
Robert Derksen
Energypath
Julie Woltil
Keller Williams
Adewale Adesanya
Haven Energy Consulting
Kaylee Swanson
CoreWell Health Systems
Parth Vaishnav
University of Michigan
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 11/20/2023GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.