Awareness of the “green” value of preservation grows as more people recognize that restoring older structures is more environmentally friendly than building new. A new project in Muncie seeks to demonstrate the inherently green nature of preservation by rehabilitating a nineteenth-century house as a model of eco-friendly energy efficiency.

With an $85,000 Community Development Block Grant from the state, ecoRehab will renovate a house at 522 South Gharkey Street, using sustainable and recycled materials, high efficiency fixtures and appliances, and water-conserving equipment.

Once the renovation is complete, ecoRehab will sell the property to a low-to-moderate-income family and invest the proceeds in future projects.

Historic Landmarks gave a grant for the legal work to set up ecoRehab as a not-for-profit organization, and together with students from Ball State University’s graduate architecture program is providing technical assistance.

For more information, contact Joe Jarzen at Historic Landmarks’ Eastern Regional Office, 765-478-3172 or inra@historiclandmark.org.