A happy Veterans Day to sustainablog readers who’ve served in the US military… and happy Remembrance Day to Canadian vets.

For many veterans of the US armed forces, the rewards of their service are intangible: pride, discipline, commitment to country and community. Of course, veterans also receive more tangible benefits — educational assistance, low-interest home loans, health care — but as we’ve seen over and over again, the provision of these services is often less than ideal. Yesterday, the American Society of Interior Designers announced a partnership with Rebuilding Together’s Veteran Housing Initiative to support our veterans by assisting them with home renovation; part of that support will include “[providing] REGREEN resources, the nation’s first sustainable residential remodeling guidelines, to Rebuilding Together affiliates.”

REGREEN, a partnership between ASID and the US Green Building Council, was launched in March, and is dedicated to “…the development of best practice guidelines and targeted educational resources for sustainable residential improvement projects.” The ASID/RT partnership will begin with a pilot project in the Washington, D.C. area, and will involve “…[renovating] the home of a deserving veteran.”

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Homes for Our Troops is a non-profit organization, founded in 2004, that has already completed 28 specially adapted homes across the country for veterans of the current conflict.  Two dozen homes are currently underway, and they plan to build 100 more homes over the next three years.  They raise donations of money, building materials, and professional labor, and coordinate the process of building a new home or adapting an existing home for handicapped accessibility.  All of this is done at no charge to the veteran.

With the current grant from The Sierra Club, new homes will be built with environmental and energy conservation concerns in mind, participate in the Energy Star program, and the LEED for Homes program established by the US Green Building Council.  These new homes will provide long-term economic and environmental benefits to the veterans and their families.

Homes for Our Troops will also incorporate outreach into its new home program, educating the home construction industry and the general public on the benefits and importance of green building.  They hope to promote a greater understanding of the benefits of the green building movement.

As the wife of a (thankfully) healthy returning veteran, I fully support this effort to give back to those who keep us safe and free.  I urge our readers to visit the Homes for Our Troops website and donate to this worthy cause.