Kôr Land Trust

...I loved this work – It was like creating large art pieces that were also good for the environment. Then the recession hit. I lost everything, short of my wonderful family, when the real estate market tanked. I was at this crossroad, when I drove by a sign advertising what the next power ball winnings were. I asked myself the question, “What would you do if you won the lottery and no longer had to worry about money?” The answer came easy, I would do exactly what I had been doing – building sustainable homes – only when they were finished, I would hand the keys to someone in the community who worked hard but was unable to realize the dream of owning a home. A gentleman came to mind who worked in the local coffee shop, went to nursing school full time, and struggled to support his family. When he graduated, he left the area, because he couldn’t make a living here due to housing costs.

Fast forward to 2014. I had gone back to school to get an Energy Systems Engineering degree from Oregon State University – a new cutting-edge program with a focus on renewable energy. I was in my junior year ,and I was taking a course on energy generation. As we learned about the different ways to generate energy, we also examined the future need as the population grows. The question was raised, “What if, as the population grows, instead of creating additional power generation, we were able to build in a way that did not require additional generation?” This question I decided was the reason I was in this program – not to become an engineer, but to address the challenge at a foundational level by building zero energy housing.

I took this idea to my friend, Jason Offutt, owner of Shelter Studio. I knew that Jason had experience designing zero energy homes, so over a beer I planted the seed. What if we built communities of zero energy homes? Jason agreed with the concept but said that they would need to be attainable to our local workforce. After beers wore off, it still seemed like a great idea, so I spoke with a grant writer in the hopes that I could find something related to energy that would be beneficial to us. It was she who introduced the nationally-recognized, successful community land trust model. After learning about the model and realizing that it would allow us to keep our attainable (our internal word for affordable) homes attainable in perpetuity, we felt that it was a match. The pieces seemed to fall into place, and with little hesitation, we co-founded Kôr Community Land Trust.

Our grassroots nonprofit got 501(c)(3) approval in 2015, just as I was graduating. Over time, we assembled an incredible working board. As a team we took Kôr from an idea to a reality. In 2018 we purchased our first parcel, Kôrazón, and had raised enough to pay me so that I could dedicate full-time attention to furthering our mission. It was at this point that I had remembered my long-forgotten lottery wish from ten years earlier. I am building beautiful, sustainable homes. Although we do not simply hand over the keys – the homeowners are purchasing for an attainable price – I think as far as manifesting goes, what I have the privilege of doing through Kôr is pretty close.

We are now in the building process for the five homes at Kôrazón, we own a second parcel that will provide an additional five zero energy homes, and we are searching for a third property. Running a nonprofit has been a daily testament to the beauty in the world and of the gratitude that follows. Kôr is truly grassroots. We are only able to do what we do because of the hundreds who also believe in the myriad benefits of environmentally friendly and affordable homeownership for those who contribute to the fabric of our community and economy and support it with their time and/or funding. We are honored to be part of the Go Zero Tour and hope our work inspires others to join the zero energy movement!

The five structurally identical, affordable homes are being built to zero energy standards and will be certified by Earth Advantage. Our methodology to achieve zero energy homes was to incorporate as many passive building features as were affordable, and to then bridge the gap with an active net-metered solar PV system. The homes were designed to accommodate a family of 2-4 (2-bed/2-bath) in a small, yet functional building envelope.

The home’s envelope was upgraded to reduce heat loss/gain as much as was possible on an affordable housing budget. We then reduced the usage load by choosing efficient mechanicals, fixtures, and appliances. These passive features reduced the energy needs of the home by approximately 42% relative to a minimum code-built home, and have a total upgrade cost of $13,755. Once solar is added, the upgrade cost will be $31,430 per home.

The zero energy upgrades at Kôrazón are made possible through an incredible show of community support from Building Solutions, BaseZero Consulting, JELD-WEN, Northwest AeroBarrier, NorthCoast Lighting, Ferguson Plumbing, US Bank, The Clabough Foundation, Energy Conservation Insulation, Johnson Brothers Appliances, and Sunlight Solar. Our energy modeling and certification is provided as a donation from Earth Advantage, and Energy Trust of Oregon have provided both incentives and valuable guidance.