sustainability

Good for all living things.

redefining home.

  • Solar = Lifetime savings

    For sale units are designed with solar to supply as much or more energy than you’ll use in your home. Potential savings of $188,782 in energy and eligible incentives.*

    *Savings over 30/yr mortgage inflation adjusted compared to energy spending for conventional homes

  • Battery storage

    A compact home Sonnen battery that reduces your reliance on the grid by storing your solar energy for use when the sun isn’t shining. You can add additional units to your home to further lower your carbon footprint and to prepare your home for power outages.

  • Bosch geothermal HEATING & COOLING

    The ultimate in comfort and energy-efficiency. Veridian will feature advanced heat pump technologies to keep you cozy, happy and healthy in all weather.

  • Induction cooktop zero fossil fuels

    healthy appliances & freedom from fossil fuels

    Veridian is 100% clean, all-electric with no gas lines or combustion appliances of any kind. Now or ever. This means cleaner and healthier indoor air quality, lower fire risk, and no carbon monoxide. All Veridian homes include premium Bosch appliances. Watch this video on Bosch induction technology

  • Electric vehicle charging

    Veridian is designed for the end of the burning of fossil fuels. There are over 93 car chargers planned, including a charger in every garage and carport as well as abundant public chargers.

  • Bike share

    Bike share gives access to bikes for residents and their guests and make it possible to pick up groceries, a large plant or many things that would typically require a car trip. E-bikes and Cargo bikes are expensive and most people don’t need them every day. Bike share is convenient way to bring bikes to all.

  • Food & Gardens

    Veridian will have fruit trees and food gardens intended to re-establish a tie between humans and their nourishment, and reconnect communities to the land, since no truly sustainable community can rely on globally sourced food production.

  • Native landscape & Butterfly gardens

    Veridian at County Farm landscape design seeks to: Emulate the functionality of indigenous ecosystems, Provide avian and wildlife habitat, Use native and naturalized plants, Integrate urban agriculture on minimum 20% of total land parcel.

  • Water Sense

    A partnership program sponsored by EPA, seeking to protect the future of our nation's water supply by promoting water efficiency and enhancing the market for water-efficient products.

  • Comfort & Control

    All thermostats are thoughtfully designed with features that bring you comfort at home and control from anywhere. Live in balance with smart thermostats that harmonize energy savings and home comfort.

  • Heat Pump Water Heating

    Heat pump water heaters can be 4X more efficient than a standard electric tank and use less energy to operate than a classic 100-Watt incandescent light bulb.

  • Healthy Indoor Air

    Poor indoor air quality (IAQ) negatively impacts our health and well-being in our homes. Ventilating with a cost-effective and energy-efficient ERV is the first step to better IAQ for you and the ones you love.

  • Healthy Materials & Products

    Veridian aims to eliminate toxic building materials and products by favoring products with the transparency of the Declare label and avoid toxic Red List products. Learn More about DECLARE.

  • Reclaimed, Salvaged and Local

    When sourcing materials, we ask first whether we can find it already made or restored. If it must be bought new, can we find it locally?

  • Habitat Preservation

    Thrive and the Living Community Challenge envision a moratorium on the seemingly never-ending growth outward, and a focus instead on compact, connected communities with healthy rather than inhumane levels of density—inherently conserving the natural resources that support human health and the farmlands that feed us, while also inviting natural systems back into the daily fabric of our lives. For each hectare of THRIVE development, THRIVE will purchase an equal amount of conservation land in Washtenaw Co. to be set aside in perpetuity through a local Land Trust.

Imagine communities that function like a forest ecosystem.

what is living community challenge.

We are creating Veridian using the framework of the Living Community Challenge. We ask “How do we create communities that are good for everyone?”

The Living Community Challenge is a framework for master planning, design, and construction. It is a tool to create a symbiotic relationship between people and all aspects of the built environment.

The program is a call to action to governments, campuses, planners, developers and neighborhood groups to create communities that are as connected and beautiful as a forest.

The ILFI Zero Energy Standard is:

One hundred percent of the building’s energy needs on a net annual basis must be supplied by on-site renewable energy. No combustion is allowed.

Certification is based on actual, not modeled, performance.

 

Living Future.

The Living Building Challenge is considered the world’s most rigorous green building standard. Veridian at County Farm hopes to be a model for communities that are:

  • Healthy for all elements of life

  • Nurturing and generous places that promote healthy lifestyles for everyone

  • Net Positive with respect energy. (Note: Full Living Communities generate their own energy and capture and treat all the water they need)

  • Designed using multipurpose elements. Nothing has only a single purpose; everything has multiple benefits to the community and environment

  • Regenerative spaces for people and natural ecosystems

  • Places that are walkable, bike-able, and have affordable public transportation.

PERFORMANCE AREAS (PETALs & IMPERATIVES)

The Living Community Challenge is organized into seven performance areas (Petals). Each performance area has a number of more detailed requirements (Imperatives).

PLACE PETAL
Restoring a healthy interrelationship with nature.

WATER PETAL
Creating developments that operate within the water balance of a given place and climate.

ENERGY PETAL
Relying only on current solar income.

HEALTH & HAPPINESS PETAL
Creating environments that optimize physical and psychological health and well being.

MATERIALS PETAL
Endorsing products that are safe for all species through time.

EQUITY PETAL
Supporting a just and equitable world.

BEAUTY PETAL
Celebrating plans that purpose transformative change.