Jennifer Sedor shared her dream of having economical eco-friendly homes in Carlyle with council during her alderman's report at the town hall meeting on Wednesday.
Sedor attended the 2013 Waste Re-Forum in Saskatoon on April 17-19 and said that it was there that she got the inspiration and believed the possibility of affordable eco-friendly homes coming to Carlyle. The re-forum which went with the theme "Taking waste reduction by storm" is organized by the Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council. The meeting focused on issues concerning impeding summer storms, waste minimization and green housing. Sedor said she learned a lot about garbage and as a result discussed recycling issues with council. However it was a fairly new development company that grabbed her attention in Saskatoon, Sedor explained. The company is Vereco Homes, a developer that's dedicated to helping Canadians build smart green homes. In a sit-down with the Observer, Sedor outlined her plan for Carlyle and said owning a green home of her own was something that she and her husband always wanted but the cost was just too exorbitant and they gave up on the idea. But attending the re-forum she explained that it shed some light on affordable housing options that she believes would be well suited for Carlyle.
"So we got really discouraged and decided to stay in our own home and make small improvements here and there and do a retro fit. But when I came across this at the waste re-forum . . . they had an entire morning just exclusively for the eco-homes project and that really intrigued me," she said.
"I think this area, particularly could set an example of environmental standards - just because we have so much wealth and so much prosperity and we also work in an industry that is somewhat counter intuitive to the environmental sector. But that doesn't necessarily mean that we are people that want to just consume and use up our resources. I think that would really be an interesting juxtaposition to have that community with that standard of living"
Vereco Homes recently received the Sabax award in the environment and sustainability category and opened a net-zero home exhibit in October 2010, a first of its kind in Canada at the time. The interactive exhibit is located outside the Saskatoon Western Development Museum and demonstrates the future of net zero home design and the ecological and economical benefits of building and living green. Sedor said seeing such a home that is affordable was a first for her but said it offers great opportunity for Saskatchewan residents. In addition to her dream of having net zero homes in Carlyle, Sedor emphasized the idea of having those green homes being introduced in a co-housing format. Cohousing, the concept that was imported to North America from Denmark in 1988 sees neighbourhoods combining the self-sufficiency of private dwellings with the advantages of shared resources and community living.
"That would be my rock star dream to see a co-housing units and basically what it would mean is that our residents would come together because they are needing this type of housing - and they develop their own ideas, they develop their own concept of what it means to be community and that's what's really cool about the idea," she said.
Sedor explained that council doesn't necessarily control the types of homes that go up in Carlyle, however she would ideally like for a developer to come in and put forward green home examples and ideas to the committee. And believes that there are many people in Carlyle who want a new home they can afford because the average starting price of homes is $350,000 which she said is out of many people's reach. She believes such a development would give people the idea that there is a possibility of owning your own home. And that the council would be able to provide information about net zero-homes and with upcoming town developments on the horizon she said it should allow members of the community to put up the best housing possible.
