As our world becomes increasingly environmentally conscious, more homebuilders are doing their part to conserve precious resources. Brookfield is proud to be among those who are taking steps in the right direction with the introduction of Colony Park—the first community in Southern California to receive the GreenPoint Rated certification.
At Colony Park, proof of Brookfield’s commitment to building green can be found wherever you look. Our GreenPoint Rated seal is your assurance that the home you buy today will be a healthier, environmentally responsible home for years to come. Living green may be a trend for some, but at Colony Park it’s a way of life.
GreenPoint Rated is a certification program offered by Build It Green, the third-party nonprofit organization that promotes healthy, energy-efficient homes in California. GreenPoint Rated homes are tough on compliance, meet the requirements of environmentally sensitive building, and exceed the state’s building and energy code standards. Each home at Colony Park will receive a certificate confirming its compliance with GreenPoint Rated. Homes bearing the GreenPoint Rated certification are rated on five environmental categories.
Colony Park’s stylish single family homes and flats and townhomes are equipped with Energy Star® stainless steel dishwashers, that are smart and good looking too. With these thoughtful additions, Colony Park residents will enjoy reduced energy consumption and costs. The homes’ optimized Energy Star® appliances also tend to generate less heat, which means your home stays cool and your monthly utility bill stays low. By using the latest in efficient insulation, GreenPoint rated homes ensure that you and your family enjoy peace, quiet, and fewer drafts throughout the year.
Thankfully, paper isn’t the only product that can be recycled. At Colony Park, we examined every opportunity to reduce waste, improve quality, and save you money, which is why you’ll find materials and furnishings made from both post-consumer and pre-consumer recycled content. In addition to using recycled goods, Brookfield diverted 65% of Colony Park’s construction and demolition waste to a recycling facility. That means we increased the number of recyclable goods and prolonged the life of existing landfills. We were mindful of conserving our resources from the foundation up. The concrete used to build Colony Park contains flyash—one of the general types of coal combustion byproducts (CCBPs)—that offer environmental advantages by diverting materials from the waste stream.
Most people spend about 80% of their time indoors. You should be able to trust that your home is a healthy environment for you and your family. However, according to EPA reports, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), such as hazardous building materials and poor lighting found in new homes are some of the factors that cause indoor air to be up to 10 times more polluted than the outdoors. Builders committed to building green utilize products that ensure a healthier home life while taking pressure off the environment. Colony Park’s low-emitting materials, like low-VOC paints, finishes, adhesives, sealants, and carpets, are better options that conform to stricter gas emission and ventilation requirements. The end result is a home environment that’s safe for the entire family and designed to allow your family to breathe a bit easier.
Typically, a building’s ongoing energy and water use outstrips the environmental impact associated with building it. According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Center for Sustainable Development, buildings consume 16% of the world’s total water supply. As a GreenPoint rated community, Colony Park is designed to use water more efficiently and effectively. No matter where you turn at Colony Park, you’ll see that sustainable landscaping is key. California native plants abound here and thrive on less water and fewer pesticides. The community’s state-of-the-art irrigation controllers, precision sprinkler heads, and irrigation methods designed to match specific plant types also ensure water gets where it’s needed, which reduces run-off and evaporation.
Living central at Colony Park has two important meanings:
1) You can easily access public transportation and surrounding entertainment and business centers within walking or biking distance. The community’s location near mass transit puts less wear and tear on your car, reduces your time in traffic, and conserves natural gas while reducing your cost of gasoline.
2) Colony Park’s Downtown location fits the definition of “infill building” — a community built on an existing, undeveloped site within a city center. As an infill community, Colony Park represents an efficient use of land and ensures that California’s pristine, natural, tree-filled areas remain open for generations to come.
