In This Issue
Living in a Green House
Student landlord, roommates will use demo home to study ideas for eco-house tenants, landlords
BY LORI BONA HUNT
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| Fourth-year student Arthur Churchyard gets a lift from his new roommates at the Guelph home he recently bought that will serve as a demonstration “sustainability hub” to show landlords and tenants how to work together to make a rental home environmentally friendly. With him, from left, are students Sara White, Marena Brinkhurst, Garrett Gauthier and Matt Setzkorn. Photo by Martin Schwalbe |
It’s healthy and profitable to live green — even in a rental home. That’s the message U of G student Arthur Churchyard and his four roommates want to send to other students and to the community.
Churchyard is so committed to the cause that he’s offering up his own house as a demonstration “sustainability hub” where he and others will show landlords and tenants how to work together to make a rental home environmentally friendly.
A fourth-year arts and sciences student, he recently bought a 1970s-era bungalow near Paisley and Edinburgh roads. He’s dubbed it “Onaen House,” which means “to kindle” in old English.
Churchyard moved in last month with four other students — Marena Brinkhurst, Matt Setzkorn, Sara White and Garrett Gauthier — and will act as “landlord” in their model. He’s already worked with Brinkhurst and Setzkorn on several U of G sustainability projects. In addition, Onaen House has partnered with a number of local businesses and organizations.
The students plan to explore ideas for cost-effective retrofits and practices such as urban gardening, energy production and rainwater harvesting. They also aim to develop sample legal contracts, cost-sharing ideas and financial incentives to make environmentally friendly practices attractive for eco-house tenants and landlords.
“Our goal is to transform the landlord-tenant relationship,” says Churchyard. “We want to make urban sustainability accessible and valuable to Canadian tenants and landlords.”
Engaging the rental market is an essential part of making sustainable lifestyles real and appealing, especially in a university town with competitive rental markets, he adds. He has already met with a number of landlords in Guelph who are keen on going green.
The ecological benefits of sustainable living are obvious, ranging from cleaner air and water to protection of Ontario’s countryside, says Churchyard. “But there are also financial and social benefits for landlords, tenants and their communities.”
Landlords benefit from having their tenants take an active role in caring for the house and property, from green property upgrades and from increased attractiveness to future tenants. Tenants benefit by reducing water and energy costs, sharing fresh locally grown food and gaining hands-on experience with housing retrofits and sustainable budgeting.
Onaen House tenants will also work with neighbouring seniors and low-income neighbourhood groups to kindle community gardening and energy retrofit projects, says Churchyard.
“We hope to use the Onaen model to show it’s possible to have landlords and tenants co-operating — with each benefiting — to green our urban rental housing and build resilience into our communities.”
Winner of a 2009 Dr. William Winegard Exemplary Volunteer Involvement Award, Churchyard was one of the core organizers of U of G’s Sustainability Day and sits on the University’s Energy Conservation Working Group.