Thursday, Jun 9 2011 3:14PM
Atka is one of a number of Alaskan rural communities located many miles from any urban centers.
Separated by a considerable distance from the lower 48 states, and even mainland Alaska, the rural island community of Atka, Alaska, is trying to make homes for locals more energy-efficient in an effort to reduce gas costs and to make the homes more sustainable.
According to the paper, Atka residents live nearly 1,000 miles from the nearest urban community, meaning they have to travel great distances to stock up on food, fuel and other goods, with mostly limited funding.
Two groups attempting to help get money for energy-efficient homes for Atka residents are the Aleutian Housing Authority (AHA) and the Cascadia Green Building Council (CGBC).
"There is no group more in need of healthy, affordable, energy-efficient housing than low-income people," AHA executive director Dan Duame told the newspaper. "The cheapest thing to do is throw a rectangle box on the ground, and that's the way it's been done for 40 years."
Mark Mastellar, Alaska director for CBGC, also expressed the need for sustainable homes in Atka. He told the paper that while an extensive eco-building project in rural Alaska has never been done before, it's necessary for the community to thrive.
The AHA was founded in 1977 to provide affordable housing and other services to low-to-moderate-income families in the Aleutian Pribilof Islands region, where Atka is located.