Clean Air Success Stories
Co-founder of EcoUrban Homes works to develop green, affordable housing for all
Environmental and homeless issues don’t often go hand-in-hand. But, for Jay Swoboda, Project Manager and Co-founder of EcoUrban Homes, they are like two peas in a pod. In his work with EcoUrban Homes, Swoboda combines his love for the environment with his deep passion for those less fortunate as he works to bring affordable, green housing to areas of St. Louis City that need it most.
Swoboda came to the area in 1997 to attend Washington University in St. Louis, where he studied economics. After his second year of studies, he spent a year in Massachusetts with AmeriCorps and the Student Conservation Association. There, he taught environmental education to school children, worked outside performing manual labor on trails and spent a week in Boston participating in urban service where he learned of the street newspaper movement. His experience with AmeriCorps fostered a passion for environmental and homeless issues that he brought back to St. Louis.
Through the assistance of Amos Harris, President of Brady Capital and a principal of Spinnaker St. Louis, Swoboda was given some office space to pursue his passion in helping the homeless. He created and became the Director of What’s Up Magazine and The Homeless Empowerment Project, a street newspaper that provides direct economic opportunity for those who are homeless or at risk for becoming so. Swoboda also researched ways to build housing for the chronically homeless in St. Louis and wanted to create pilot homes that homeless individuals could live in. By making these homes sustainable, Swoboda hoped to make sustainability something available to people of all incomes. Lack of funding prevented that idea from getting off the ground – but his research did not go to waste. Rather, it developed into EcoUrban Homes.
Swoboda, with the help of college friend, Nate Forst, has worked to build homes that are “sustainable solutions.” Their homes are efficient, affordable, green living spaces that reduce energy and material consumption beginning from pre-construction and lasting throughout the life of the homes. EcoUrban homes are built to be as efficient as possible, starting with off-site construction of the homes, which produces roughly 80 percent less waste than traditional construction and allows for the homes to be installed quickly.
“We can literally deliver and install a home, and the homeowner can lock the door in a day,” said Swoboda.
The homes are also structurally superior. They use a 2x6 stud cavities, as opposed to the traditional 2x4s, allowing for two extra inches of foam insulation. This type of insulation provides an improved thermal seal for the house and minimizes air leakage. The houses also have high quality windows and doors that allow solar energy in so natural light can be used, but also keep UV rays out. The homes also incorporate highly efficient mechanical equipment used for heating and cooling, which help keep utility bills around $70-80 a month on average.
Swoboda’s homes are unique because they are designed to fit into narrower spaces. As a result, his homes fit well into the many vacant lots located throughout St. Louis City, and they are helping to revitalize blighted areas. Currently, there are three EcoUrban homes that have been sold in South St. Louis and another 13 are on the market in the St. Louis Place and Old North St. Louis neighborhoods.
Through his work with EcoUrban, Swoboda and his team were recognized for constructing the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified Platinum home in Missouri, located at 3140 Pennsylvania Avenue in St. Louis City. But, even with this phenomenal accomplishment under his belt, Swoboda thinks that EcoUrban still has a long way to go.
To continue its focus on building affordable, green housing, EcoUrban is now building multi-family projects and other apartments. Swoboda’s goal is for EcoUrban to be able to sell homes at $100 a square foot, and he hopes to do more consulting work to help others clean up their businesses, cities and lifestyles. Currently, Swoboda and Forst are also working with the City of St. Louis to create a commuter bike station where those who commute via bike would have a place to shower, locker space and a place to lock up their bikes while at work.
Outside work, Swoboda says he lives green by recycling, using compact fluorescent light and doing all that he can, within his budget, to make his own home as green as possible. However, Swoboda still sees room for improvement.
“I tend to drive more than I should,” Swoboda says, and he notes how he should get into the habit of riding his bike to work or using the car sharing program he is a part of more often. Swoboda recognizes that the challenge to really becoming green is the transition. “St. Louis has a great framework for being green,” he says. “Now, it’s just a matter of taking advantage of it.”
For more information on ways you can go green and do your share for cleaner air in the region, visit www.cleanair-stlouis.com. To learn more about EcoUrban visit http://www.ecourbanhomes.com, or for additional information about What’s Up Magazine and The Homeless Empowerment Project visit http://www.whatsupstl.com.
