The YouthBuild Green Training Program is focused on preparing our young people for marketability in future construction and the broader green jobs field.

Through our green initiative, our trainees learn nationally recognized green-building standards, making them more marketable, meeting the demands of the local construction industry and creating a greener world of opportunity for our young people.

What we are doing:

• Improved exterior insulation methods. The home shell is wrapped in 2" foam board and siding.
• Modern siding techniques. Fiber cement siding and trim make up the exterior, and these products are environmentally friendly and emphasize long-term durability.
• Advanced interior insulation. We use a combination of 1-inch spray foam combined in the walls with R-19 insulation and green fiber blown-in attic insulation.
• Waste management. The project conserves supplies, seeking to minimize the waste of our building products and the resources we use in the home's construction.
• Environmentally safe products. Throughout the building process, we have searched to find products that are affordable and that limit long-term damage to our environment.

Our first Habitat LEED certified home is at 2201 Fowler Avenue in Omaha, and two more are already underway.

How you can help:

• Donate. Whether you'd like to donate a toilet or cash, we can put your products and resources to use.
• Volunteer. Community members are invited and encouraged to help on the construction site
• Design. We are always seeking input from knowledgeable and interested sources.

Our partners:

• Habitat for Humanity of Omaha provides YouthBuild trainees with building sites and construction materials. The Habitat staff serve as construction experts; they plan our housing projects and give our trainees the time and space to learn from YouthBuild's construction trainer.
• Metropolitan Community College provides our YouthBuild trainees with academic curriculum, GED testing and career advisement. YouthBuild graduates can receive 6.5 credits toward an associate's degree in construction technology. As MCC modernizes its curriculum, our trainees will benefit from new certifications geared toward green building.