Two new businesses catering to sustainable building opened in Cincinnati during the past week, each with a different mission.

Last Thursday, GreenSource Cincinnati held a grand opening of its Downtown store at , offering green building products and services from more than 50 technology partners.

William "Ez" and Will Housh, father and son principals at Monroe Mechanical, spent $1.5 million to renovate the historic 1875 building, which had been vacant for two years.

Work on the 9,500-square-foot building took more than a year to complete.

"The center is registered for LEED Gold certification," said Chief Operating Officer Will Housh, whose company provides energy-efficient HVAC solutions to residential and commercial customers. "LEED is the standard in the green building industry."

The client-focused space allows builders, architects, designers, engineers, building owners and property managers to see, touch, and understand how each of the products work.

GreenSource Cincinnati also plans to offer group-based educational training, through events and seminars, which will further showcase energy-efficient HVAC systems, electrical technologies, water reclamation systems, and green roof systems.

"Our goal is to be a resource center and to inspire the Midwest building community with energy efficient, sustainable technologies," said Will Housh.


A benevolent mission

On Saturday, Cincinnati Habitat for Humanity opened its ReStore retail outlet at in Bond Hill, where it sells new and used donated building supplies and materials for a fraction of their original cost.

Revenues from the sale of appliances, cabinets, flooring, doors, hardware, fixtures and windows are channeled into new homes for Habitat's partner families. Donating retailers, contractors and individuals are eligible for a tax deduction.

"The opening of the ReStore represents a new chapter for Cincinnati Habitat's future," said Paul Knue, vice president of Cincinnati Habitat's board of directors. "The income the ReStore provides will help us change the lives of more families than ever before by creating a sustainable revenue source for our housing ministry, and, in addition, the ReStore provides us all with the opportunity to be better stewards of the environment by recycling and keeping materials out of our landfills."

The 35,000-square-foot building also contains training and office space.

Cincinnati Habitat for Humanity's ReStore is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. Drop-offs can be made Fridays and Saturdays between 9 A.M. and noon.

The Cincinnati location is one of more than 650 ReStores operating in the United States and Canada.

Previous reading on BC:
City's first ReStore to open in Bond Hill this spring (12/21/09)
Cincinnati on the hook for $352K in ineligible HOME expenditures (12/2/09)
Cincinnati considers ordinances for ADDI, Habitat (11/18/09)
Cincinnati Habitat begins two houses, dedicates another (4/8/09)
Cincinnati Habitat for Humanity seeking construction site leaders (3/17/09)