In construction, affordable and green are often contradictory terms. What makes for an environmentally conscious building ”” such as the use of natural building materials or systems to generate alternative forms of energy ”” often also makes for an expensive one, leaving sustainable design a choice only a few can afford.

A team of faculty, students and community organizations, however, is out to construct a new reality: green housing that doesn’t require as much up-front expense.

Sue Thering, a UW-Madison assistant professor of landscape architecture and a community development specialist for UW-Extension, is coordinating a partnership with several of Wisconsin’s Native American communities to create affordable, energy efficient housing on tribal lands throughout the state. […]