BioHaus (Passive House)
In 2006, Waldsee opened the BioHaus, the first certified passive house in North America, on its permanent site near Bemidji, Minnesota. It is built to the German passive house standard for energy conservation and renewable energy use, and uses 85% less energy than a house built to the Minnesota Energy Code.
The construction of the BioHaus was funded in part through a grant from the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU), which is the world's largest foundation dedicated to environmental practice, education and construction. The Waldsee passive house marked the first time that DBU had awarded such a grant in North America.
In 2007, the BioHaus won the Minnesota Environmental Initiative Award in the category of Air Quality and Climate Protection. It was a 2007 Nominee for the World Clean Energy Award in the construction category.
Read more about this topic: Waldsee (camp)