A Brownsville story about sustainable living

There are good things going on in this world.

If you want to see what the future of affordable housing looks like in Brownsville, take a gander at the little blue house at 3132 Westwind Drive in the Inwood II subdivision.

Built by the YouthBuild program of the Community Development Corporation of Brownsville, it’s the first LEED-certified house in the Rio Grande Valley, according to CDCB officials. LEED stands for "Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design," an internationally recognized "green" building certification. A public open house on Westwind Drive is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 25, from 5 to 7:30 p.m.

To receive LEED designation, a structure must meet a very high level of energy efficiency. Students in CDCB’s YouthBuild program did the construction on the Westwind Drive house, and are at work on a second LEED-certified home, this one in the California Crossing subdivision in Los Fresnos.