Launched in 2013 by SAHF and its members, the Big Reach was a collaborative initiative of SAHF, its 13 members, and partners to achieve a 20% reduction in energy and water consumption across the SAHF member portfolios by the year 2020. We are proud to say we not only reached our goal, but we exceeded it against our 2010 baseline and based on available data - 44% of members' portfolio for energy and 64% of members' portfolio for water.
Thanks to the dedication of SAHF’s members and the generosity of our partners, the thousands of homes upgraded through the Big Reach delivered healthier, more comfortable living environments for residents. Together, we avoided approximately 786,000 metric tons of carbon emissions – equivalent to running 170 wind turbines for a year – and we saved over 1.7 billion gallons of water – equivalent to filling more than 2,680 Olympic-sized pool.
The successes of the Big Reach lay the groundwork for us to rise to the challenge we face today – the need to continue to deeply decarbonize and embrace health and equity principles while meeting the nation’s tremendous need for healthy, affordable homes in thriving, sustainable communities.
Read more about the lessons learned and the tangible, replicable ways for housing providers to set and reach their environmental sustainability goals by downloading the report below.