Name Matthew Grocoff | ||
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Known for Net Zero Energy Buildings and Living Buildings Notable awards USA Today Best Green Homes of 2010 Michigan Green Leader Alma mater University of Georgia School of Law Residence Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States Fields Sustainable design, Behavioral economics | ||
Matthew Grocoff
Matthew "Matt" Grocoff is an American environmentalist, sustainability advocate, writer, speaker and founder of the THRIVE Collaborative. He is known for his work on net zero energy and net zero water buildings and for the rehabilitation of the oldest home in North America to achieve net zero energy. Grocoff is a contributor to the radio show The Environment Report produced by Michigan Radio (part of the NPR network), FOX News Energy Team, and was host of GreenovationTV. He advocates for modernized distributed renewable energy networks and distributed water and wastewater systems that work with natural systems.
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Mission Zero House
Grocoff first gained national attention for the rehabilitation of his Victorian-era Mission Zero house in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Built in 1901, the home is considered the oldest home in America to achieve net zero energy. The Atlantic Magazine called the work "sustainable perfection". The home is featured on the cover of the book No Regrets Remodeling: How to Create a Comfortable, Healthy Home That Saves Energy. In 2013, Grocoff and his company THRIVE partnered with BLUElab from the University of Michigan College of Engineering and offered his home as community testbed for net zero water and restoration of ecological water flow to pre-development conditions. The project is the first Cold Climate home certified as a Net Zero Energy Building under the Living Building Challenge, which is based on actual rather than anticipated performance. Grocoff calls the home "Mission Zero House" in honor of Ray Anderson, founder and chairman of Interface, Inc., who, in 1994, pledged that his multi-national carpet company would meet a "Mission Zero" goal to eliminate any negative impact it may have on the environment by the year 2020.
Recognition
In 2012, Grocoff was awarded Michigan Green Leader by the Detroit Free Press. USA Today honored him with a Best Green Home of 2010. MyFORD Magazine selected Grocoff as the #1 Electric Innovator. Grocoff received the first Net Zero Hero Award from the Green Home Institute.