Ann Schuessler
M.A. Environment and Community, 2003
Green construction practices, sustainable development, low-impact development — these are all terms not associated with traditional land development and construction practices. They also are unfamiliar territory for many developers, builders and government agencies.
For her Antioch practicum in the Environment and Community program, Ann Schuessler worked with Vashon Household, a nonprofit housing developer, to change the way it developed affordable housing. What started as a typical 14-home subdivision became a King County demonstration project that includes low-impact site development strategies and Built Green environmentally friendly construction practices.
Schuessler offered clear messages for Vashon Household and its development partners on the financial, social and environmental benefits of going green.
"It was a good learning experience for everyone. It brings the construction industry one step closer to changing what 'standard business practices' mean," Schuessler says.
After graduation, she took an ecological design class in Vermont and designed and installed a constructed wetland septic system for a residential home. Schuessler then returned to work at the Rafn Company, a Bellevue general contractor. She splits her time between superintendent work on a jobsite and working within the company to implement and improve green building practices.
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