Cornell Cooperative Extension

Tompkins County
graphic for green doghouse challenge
Cornell Nature Society 2014 Green Doghouse entry

Cornell Nature Society 2014 Green Doghouse entry

Passive Solar 2014 Green Doghouse entry, by Mila Fournier

"Passive Solar Doghouse" 2014 Green Doghouse entry made by Mila Fournier

Coolest Doghouse, made from a recycled refrigerator, illustration by Steve Ellis

"The Coolest Doghouse" 2014 Green Doghouse entry, made from a recycled refrigerator, illustration by Steve Ellis

"The Love Shack" 2014 Green Doghouse entry

"The Love Shack" 2014 Green Doghouse entry by the Cornell Nature Society

Green Doghouse Challenge

1st Annual Green Doghouse Challenge for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County and the SPCA of Tompkins County

The Green Buildings Open House is one of the premier events of its kind in the country, showcasing two dozen homes and businesses that feature both cutting-edge and traditional, time-honored green building methods, materials, and technologies.

In conjunction with the SPCA of Tompkins County, the first animal shelter in the nation to receive LEED Silver certification, this year we brought the green to our four-legged friends, with a challenge to build the ‘greenest’ doghouse in Tompkins County. We invited community members to design and build a doghouse using green building principles. Community members responded with some beautiful and thought-provoking tiny homes! We had a total of four entries, which were on display at the Tompkins County SPCA for several weeks. View the doghouses entries on the banner slideshow above. 

photos of doghouse entries taken from old site

Contact

Guillermo Metz
Solar & Agriculture Sr. Resource Educator
gm52@cornell.edu
(607) 272-2292 ext. 185

Last updated August 25, 2020

2014 Open House

Design Specifications

  • Your house should have outdoor functionality. This means it should have a roof and should be waterproof. 
  • You may use any durable materials, whether recycled, reused, or purchased. It is highly recommended that you use materials that cannot be easily destroyed by dogs or Central New York weather.
  • While there are no dimensional restrictions, your doghouse must be movable. The doghouse must be able to be transported to the SPCA and the buyer must be able to transport the doghouse to his/her home.
  • Please consider using one or more of the following ‘green’ features in your doghouse:

    - Blown cellulose insulation
    - Local materials
    - Reclaimed or salvaged materials
    - Living roof
    - Non-toxic finishes
    - Passive Solar
    - Rainwater catchment system

Events

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