Historic Preservation & Sustainability

Our Position on Sustainability Learn More

Historic preservation can – and should – be an important component of any effort to promote sustainable development. The conservation and improvement of our existing built resources, including re-use of historic and older buildings, greening the existing building stock, and reinvestment in older and historic communities, is crucial to combating climate change.

Tips for Historic Homeowners

Want to do something good for Planet Earth? Interested in shrinking the size of your carbon footprint? Believe it or not, the best place to start is where you hang your hat. Even if you've only got five minutes and ten bucks, there are more ways than you might expect to go green at home. Start with these ten sample projects to get your wheels turning, and then use the additional resources to the right to dig a little deeper.

Tips for Main Street More

From greening their older buildings to making their business practices more eco-friendly, Main Street communities have every opportunity to become leaders in the nation's growing sustainability movement.

Reuse It!

From Main Street to your street, the greenest building is often the one that is already built. Join our photo project and share shots of older and historic buildings that you wish would be rehabilitated and reused in the places that matter to you. Reuse It! »

Green Resources

Take Our Green Poll

Speak Out & Go Green
Which green projects would you be most likely to tackle if stronger tax breaks were in place?

Green News More

In Some Cities, the Greenest Buildings are Already Built, Grist.org
Sustainability Means Conservation, The Bowdoin Orient
The Greenest Building is the One You Didn't Build, EnvironmentalLeader.com
This Old Wasteful House, The New York Times

From Our Blog More

Join Us at the 2009 Brownfields Conference

The National Trust is pleased to serve as a co-sponsor for the 2009 Brownfields Conference, to take place November 16-18 in New Orleans. Whether you're a novice or expert in the field, this conference provides a number of different ways to learn about tools for revitalizing brownfields and the historic buildings on these sites. Read More »

Preservation Green Lab

The National Trust's Preservation Green Lab parnters with selected cities and states in its efforts to become a national clearinghouse for best practices and model policies – all in an effort to encourage municipalities and states around the country to fully consider historic preservation and the existing building stock in formulating their climate change action plans. Read More »

Spotlight on President Lincoln's Cottage

The National Trust received an Excellence in Design Award for Restoration and Renovation for the restoration of the President Lincoln's Cottage and the renovation of the former Soldier's Home Administration Building into the President Lincoln's Cottage Visitor Education Center. Learn more on our blog and on BuildingGreen.com.