In September 2008, the City of Issaquah broke ground on “zHome” – the first multifamily housing project in the nation that will use no more energy than it generates over the course of a year, resulting in a carbon neutral community. The revolutionary project is spearheaded by the City of Issaquah, in partnership with King County, Puget Sound Energy, Built Green, Port Blakely Communities and the Washington State University Energy Office, and built by Howland Homes.

C+C was hired to develop a marketing strategy that would take the project from groundbreaking through construction to opening day and beyond. C+C also acted as project manager, helping facilitate the name and logo development, as well as the project’s web site design. To introduce zHome to the public, C+C envisioned an event that would attract the media to cover zHome on groundbreaking day. Instead of the typical hard hats and shovels, C+C recommended demonstrating the technologies and products that will be used in the homes. The media, as well as local government officials and other VIPs, were invited to the building site where they interacted with mock-up displays, including photovoltaic panels, and a toilet flushing demonstration using recycled water. The result was stories from National Public Radio, KING-TV, KOMO-TV, KIRO and KOMO radio, as well as print coverage in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Issaquah Press, Issaquah Reporter and the Sustainable Industries Journal.