Spring Cracks Open at Project Living Proof 

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Spring Cracks Open at Project Living Proof 

History, Sustainability, and the Slight Madness of Kansas City Weather

By Kasi Darnell

Spring doesn’t arrive in Kansas City so much as kick down the door. One day you’re in a parka; the next you’re sweating through your shirt in a garden you forgot existed. Over on the corner of Emanuel Cleaver III Boulevard and Harrison Street, tucked into the historic RockHill neighborhood, Project Living Proof (PLP) is waking up.

The native Prairie Fire blossoms are elbowing their way out of the soil. The bees are back. Someone’s already mowed their lawn twice and cursed about it. And inside this 100-year-old house, something else is stirring—an idea. A mission. A really weird, really cool mash-up of old bones and modern brains: sustainability inside a historic home.

PLP is a living science exhibit disguised as your grandma’s house—if your grandma was into solar panels, high-efficiency HVAC systems, and water retention strategies. It’s operated by Metropolitan Energy Center (MEC), an organization that’s been quietly fighting the good fight for cleaner air, smarter buildings and more resilient cities since before it was cool.

MEC Director of People and Operations Royce Martin admires the garden at Project Living Proof.

PLP isn’t a showroom. It’s not a museum. It’s a real house in a real neighborhood, showing real people what’s possible. Want to know how to retrofit a drafty old house without ripping out the soul? This is where you go. Want to see what a stormwater system looks like before your basement floods? Right here.

But here’s the thing: this place doesn’t run on good vibes and compost tea. It runs on people.

So here’s your call to action:

We need hands. We need minds. We need people who give a damn.

Volunteer with us. Help keep the gardens growing, the systems running, the message alive. Or—if you’re short on time but long on generosity—make a donation. Every dollar goes into keeping this place real, relevant and open to the community.

Because PLP isn’t just about green tech or old houses. It’s about showing Kansas City what’s possible when we stop throwing things away—houses,

neighborhoods, ideas—and start building smarter.

Spring is here. The city is waking up. And we’re just getting started.

Get involved. Show up. Make it matter.

Donate to support MEC and PLP’s mission at metroenergy.org/onefuture or sign up to volunteer at metroenergy.org/get-involved/volunteer-opportunities.

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Nurturing Native Plants and Community: An Interview with Kathy Beijen, Master Gardener at Project Living Proof 

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MEC’s Response to COVID-19

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As we all shift our routines in an effort to stay safe and healthy in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Metropolitan Energy Center is exploring ways to adjust to the new normal. We want you to know we share the collective confusion and frustration of our friends, neighbors, and colleagues. Please remember we are all in this together. Be patient, be kind. And if you need us, we’ll be here, because we have been for over 35 years.

What We’re Doing

As the situation evolves, we are continually adjusting our response. At this time, our dedicated staff are working from home, in consideration of the CDC recommendations and in compliance with the KC Metro stay-at-home order, effective Tuesday, March 25. We are finding innovative ways to support our communities and continue our technical support for regional alternative fuels and energy efficiency advancements.

Staff can best be reached by email, though phone calls are still welcome and will be routed to the appropriate staff as soon as possible on the day the calls are received.

For scheduled meetings and events:

  • All in-person meetings and events for the next 8 weeks are postponed, moved online, or cancelled.
  • Scheduled conference calls will go on and will now offer a web connection in case you are unable to join through a phone connection.

For projects and project deliverables:

  • Staff are conducting a COVID-19 risk assessment for all ongoing projects. If you are involved in a project and believe restrictions due to the crisis present a risk to you meeting your objectives, please notify your MEC staff contact immediately.

Hidden Costs and Silver Linings

This pandemic is something new for nearly all of us. Some Americans—those 75 and older—will remember the polio epidemic of the 1940s and 1950s. But for most of us, this means making changes in the ways we work, live and travel that we’ve never experienced before.

If there’s any sort of silver lining to this situation, it’s that finding new ways to work and move in the next months may lead to longer-term solutions that can improve health outcomes for everyone. COVID-19 is a respiratory illness, and good respiratory health is critical—now, in dealing with this disease, and for our community’s overall health in the future. MEC has worked for decades to cut toxic emissions with energy efficiency, cleaner fuels, intelligent transportation and building systems, and a cleaner, more efficient freight network. This work continues, with our diverse community and stakeholders in mind, and is more critical today than at any other point in history.

What You Can Do

#StayHomeKC. On March 21, elected officials in Jackson, Johnson and Wyandotte counties and the city of Kansas City, Missouri, announced a 30-day stay-at-home order. Other counties in the region have enacted various restrictions to help slow the spread of COVID-19. State and local guidelines are changing rapidly as more cases are confirmed.

For the latest information, check your local health department or city/county websites.

If you should venture away from home, please remember: exhaust irritates lungs. For the sake of those experiencing respiratory difficulty, turn off your engine if you will be waiting for a friend carpooling with you, for car-side delivery service, etc.

Take advantage of your reduced commute time to get outdoors more. Biking, walking and hiking can be done alone, with your pets, or in small groups adhering to social distancing practices.

Some outdoor volunteering opportunities may continue, in small groups adhering to social distancing practices, especially orgs doing wildland management, gardening and cultivation, tree planting, and the like. Carefully evaluate your host’s safety and health policies and practices before signing up. Due to the stay-at-home order, many of these events may be cancelled as well, so contact your host to confirm before showing up.

If you’re a volunteer and miss in-person group volunteering events, stay engaged through GlobalGiving. GlobalGiving’s virtual skilled volunteering platform, GlobalGivingTime, can match you with interesting opportunities from vetted nonprofits around the world, from the convenience of your desk.

Stay Informed

Metro KC officials are keeping PrepareMetroKC.org updated as new information becomes available.

As you know, this situation is continually shifting. We will monitor developments to adhere to federal, state and local advisories, and support the region’s efforts to protect the health and safety of the public.

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How MEC Impacts WEALTH of the Heartland

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Thank you, Kansas City! We reached our $10,000 crowdfunding goal!

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After two months of crowdfunding, we were able to reach our goal to re-open Project Living Proof. A special thank you to Posty Cards for their additional $500 donation (total $1,000 donation)that put us over our $10,000 goal. In total, we were able to raise $10,575 that will be used to complete several renovation projects and set the model demonstration home up for future improvements.

Even now, preparations are being made for our grand re-opening party that is set for Friday, December 4th at Project Living Proof. We are planning a low key evening to help thank ever Friend of PLP that helped make its re-opening a possibility. Please stay tuned to your email for more.

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Kansas City Power & Light aids Project Living Proof with monetary gift

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Local electric utility Kansas City Power & Light has plugged into Project Living Proof’s (PLP) crowdfunding campaign in a big way. The utility has agreed to donate $2,500 to help PLP reach its $10,000 goal.

Since the early beginnings of the home, KCP&L has been an earnest partner with Metropolitan Energy Center. Whether it was helping to retrofit the demonstration home, helping homeowners with home energy rebates or sharing the SmartGrid program with the community, KCP&L and MEC have worked together on several occasions to educate homeowners about the benefits of energy efficiency.

The donation brings PLP to within $1,100 of its monetary goal. After the goal is reached, Metropolitan Energy Center will not only throw a grand re-opening party but also work to complete the original vision for the demonstration home.

If you would like to help KCP&L, MEC and the many friends of PLP reach its monetary goal, please click here to donate.

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Check out these PLP testimonial videos

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Take a look at a few people who have been inspired by Project Living Proof and what a tour of the building has meant in their lives.

PLP-Rachel-Testimonial from hiram williams on Vimeo. PLP-Jim-Testimonial from hiram williams on Vimeo.
Twana Hall-Scott testimonial: The power of leveraging PLP for real estate professionals Lisa Hummel explains how PLP helped her make the right decisions
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MGE / Laclede Gas supports PLP with matching grant

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MGE:LG_LogoMGE / Laclede has turned up the proverbial gas on all Project Living Proof supporters. The gas company is offering to match any donation to PLP up to $2,500. For example, if you donate $25 they will match your $25 contribution and PLP benefits with a $50 donation. You give $50, MGE will give $50, PLP will get $100 and so on and so forth.

Metropolitan Energy Center thanks MGE/Laclede and all of the donors who have given their time and money to support Project Living Proof. This one-of-a-kind demonstration home may have to close its doors without community support.

There’s not been a better time to give. Please give today and be a friend of Project Living Proof.

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