You'll be Green with Envy at the 2025 Princeton Green House Tour

[Princeton, NJ]: The 2025 Green House Tour on Saturday, September 27, offers a chance to take guided tours of the most sustainable homes and gardens of neighbors. The success of the past two years’ Green House Tour events has allowed for this year’s event to offer a record number of tourable homes, gardens, and, for the first time, sustainable accessory dwelling units (ADUs).

“ADUs support Princeton’s sustainability goals by making efficient use of land, reducing transportation emissions, and creating flexible, affordable housing options. They also strengthen community resilience by supporting aging in place and multigenerational living. This year’s tour will feature two ADUs, each with unique green building features that show how sustainability can be built into our homes in different ways”, notes Sustainable Princeton’s Executive Director, Christine Symington.

In addition to the seven houses, this year participants can also choose to take guided tours of four gardens, each showcasing a unique aspect of land stewardship, including: planting gardens with native species, attracting pollinators, backyard compost strategies, and nature-based solutions to control stormwater, promote infiltration, and reduce runoff and flooding.

“What I like showing people during garden tours is how runoff and wet ground can be turned from negatives into a positive, to drive the growth of beautiful native wildflowers and shrubs. People also get to see that it's possible to have a yard free of invasive species,” said Steve Hiltner, whose garden has been nicknamed the “Live Streaming Yard”, which was on the tour its first year and is offering tours again at this year's event.

PEC Chair, Anne Soos, remarked that “Princeton residents having a chance to see the range of sustainable steps they can take in and around their homes is invaluable. I am so grateful to the members of the PEC and Sustainable Princeton for their hard work in bringing these tours to the public.”
Tours are timed and guided, giving everyone a chance to see and understand all the highlighted elements of the home or garden.
In conjunction with the tour, there will be a Wednesday evening event hosted in partnership with the Princeton Public Library on, September 25, from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m., which includes a panel discussion and video screening. The evening will start with a screening of three short videos of properties featured on this year’s tour – two houses and one garden. Afterward, sustainable building and landscaping experts will share their knowledge in a panel discussion. This event is free and open to the public. While registration is requested, it is not required. Visit: https://princetonlibrary.libnet.info/event/14384084

The in-person tours on September 27th are free but require registration. Participants must be 18 years or older. For more information about the tours and to register, please visit princetongreenhousetour.com

Tour registration will close at midnight on September 25th.

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About Sustainable Princeton

Founded in 2012, Sustainable Princeton is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to inspire the community to develop and implement solutions that positively impact the environment. We envision Princeton as a model town that examines every action through the lens of sustainability, ensuring a healthy environment, a strong economy, and the well-being of all community members now and in the future. Our office is located at 1 Monument Drive, Princeton, New Jersey. For more information, visit www.SustainablePrinceton.org.

About the Princeton Environmental Commission:

The Princeton Environmental Commission (PEC) is comprised of volunteer Princeton
residents appointed by the Mayor. The commission advises the Mayor, Township
Administration, the Town Council, and local officials, including the Planning Board and the
Zoning Board regarding environmental issues and actions that may affect the natural
resources and inhabitants of the community.The PEC was established to advocate for the
protection, development, and use of natural resources, including water resources, located
within Princeton. For more information, visit princetonnj.gov/535/Environmental-Commission