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PALMETTO (WSNN) – The first home in the world with zero net carbon emissions was built in Manatee County. But instead of selling it, the developer is donating it. 

“The first LEED Zero Single-family home in the world,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, the president and CEO of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). 

Marshall Gobuty is the President & CEO of Pearl Homes. He invested millions into this sustainable concept home he developed in Palmetto. Instead of selling it, he’s gifting it to the Boys and Girls Club of Manatee County.

“Quite frankly, it’s not often you get a phone call like that, if ever,” said Dawn Stanhope, the President & CEO of Boys & Girls Club of Manatee County

“The best use of this is to help the kids,” said Gobuty. “And the best governor and the best oversight is the Boys and Girls Club.

The non-profit offers after-school programs to support academic success. BGC of Manatee plans to auction the concept home for its 75th anniversary.

“A once in a lifetime opportunity to participate in something that was bigger than all of us,” said Stanhope. “A way to engage our community in a new way, to connect in with the club, to support the kids that we serve.”

It’s the first net-zero home in the world, which means the home generates more power than it consumes.

“It’s literally turning the home into a virtual power plant,” said Gobuty. “So that we’re able to draw from – two weeks at a time without any sun to see how we were able to actually get the net-zero.”

The home’s energy comes from solar panels and battery storage.

“It completely reduces our carbon footprint,” said Gobuty.

Stanhope says it’s not only an exciting fundraising opportunity for the club but a learning opportunity for the kids.

“If we can inspire them to really look out how they can impact the earth and leave it a better state than it was when they were born, then what an awesome opportunity we have to connect in with,” said Stanhope.

If you want to participate in the auction, all that information on the Boys & Girls Club of Manatee County’s website.