Each year the National Association of Home Builders honors those who excel in green residential design, construction practices and outstanding green advocacy efforts through the National Green Building Awards.
If you know that you’re on top of the green game then it’s time to grab your plans, fill out the forms and enter your company for a 2010 award!
Award categories include:

Advocate of the Year (Builder, Remodeler, Individual, Group)
Advocate of the Year (State or Local Government)
Green Project(s) of the Year (Single Family, Remodel, Multifamily)
Green Site Development of the Year
HBA Green Building Program …

Richard Feis of Pace Homebuilders has been involved in green home building and remodeling for years so it was a natural progression for him to build Greenhaven, Atlanta’s latest model home for green building and sustainable design.
But he went a step further from other eco-friendly builders. He’s created a show home of eco-friendly furnishings as well as environmentally sensitive building products.
“There are so many environmentally friendly things that people don’t realize they can do when they build a home or remodel. This is a great platform to showcase green building …

Although the green movement has become more popular over the past few years, examples of the movement are few and far between. Sometimes it seems like the only way to see an example of a green home or a sustainable building is to watch Planet Green’s Worlds Greenest Homes. As great as the show is, the experience just isn’t the same as actually getting to BE there.
Enter Greenhaven, an eco-friendly home right in our back-yard! This US Green Building Council LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified home showcases …

Meet 20 of the most creative interior designers in Atlanta and tour their sustainable spaces July 10 – August 9
Pace Homebuilders, a leading green homebuilding company, is proud to announce the 20 interior designers chosen to participate in Greenhaven, the first Eco-Friendly LEED certified Decorators’ Show House in Cobb County. Greenhaven, open to the public July 10 – August 9, selected the Atlanta-based designers on the merit of their environmental respect and commitment to sustainable design. The design team will work with industry-leading local vendors to showcase the latest in …

The Second Annual Alpharetta Water Conservation Festival will be held on Saturday, May 2 at Rock Mill Park, located at 3100 Kimball Bridge Road.  The event will run from 10:00 AM until 3:00 PM.
The event features a schedule of informative and fun workshops, including:
10:00          Farmer D. of Mother Nature Network, will give a fun and informative workshop on organic gardening and sustainable urban gardening
11:30          Louse Estabrook, UGA Cooperative Extension Agent will entertain you with her presentation on landscaping in a thirsty environment (Xeriscaping)
11:45          Stay for the test to receive Certification …

The American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment (AIA-COTE) has announced its Top Ten Green Projects for 2009. Full profiles of these projects are available at www.aiatopten.org and at www.buildinggreen.com.
See a brief description of each here.

It’s amazing that so many new home builders are taking the time and effort to be more knowledgeable about green building techniques. I know we have talked repeatedly about the fact that the green trend is one of the hottest topics in the real estate industry, but that is because it is not just a trend. Instead, it is the new wave of the industry – it is THE way to build. If you have not yet begun incorporating green building practices into your new construction, then you have fallen …

While most of us assume outside watering is our greatest water usage, actually it is toilet flushing that consumes the greatest percentage of water-35 percent of household water use. This fact presents us with the greatest possibility of conserving water by installing new commodes that need only 1.6-gallon per flush as opposed to the old ones consuming 3.5-7-gallons per flush. The retrofit program provides rebates to help finance this retrofit.
To receive a rebate, Atlanta water/sewer customers must:
•    Own/rent a residence that was built prior to 1993 and have fixtures not …

Southface and The Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association (GAHBA) named WicksteadWorks as the 2009 Renovator of the Year earlier this month. The Renovator of the Year award distinguishes an EarthCraft House renovator that has gone above and beyond the established measures to decrease energy consumption in an existing home. The annual EarthCraft House Awards honors the leading builders, developers, renovators and manufacturers dedicated to protecting the environment through sustainable design and construction of homes, communities and products. WicksteadWorks is an Atlanta remodeler that builds to a minimum standard …

Environmentally-conscious Midtown Lawyer Purchases Brock Built’s Green House
When Kinshasa K. Williams closed on her new EarthCraft home in West Highlands Dec. 31, 2008, she became the owner of Brock Built’s Green House. The Green House showcases environmentally friendly and sustainable design features attainable by the typical Atlanta family, and has been open to the public for tours since completion in August 2008.   Williams’ purchase not only meant she had found her perfect home, it also resulted in a $225,000 donation to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
“I had been looking for …

Another prestigious recognition has been given to Atlanta’s largest intown home builder, Brock Built. This time, the award was honoring their devotion to building energy-efficient new homes in Atlanta that meet the standards of EarthCraft House. At a ceremony held on Thursday, February 19th, the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association and Southface Energy Institute named Steve Brock, President and founder of Brock Built Homes, EarthCraft Home Builder of the Year. Great Job Brock Built!
Established in 1984, Brock Built Homes has built most of its new homes to EarthCraft standards since …

Most individuals give little thought to what’s being consumed when they turn on their lights or fire up their furnace. Few workers pay attention to whether or not they’ve turned the air conditioning off when they leave their office building or whether they left the faucets dripping in the company washroom.
In a world where electricity is expected at the flick of a switch and where water rarely fails to flow from the bathtub or shower, the Green Building Resource Center… [for more information visit here]

The National Association of the Remodeling Industry announced the launch of a new website, called Greenremodeling.org. The purpose of Greenremodeling.org is to establish a body of knowledge for Remodeling Professionals and for Green-minded Homeowners; and to support professional growth in the field of green remodeling and encourage the homeowner to become educated about green homes.
In addition, the newest NARI Radio program is all about “Selling Green” – you can hear it at: NARI.org/NARIradio