Environmental, green building and even organic initiatives are likely to get a boost in Buncombe, given the proclivities of Florida-based couple Mike and Lizzie Thrasher who purchased Gerber Village on Hendersonville Road last week.
Tag: green building
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Take a video tour of Appalachian State’s Solar Decathlon home
The ASU entry in the 2011 Solar Decathlon competition features a compact, 864-square-foot home. The highly respected biennial competition challenges collegiate teams from around the world to design and build innovative, solar-powered dwellings.
Gone solar: ASU decathletes install their solar homestead on the National Mall
Xpress hit the road last week to bring you an opening-day look at Appalachian State University’s entry in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon — the biannual competition that pits collegiate teams against each other as they develop new innovations in solar building technology and install their creations in a “solar village” exhibit on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The students, including Asheville High grad Janelle Wienke, survived two elimination rounds and, along with the remaining 18 competitors, have their eyes on the grand prize of $100,000 (and a selection of job prospects) when the competition wraps up Oct. 2.
Going green
Buncombe County Board of Commissioners Sept. 13, 2011 meeting CTS building condemned, demolition planned Grants sought for Mountain Mobility Buncombe County is working to cut energy costs, lower carbon emissions and preserve farmland, various staffers told the Board of Commissioners Sept. 13 in a series of reports on current environmental initiatives. Assistant County Manager Jon […]
Green Scene: The past is prologue
Who says there’s nothing new under the sun? Inspired by the days when isolated homesteads dotted Western North Carolina, a team of Appalachian State University students has designed a self-sufficient, “zero-energy” homestead that embraces the future. And this month, their creation goes head-to-head with 18 other entries in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon. […]
WNC at the crossroads
For 10 years, I organized the annual Southern Energy & Environment Expo, educating thousands about sustainability while generating an economic impact estimated at more than $5 million. Recently, however, I decided to pull the plug on the event. The decision wasn’t easy, but I did it because I’m convinced that, like the nation as a […]
A decade of green: The Western North Carolina Green Building Council turns 10
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has,” anthropologist Margaret Mead said. The Western North Carolina Green Building Council — its founders and its members — demonstrates the truth in those words. The council started as a conversation between two people, a decade ago. It then grew into a group of several people, but the goal remained the same: how to increase green building in the region. This Thursday, April 28, the council celebrates with its annual party (see below).
The 2011 Western North Carolina Green Building Directory out today
The 2011 Western North Carolina Green Building Directory, published by Mountain Xpress in collaboration with the WNC Green Building Council, is out today.
Look for the new placard on the nearest Xpress distribution box. This year’s cover features a home designed by Scott W. Bartholomew Architecture and built by Doug Keefer (SAGE Builders).
WNC Green Building Council music video gives energy-saving its own goofy groove
Caulking your windows never looked so fun. WNC Green Building Council’s video puts the dance moves into caulking, sealing and insulating.
In quest of energy efficiency
An energy-efficient, steel-clad residential home, going up in West Asheville. Consultant Ken Huck helped with some of the design features, and Xpress interviewed him in an article for the Living Green issue last fall. Photo by Zen Sutherland, http://www.flickr.com/photos/zen/
NC Green Business Fund calls for proposals; will disburse $8 million in 2010
North Carolinians are invited to submit proposals for innovative green building, biofuels and environmentally focused energy projects to the North Carolina Green Business Fund, which will be handing out $8 million in grants in 2010.
What’s news in Green Building
If you’re looking for news about green building — both local and national — you should be watching the fast-moving Green Building Twitter feed on the right side of the mountainx.com homepage. Here’s just a sampling of the sort of info you’ll find there.
First Light and Innova earn state grants
Two local companies — First Light Solar Energy and Innova Homes — were recently awarded $61,000 and $51,160, respectively, from the North Carolina Green Business Fund.
The Green Scene
Anyone making a conscientious effort to scale back, consume less and live “green” has probably met with an irritating setback: It’s not that easy. Advertisers may portray earth-friendly living as a kind of Zenlike simplicity, but the questions people must confront when attempting to make the greenest choices are often more likely to induce a […]
Village people
The seeds for the Ashevillage Building Convergence were sown a dozen years ago when a small group of people in Portland, Ore., transformed a run-of-the-mill intersection into an attractive public gathering space. They built an earthen teahouse, planted gardens, erected a kiosk for fliers and poetry, painted a vibrant design on the pavement, threw a […]
No more excuses for not building green
It’s often said that growth is inevitable in Western North Carolina. No, we’re not referring to kudzu, but “growth” as in the new construction of homes and commercial buildings. However, rampant development heaps a load of environmental pressures upon this lovely mountain region. To name a few: Projects wedged up against the boundaries of national […]
Good timing: Conferences converge
About six months from now, Asheville will be humming with a force to be reckoned with. For starters, more than a thousand women bent on changing the world will descend upon the city for the first Southeastern Women’s Conference, titled Time for Our Power! Meanwhile, creative transformation will be taking place throughout the city as […]
The Green Scene
The greening of the paper industry? “Paper is still one of our most challenging environmental issues, and there’s still much more work to be done,” says Joshua Martin, coordinator of the Environmental Paper Network. But Martin expresses hope, not cynicism, about the industry’s recent environmental progress. Logging the industry’s progress: Companies like International Paper are […]
Going for the green
A March 15 workshop led by staffers from the Milwaukee-based Johnson Controls Inc. could point the way toward a substantive sustainability initiative for Asheville. Invited by the city’s Sustainable Energy and Environment Advisory Committee, company representatives led some 50 participants—including Mayor Terry Bellamy, City Manager Gary Jackson and many high-level city staffers—through a series of […]