Eco Friendly Real Estate Blog

Dateline Asheville, North Carolina, August, 2009
Real Estate News and Views from Green Asheville's "Stay-in-Your-Home" Eco-Steward

Effective communication- it is about how well we communicate with each other- about how well we  connect with our audiences. That holds t rue no matter where you find yourself.
 Take for example the ten (10) eco-friendly Groups at Active Rain:

•1.      ECO-All-Stars~ GREEN Resources, Trends & Friends (1062 Members)
•2.      BuiltGREEN (36 Members)
•3.      EcoBrokers  (110 Members)
•4.      Environmentally Responsible Real Estate Professionals (26 Members)
•5.      Going Green! (184 Members)
•6.      Green housing panel (144 Members)
•7.      Green Lending (27 Members)
•8.      Green Marketing (395 Members)
•9.      Healthy Lifestyle - Green Lifestyle (97 Members)
•10.  NAR Green Designation Realtors (4 Members).

Does the time and energy the members of these Groups devote to a post help to determine how well larger ecological issues are considered? I cannot say for sure.

 Certainly, eco-friendly consumer interest and demand is high in today's real estate market, so it seems likely that the 10 Green Groups at Active Rain touch  thousands readers interested in sustainable innovation - a core message the posts convey. And. I enjoy reading posts softly wrapped in the blanket of eco-friendly real estate information.

I believe the 10 Green Group posts do educate readers, and can influence how individuals, groups and cultures see, value, and ultimately act in the world. A shift in views and values towards the natural world may soon be blooming. After all, effective communication succeeds. And the 1,000+ members of the Green groups At Active Rain are making that happen.

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__~o
 -\_<,                                       
(*)/'(*)    ..........      ............to keep on rolling into the sustainable  world you can create today and tomorrow!. .........................    .............with OBJECTIVE, ECO-FRIENDLY FIDUCIARY COUNSEL The Eco-Steward Firm, ALL Eco-Certified® Real Estate Consultants!  Asheville, NC. Copyright © 2009 All Rights Reserved

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I wrote a previous post about energy education websites for kids., entitled, Great Kids Websites for Energy Education. I am a former Teacher with an Early Childhood Degree and I am always on the lookout for educational sites that are fun for kids. I feel that for us adults, changing the way we use energy is a slow process, but for kids, lessons learned at a young age come easier and they help form lifelong habits.

My favorite author is Theodor Seuss Geisel, or Dr. Seuss, as most of you know him. My favorite story is The Lorax. (More info on Theodor Geisel at the Seuss Website of Springfield Museum in Massachusetts.)

The story of The Lorax is all about saving the trees. This website on the EnergyStar website however, is one that takes it a step further. There are hidden pictures of appliances, coloring pages of the characters of The Lorax, and word searches for ways to protect the environment.

I give this site a thumbs up and recommend it for ages 5 through 10. And Parents, do check what's out there for your children with them. We let our children play all kinds of games which bring out aggression and competition, as well as creativity. I'm not going to preach here. I'm just asking you to balance their experiences with knowledge that will help their futures, at least environmentally.

Feel free to add any sites you feel are worthy of noting. We all learn when we share.

By the way, www.EnergyStar.gov is a great site for adults, too!

Frances Sanderson, Franklin, NH REALTOR®, Certified EcoBroker^®

How do you rate a home for it's ability to produce as much energy as it uses? Well, the possible answer is a Building Energy Quotient Rating System.

You may have heard of zero energy homes or net zero homes. These are homes with zero net energy consumption and zero carbon emissions annually. Sounds great doesn't it? But how would you rate such a house?

In keeping with their mission statement, ASHRAE, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, has just published a final draft on an Advanced Building Energy Labeling (ABEL) program which will guide new construction and existing construction towards net zero energy building (NZEB).

ASHRAE's mission statement is as follows:

'To advance the arts and sciences of heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigerating to serve humanity and promote a sustainable world.'

ASHRAE has been working on a labeling program and the details are in the report which came out in June 2009 (This report can be read @ http://buildingeq.com/files/ABELFinal.pdf.) The labeling program gives a score of A+ to F: A+ being a building that has zero net energy consumption and F being one that is unsatisfactory.

It won't be ready until it has been tried first and until Canada adopts the ENERGY STAR rating process, but it will attempt to be a system that can be applied globally.

What are the benefits of having a Building Energy Quotient Label?

Well, according to the report and final draft:

Why an ASHRAE Label and Certificate?

• Building owners and operators can see how their building compares to peer group buildings, as measured against the highest performing buildings, to establish a measure of their potential for energy performance improvement.

• Building owners can use their energy rating differentiate their building from others to secure potential buyers or tenants.

• Potential buyers or tenants can gain insight into the value and potential long-term cost of a building.

• Operations and maintenance staff can use the results to inform their decisions on maintenance activities and influence building owners and managers to pursue energy efficiency upgrades and demonstrate the return on investment for these projects.

Probably the greatest benefit from implementation of a building energy labeling program is the use of market-based forces to influence energy efficiency investment opportunities. Building owners will make investments in energy efficiency improvements when such investments will have the greatest impact on their bottom-line. Also, owners will invest in the technologies and practices that make the most sense for their building. When potential building tenants and owners have information on the properties in which they are interested (particularly in a consistent format) they can understand the full cost of their investment and place a value on the energy efficiency of the building. The label will help building owners differentiate their product in a technically sound manner.

Beyond the benefit received by individual building owners and managers, the increased availability of building data-specifically the relationship between the design and operation of buildings-will be a valuable research tool for the building community.

As the world looks to reduce its energy use, information is the critical first step in making the necessary choices and changes. With labeling mandatory in Europe and disclosure of a building's energy performance becoming required by several states, now is the time to introduce a label that can provide both technical ratings of building energy performance and energy use disclosure for mandatory programs.

As an EcoBroker^®, this is exciting news to me. Okay, it's another way to market a 'green' home too. I'll be looking for an update on the bEQ label to post. Until then, check it out for yourself here.

Frances Sanderson, Franklin, NH REALTOR®, Certified EcoBroker^®

Are YOU the 100^th Monkey? Active Rain Visionaries on the Subjects of Purpose, Collaboration, Responsibility and Healthy Lifestyles.

Dateline Asheville, North Carolina, July, 2009
News and Views from Asheville's Greenolina, Real Estate Eco-Steward

Years ago, the "100th Monkey" theory was widely popular and often quoted. It went like this: if, one by one, a hundred monkeys on a distant island learn how to use sticks for picking bananas the knowledge of picking bananas with sticks all of a sudden becomes an integral part of monkey consciousness. All monkeys everywhere all around the world will then be privy to this knowledge and be able to use sticks to that end.

Does the principle of a vanguard few apply to humankind as well?  Here at Active Rain, I think it does! Who has not encountered amazing  visionaries here?

Take a  look at the eco-friendly real estate professionals (over 1,000 of them) at Active Rain, for example. These members and  professionals can (and do) inspire changes that contribute to local communities and to the larger community.

This month, we have been celebrating  just a few of Active Rain's luminaries  at the Eco-All-Star Group.

(photo of visionaries in the mountains near Asheville, NC, hub of sustainable innovation.)

Active Rain's bloggers make it clear that  real estate (and related) professionals  can be and are agents of change. Of course, your sense of purpose plays into the effect. The more dedicated to what you are doing you are, the more impact you will have. There follow four posts that represent the "vanguard few". . .

1. PURPOSE: Every life has at its core a dream that quietly and unobtrusively asks to be fulfilled. Each of us dreams such a dream. It is an important part of the amazing blessing of just being in this world. Purpose is another word for this dream. If you wish to realize your purpose in life you can start by exercising your talents within your chosen field or profession- get what you want, and not give it away, but share it wisely 

On the Subject of PURPOSE:  Michelle Viggiano  has chosen to ensure an inviting environment that would educate, inspire and delight any visitor regardless of individual background, age or belief system.   Michelle  conceptualized an educational garden with various smaller conceptual gardens to create a whole story. Sections such as plants used for ~ "economic growth and survival" ~ "medicinal plants" ~ "culinary plants and herbs" to name a few, as well as a "faith based garden section".  ... conducted research ... locating rare and forgotten plants and seeds, making arrangements to grow them hydroponically, designing the layout of the garden, creating meaningful signage, all with a view to ensure an inviting environment that would educate, inspire and delight any visitor regardless of individual background, age or belief system.  

Read MICHELLE  VIGGIANO' s post  ...HERE

2. COLLABORATION:  In Life's intricate tapestry, my well-being and yours interweaves with the notion and energies of sharing good ideas and work with other people around us.- Bringing personal endeavors into focus in a collaborative approach, though possibly based on a person's own interests, contributes to overall good. I have heard Native Americans refer to this extended sense of community as "all of our relations". All of our relations -- fellow human beings, the animals, plants, minerals: the rocks, mountains and seas, the deserts, swamps and wetlands, the great plains and wild forests.

On the Subject of  COLLABORATION:   DEB HURT is one of those eco-savvy professionals who sees a home as an holistic system; a mini ecosystem for its residents.  "Everyone deserves a safe, affordable home, be it ever so humble  (on that subject PLEASE SEE Make It Right)...'" she says.

 When it comes to collaborating with others, be it her real estate clients or members of the community, Deb has this advice as seen in her post entitled The Perfect Client 

3. RESPONSIBILITY:   If you are a person who appreciates the idea of stewardship, you may choose to support and restructure neighborhoods, towns and the larger community in genuinely new and liberating ways. This does not happen just by the decree of law. Instead, look closer to home- ourselves, our personal integrity, our own energy. In other words, we have to become ourselves, whole and healthy individuals-think for ourselves, take good care of ourselves emotionally and physically, and follow our purpose in life.  

On the Subject of RESPONSIBILITY, DAVE ROBERTS of the Eco-All-Stars Group has much to contribute.  . At his kindergarten class in St. Cloud Minnesota they had Lincoln Logs big enough to build kid sized houses, and he did. At the UC Santa Cruz Farm and Garden project he graduated to real-sized building blocks and learned how to build post and beam framed buildings with hand tools. In the thirty years since he learned to appreciate grain, texture, and a sharp saw, he has designed and built solar homes, consulted with the California Energy Commission on energy efficiency, and lived a second life as a computer consultant and web guru. Through it all, appropriate technology and smart design have played a key role in the projects he undertakes

Read Dave's post HERE http://activerain.com/blogsview/899183/wheel-i-am 

The 100^th Monkey....the  Healthy Lifestyle, Rules and Regs, and Jeff G  is in The Kitchen!

HEALTHY LIFESTYLES:Real estate professionals  deal with distress and stress on many levels, and regularly. Exercise, rest and relaxation, eating "right" and coming home to a non toxic environment makes sense. A number of eco-savvy professionals are leading the way toward a more healthy approach to wellness-both personally and in and around the homes they represent taking an eco-friendly trajectory. They are the eco-friendly real estate professionals at the Eco-All-Star (1,000+ member) Group

To achieve a healthy lifestyle, there are those who say we should introduce ever more new and tighter legislation - adopt stringent rules and regulations. But, on second thought. . . laws are subject to manipulation. Rules can be bent and regulations have loopholes. Possibly, rules and regulations imply that we are ignorant of universal or natural law. Eco-friendly bloggers can demonstrate the connection we all have to an inherent understanding of wellness and healthy lifestyles.

On that subject- HEALTHY LIFESTYLESJeff Geoghan  weighs in saying, "I love talking about the Kitchen because there's so much going on there that can be impacted.  I break my thoughts into 2 categories: Behavior Changes and remodeling ideas."

Jeff is an interesting fellow.  A strong advocate of sustainable energy and energy conservation, Jeff has taken the extraordinary step of creating the first "Green" friendly real estate practice in central Pennsylvania. In 2006 Jeff authored a new book entitled "A walking tour of Historic East Petersburg" featuring some of the great historic homes in his home town.  Jeff is a tireless advocate of historic preservation. Most recently, Jeff has taken his love of photography to a new level, with a new venture entitled Heritage Photographic Art.  With this he is offering fine art photography online as well as custom client portfolios (historic homes, commercial, advertising).  Click here to see his work.  Jeff has seamlessly woven this activity into his real estate business, offering his clients pro photography that "comes with the package"!  

 READ his post here. http://activerain.com/blogsview/1042494/-greening-your-kitchen-some-ideas

NOMINATE OTHER LUMINARIES. Please let me know if you would like to highlight the work of other Active Rain Luminaries. Just put a link to a post relative to  1. Purpose 2. Collaboration 3. Responsibility and/or 4. Healthy Lifestyles, and I happily will read it! Please use the the comment section to do that...THX!

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__~o
 -\_<,                                       
(*)/'(*)    ..........      ............to keep on rolling into the sustainable  world you can create today and tomorrow!. .........................    .............with OBJECTIVE FIDUCIARY COUNSEL. ECO STEWARDS' LEARNING TOURS.Serving Asheville's First Time  and Relocation LAND and Home Buyers.

Asheville Eco-Friendly Real Estate Professionals: IMPACT & Trends - "GREEN" Real Estate and Relocation: The Eco-Steward Firm, ALL Eco-Certified® Real Estate Consultants!  Copyright © 2009 All Rights Reserved

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Dateline Asheville, North Carolina, July, 2009
News and Views from Asheville's Greenolina, Real Estate Eco-Steward  

Do real estate professionals wish to support and/or help as people restructure neighborhoods, towns and the larger community? Many will say that they do, and in genuinely new and liberating ways. "We cannot do so just by the decree of law. Instead, we can look closer to home, with ourselves, our personal integrity, our own energy, " they might tell you.

In other words, all of us have to become ourselves, whole and healthy individuals. We have to think for ourselves, take good care of ourselves emotionally and physically, and follow our purpose in life -(see earlier post in this series.)

I am excited about the members like DAVE ROBERTS of the Eco-All-Stars Groupwho are reaching out to their colleagues and the public to demonstrate eco-friendly remedies and their understanding of healthy choices in properties and lifestyles.

Dave created the graphic here. This JULY, in a series of posts, we celebrate contributions of our own Eco-All-Stars  by highlighting posts they have written.

Today we celebrate: DAVE ROBERTS. 

At his kindergarten class in St. Cloud Minnesota they had Lincoln Logs big enough to build kid sized houses, and he did. At the UC Santa Cruz Farm and Garden project he graduated to real-sized building blocks and learned how to build post and beam framed buildings with hand tools.

In the thirty years since he learned to appreciate grain, texture, and a sharp saw, he has designed and built solar homes, consulted with the California Energy Commission on energy efficiency, and lived a second life as a computer consultant and web guru.

Through it all, appropriate technology and smart design have played a key role in the projects he undertakes.

Says Dave, " The world confronts huge opportunity and disaster simultaneously today. If we choose the smart path of recycling, conservation, renewable energy, and smart urban planning our children will inherit a healthy, vibrant planet. Every day each of us makes choices to be smart or to fall back on old habits and easy ways of doing things. It's a great time to be alive...and choosing."

READ Dave's exquisite post on sustainability here: http://activerain.com/blogsview/899183/wheel-i-am

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__~o
 -\_<,                                       
(*)/'(*)    ..........      ............to keep on rolling into the sustainable  world you can create today and tomorrow!. .........................    .............with OBJECTIVE FIDUCIARY COUNSEL. ECO STEWARDS' LEARNING TOURS. Serving Asheville's First Time  and Relocation LAND and Home Buyers.

Asheville Eco-Friendly Real Estate Professionals: IMPACT & Trends - "GREEN" Real Estate and Relocation: The Eco-Steward Firm, ALL Eco-Certified® Real Estate Consultants!  Copyright © 2009 All Rights Reserved

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Dateline Asheville, North Carolina, July, 2009
News and Views from Asheville's Greenolina, Real Estate Eco-Steward
  

COLLABORATION: Does it seem to you that, within the amazing tapestry of life, individual well-being is woven together with the golden threads of collaboration- supporting the  local and larger community?

Bringing personal endeavors into alignment witha collaborative approach to solving problems is typical of an eco-friendly real estate professional's approach.

Everybody can benefit.

Although based on an individual's interest, in the collaborative choice, everyone's actions contribute to overall good. I have heard Native Americans refer to this extended sense of community as "all of our relations".

All of our relations -- fellow human beings, the animals, plants, minerals: the rocks, mountains and seas, the deserts, swamps and wetlands, the great plains and wild forests.

The eco-friendly real estate professionals at the Eco-All-Star (1,000+ member) Groupat Active Rain  demonstrate the idea of collaboration. This JULY, in a series of posts, we celebrate contributions of our own Eco-All-Stars by highlighting posts they have written.  

Today we celebrate:  DEB HURT  Deb is one of those eco-savvy professionals who sees a home is an holistic system; a mini ecosystem for its residents. She says, "Environmental issues and energy efficiency continue to become more important every day." Deb's "Home Recycling AKA Resale Residential blog  http://activerain.com/blogs/debhurt   is based on her belief  that

1. Small is beautiful and it uses less resources
2. The "greenest" house is the one that is already built
3. Every existing house can be made more energy efficient and usually at far less cost in both money and embodied energy than new construction
4. Affordable and inexpensive changes can reap big energy savings 
5. Everyone deserves a safe, affordable home, be it ever so humble  (on that subject PLEASE SEE Make It Right)
6. Mature neighborhoods can be revitalized without being gentrified

** all of which suggests a collaborative approach to solving problems. And when it comes to collaborating with clients, Deb has this advice as seen in her post entitled The Perfect Client  -  Be impeccable with your word -   Don't take anything personally -   Don't make assumptions -  Always do your best.

Good advice, I say!! Who else likes this advice?

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 __~o
 -\_<,                                       
(*)/'(*)    ..........      ............to keep on rolling into the sustainable  world you can create today and tomorrow!. .........................    .............with OBJECTIVE FIDUCIARY COUNSEL. ECO STEWARDS' LEARNING TOURS. Serving Asheville's First Time  and Relocation LAND and Home Buyers.

Asheville Eco-Friendly Real Estate Professionals: IMPACT & Trends - "GREEN" Real Estate and Relocation: The Eco-Steward Firm, ALL Eco-Certified® Real Estate Consultants!  Copyright © 2009 All Rights Reserved

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Dateline Asheville, North Carolina, July, 2009
News and Views from Asheville's Greenolina, Real Estate Eco-Steward
Eco-Friendly Real Estate Professionals: IMPACT & Trends- Part II :: PURPOSE  

Real estate professionals know that every life has at its core a dream that quietly and unobtrusively asks to be fulfilled. Each of us dreams such a dream. It is an important part of the amazing blessing of just being in this world.

Purpose is another word for this dream. If you wish to realize your purpose in life you can start by exercising your talents within your chosen field or profession- get what you want, and not give it away, but share it wisely.

The eco-friendly real estate professionals at the Eco-All-Star (1,000+ member) Group at Active Rain  are doing just that.  So, this  JULY, in this, and the series of posts that follow, we invite you to join us by reading  the amazing contributions of our own Eco-All-Stars!

Today we celebrate: MICHELLE VIGGIANO  

Eco-All-Star Michelle is an interior designer with a faux finishing studio.   

PURPOSE: Ensure an inviting environment that would educate, inspire and delight any visitor regardless of individual background, age or belief system.  

Michelle  conceptualized an educational garden with various smaller conceptual gardens to create a whole story. Sections such as plants used for ~ "economic growth and survival" ~ "medicinal plants" ~ "culinary plants and herbs" to name a few, as well as a "faith based garden section".  ... conducted research ... locating rare and forgotten plants and seeds, making arrangements to grow them hydroponically, designing the layout of the garden, creating meaningful signage,

all with a view to ensure an inviting environment that would educate, inspire and delight any visitor regardless of individual background, age or belief system.  

Michelle specializes in work that is non-slaked plaster colored with earth pigments.  "I also have an eco-responsible, plant based, carpet and air duct cleaning business, " Michelle told me.   

YOU will be delighted when you read THIS POST that underscores the notion of PURPOSE.
 Thank you for this amazing contribution, Michelle .

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__~o
 -\_<,                                       
(*)/'(*)    ..........      ............to keep on rolling into the sustainable  world you can create today and tomorrow!. .........................    .............with OBJECTIVE FIDUCIARY COUNSEL. ECO STEWARDS' LEARNING TOURS. Serving Asheville's First Time  and Relocation LAND and Home Buyers.

Asheville Eco-Friendly Real Estate Professionals: IMPACT & Trends - "GREEN" Real Estate and Relocation: The Eco-Steward Firm, ALL Eco-Certified® Real Estate Consultants!  Copyright © 2009 All Rights Reserved

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Eco-Friendly Real Estate Professionals: IMPACT & Trends and The 100^th Monkey- Part I 

Years ago, the "100th Monkey" theory was widely popular and often quoted. It went like this: if, one by one, a hundred monkeys on a distant island learn how to use sticks for picking bananas the knowledge of picking bananas with sticks all of a sudden becomes an integral part of monkey consciousness. All monkeys everywhere all around the world will then be privy to this knowledge and be able to use sticks to that end.

Does the principle of a vanguard few preparing a shift in consciousness apply to humankind as well?

If you look at the impact eco-friendly real estate professionals may/could/do have, you might be inclined to answer in the affirmative.

Can those same professionals inspire changes that contribute to local communities and to the larger community as well? Just look at what this small (1,000+ member) group at Active Rain offers. You may discover that anyone can be  an agent of change. Of course, the more dedicated to what you are doing you are, the more impact you will have.  

This JULY, in the series of posts that follow, we celebrate contributions of our own Eco-All-Stars  --highlighting posts they have written.  I will be adding links here so please check back, click and comment on these incredible posts, and let me know what you think.

  * 1) Michelle Viggiano..on PURPOSE..  Read about Michelle and her post.

  * 2) Deb Hurt...on COLLABORATION...  Read about Deb her post.

  * 3) Dave Roberts on RESPONSIBILITY  . . . Read about Dave and his post.

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__~o
 -\_<,                                       
(*)/'(*)    ..........      ............to keep on rolling into the sustainable  world you can create today and tomorrow!. .........................    .............with OBJECTIVE FIDUCIARY COUNSEL. ECO STEWARDS' LEARNING TOURS. Serving Asheville's First Time  and Relocation LAND and Home Buyers.

Asheville Eco-Friendly Real Estate Professionals: IMPACT & Trends - "GREEN" Real Estate and Relocation: The Eco-Steward Firm, ALL Eco-Certified® Real Estate Consultants!  Copyright © 2009 All Rights Reserved

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We know that the built environment has a huge impact on our carbon footprint. Many of us have done things to lower that impact including the smaller things like using CFLs and installing programmable thermostats. Many have planted trees that help provide shade , many xeriscape.

If possible, some of us have upgraded windows and doors and a caulk gun has become our best friend. Weatherstripping and rain barrels, insulating ductwork and hotwater heaters, tankles hot water heaters, using solar and wind energy where practical, all of these things are being done.

Here is a link to an article on Planet Green that describes three simple but not quite so easy steps to lower you carbon footprint dramatically. One involves our long distance travel habits, specifically, flying. It is amazing how much can be saved by flying less. Some of us travel a lot for our work, some for pleasure but the act of say taking the vacation at the begiining or end of one of those trips so that you are making one round trip instead of two, or planning so that you take the time to take train or even drive to a mid distance destination can make a huge difference in the amount of crbon emmission generated by the trip.

We often talk about the large carbon footprint of our food system. Buying at the local farmers market helps, growing some of your own helps. This article proposes the idea of being a "weekday vegetarian" and shows just what a large difference consuming a plant based diet the majority of the time can make.  You might also realize some health benefits like losing weight and having more energy. I believe it is Michael Pollen who wrote "Eat food. (meaning real food, not processed, imitation packaged stuff). Not too much. Mostly plants." to desribe a diet good for the body and good for the planet.

The other recommendation is to buy green energy. Most utilities now offer that option. If you use natural daylighting rather than turning on the lights, so much the better.

It is July Fourth, 2009. Here in Asheville, we are celebrating in the traditional ways: back yard gatherings, blue grass music, fireworks downtown.Tonight I will be able to see the fireworks dazzle the mountains and surprise the night sky.

In Asheville, a number of us are adding   another color to this celebration of life and liberty on the Fourth. Complimenting the traditional red, white and blue  canvas is a backdrop of green.

Here's what I mean-see photo.