Eco Friendly Real Estate Blog

Not long ago I was contacted via Active Rainabout a post I had done -part of an on-going series called 
" Asheville- Picnics and Day Trips" - about Hickory Nut Forest Eco-Community.  I responded with delight for it is apple blossom time at Hickory Nut Forest, and we had taken some amazing photos to share.
(see photo)

"We share an interest in self-sustaining communities," I enthused... ."

and was happy to provide information. Possibly you. have seen posts (see a few of those links below) about Hickory Nut Forest.

I am passionate about the concept of eco-friendly developmentand how this has played out in excellent attention to detail for this eco-community." 

... what stage Hickory Nut Forest is in development... 

In terms of land planning and execution...the community is a good way along in terms of planning and creation of the "foundation" for the community....

 1)  The conservation easement and deed restrictions that protect the integrity of the land are in place-the 25 AC that is adjacent to the 250 AC that is also adjacent to hundreds and hundreds of acres of conservation partners' lands-
2) the site evaluationand planning has been done by Equinox Environmental eco-sensitive landscape architects, the biological survey is complete and has been respected

3) the road in is in (top quality-see photo) and carefully constructed

4) the sites are designed for beauty and solar gain
5) the trails leading from the sites to the larger acreage are in process and well under way...
6) about half the building sites are sold and
7)the first home to be built is due this year

.....about a land map....

A survey of Hickory Nut Forest is conservation neighborhood  as well as a map of the entire 275 AC, a  topographical map, and a general map of the area to see where Hickory Nut Forest is located and how far it is from Asheville is available. (see links below)

.... about lots---the siting, the  sizes and costs...

Each lot at  Hickory Nut Forest seems to have its own personality.  Some of the lots overlook the Hickory Nut Creek, some are adjacent to trails leading to vast conservation acreage....wells and septic systems are needed, but there has not been a problem with perc tests...

The size of the lots seems( to me) not to be too much of a factor when taking into consideration the larger picture...the heirloom apple orchard, the sustainably managed vegetable gardens on their way...and the other amenities of this life-affirming community.  Lots range in price from $150,000  (but two people could share a lot and build a home and "guest home" and thus defray the cost)  to about $250,000.

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__~o
 -\_<,                                       
(*)/'(*)    ..........      ............to keep on rolling into the sustainable  world you can create today and tomorrow!. .........................    .............with

OBJECTIVE FIDUCIARY COUNSEL from Eco Certified ©Real Estate Consultants. Contact janeAnne@janeAnne.com or  give a call at 828-255-1082 . Design your dream. Give us your checklist .

ECO STEWARDS' LEARNING TOURS. Curious about sustainable GREEN real estate possibilities ?  Register for the Eco Stewards' Learning Tours.

The ECO Certified ® Real Estate Consultants at The ECO Steward Real Estate Firm  specialize in working with eco-developers and LAND for sale in the Greater Asheville, North Carolina area. We are excited about value-added, ECO-friendly properties, and focus on positive futures. Our real estate practice inspires property investments for wealth of the generous kind.

Sustainable Community~ Asheville's Eco-Jewel~ Hickory Nut Forest. Asheville "GREEN" Real Estate and Relocation: The Eco-Steward Firm, ALL Eco-Certified® Real Estate Consultants!  Copyright © 2009 All Rights Reserved
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Jessica and Paul arrived at our offices in a downpour. Still, they were laughing as we greeted them at the door. It's been raining for a week here in Asheville, but they didn't seem to mind at all. Coming from the Arizona desert, they were enjoying every drop, they told us. The were seeking information on green building in Asheville. They had come to the right place!

As consulting REALTORS® my team and I have become eco-friendly resources for our clients. We offer objective fiduciary counsel . We think of ourselves as one small star in a big constellation of green experts.  Over the years we are fortunate to have met and to know many luminaries in Asheville's green-design and development galaxy.  

We think it is a real plus for our clients to be able to access valuable information those "stars" offerto light on their  projects-whether that be up-fitting a home to more energy efficient standard, building a new green home, or (my personal specialty) conservation real estate .

The giant jigsaw puzzle . Jessica and Paul  are investors in conservation real estate.

Conservation real estate involves large tracts of land and the sustainable practices ..

 Possibly, what we have there is a giant jigsaw puzzle. So for Jessica and Paul we recommended capturing the pieces of that puzzle-laying them all out on the table so that we get a clear picture-maybe looking at different perspectives in terms of  how this project might come together.  

We talked it over with Jessica and Paul. ..."Let's do a bit of due diligence before the fact, " we suggested. Thoughtful clients usually love the idea of objective (it's fee-based so they know it is objective) fiduciary advice. It makes sense to them to enter the project in stages and choose from a list of possibilities.

Over the years we have found that, with the expert advise of eco-savvy consultants in hand, wise choices seem easier to find.  Our team, the sustainable design and planning professionals, eco-developers, architects- and our happy clients ALL are smiling.

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__~o
 -\_<,                                       
(*)/'(*)    ..........      ............to keep on rolling into the sustainable  world you can create today and tomorrow!. .........................    .............with

OBJECTIVE FIDUCIARY COUNSEL from Eco Certified ©Real Estate Consultants. Contact janeAnne@janeAnne.com or  give a call at 828-255-1082 . Design your dream. Give us your checklist .

ECO STEWARDS' LEARNING TOURS. Curious about sustainable GREEN real estate possibilities ?  Register for the Eco Stewards' Learning Tours.

The ECO Certified ® Real Estate Consultants at The ECO Steward Real Estate Firm  specialize in working with eco-developers and LAND for sale in the Greater Asheville, North Carolina area. We are excited about value-added, ECO-friendly properties, and focus on positive futures. Our real estate practice inspires property investments for wealth of the generous kind.

Real Estate ‘s Green Luminaries-  Asheville NC-Style. Asheville "GREEN" Real Estate and Relocation: The Eco-Steward Firm, ALL Eco-Certified® Real Estate Consultants!  Copyright © 2009 All Rights Reserved
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 "Land . . . 'tis the only thing that lasts . . . ."
 Gone with the Wind , Margaret Mitchell

A Tale of Gauxule, Cherokee Name for Asheville.

They say the Land remains. They speak of Gauxule where the river meets a land of mystery and beauty.The Cherokee speak of the landmark where the tiny beings who came from the stars to live by that very river long, long, long ago...even before the Cherokee...that river.

(photo of Asheville's River)

Those who know may tell you how these mountains were formed, the meaning of the rocks and ferns and mosses you can find along the trail. They are the early keepers of the stories of  places that marked for memory where the river leaped its bank, how the elk came to the mountains and how the hills turn to shades of red and gold and purple-- stories told long before your ancestors or mine arrived in the Carolinas.

They say the Land remains...and I believe it's true.

A family story handed down to me tells how those early settlers, my many-greats grandparents being among them, borrowed agricultural practices from the Cherokee, and incorporated them into their own farming practices.

Loving the land as they did, and learning how to cultivate it, they began to grow fruit trees and vegetables as this historical note from my Far-grandfather reveals::

"The garden is delightful. The fruit trees and flowering shrubs form a pleasant variety. We have green peas almost fit to eat and as fine lettuce as you ever saw.

The mocking birds surround us evening and morning. The weather is mild and the vegetable world progressing to perfection. We have in the same orchard apples, pears, peaches, apricots, nectarines, plums of various kinds, figs, pomegranate and oranges. And we have strawberries which measure three inches around." ~General Nathaneal Greene

They say the Land remains...but how did they come to live in the Carolinas?

Just a little history-

In the 1770s, English, German, Scottish, Irish, French, Welsh, and Africans started to arrive and enter into conversation with the Cherokee. They wanted to "settle" the land. The "settlers" came first to the coastal areas of the Carolinas, then migrated inland.

Unlike the Cherokee who held the notion that Land  belonged to all who lived there, the new arrivals espoused ownership and acquisition.

Thus it was that the Land within the present boundaries of North Carolina and South Carolina which was "owned " by England when they restored King Charles to the throne in 1660 (see details here) came also to be "owned" by the settlers. It would be some time before the notion of stewardship of the Land returned to Gauxule as it has today.

  The land grants of King Charles (after  whom the Carolinas are named) gave the newcomers access to Cherokee lands.  Then, in 1777, a landmark bill was passed in North Carolina that explained how, after locating property, a settler who wished to acquire that land, must identify and claim it.

It required that a description of the location and boundaries of the property be provided by a surveyor. So a surveyor was dispatched into the mountains, hills and valleys or coastal regions to survey and produce two plats of the land. Each contained a scale, description, angles, distances, marks he had made, any water he had crossed, and, total acreage done in the metes and bounds method that had originated in English Common Law.

 After a short period of time in which any conflicting claim might be found, the settler was given a copy of the land description, with another copy going to the surveyor as a warrant to survey the land.  

Deciphering land records using the metes and bounds method, the method of choice here in North Carolina until not all that long ago and still encountered, is an amazing challenge...and one that can, if you are ready, unveil the history of a place, a farm, a family....  

(see example I uncovered recently)

Imagine yourself a real estate professional  brokering a land transfer where a metes and bounds survey is involved.

You may  find yourself awash in the deepening afternoon shadows, light sifting down into the dusty stacks,  trying to decipher  a 1790s metes and bounds survey.

 You have come face-to-face with a document a treasure-hunter fairly relishes. These documents are complex, and oftentimes as mysterious as the Land of the Cherokee.

 You follow along with a series of distances and directions until you arrive back at the point of beginning.

They say the Land remains...and I believe it's true.

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__~o
 -\_<,                                       
(*)/'(*)    ..........      ............to keep on rolling into the sustainable  world you can create today and tomorrow!. .........................    .............with

OBJECTIVE FIDUCIARY COUNSEL from Eco Certified ©Real Estate Consultants. Contact janeAnne@janeAnne.com or  give a call at 828-255-1082 . Design your dream. Give us your checklist .

ECO STEWARDS' LEARNING TOURS. Curious about sustainable GREEN real estate possibilities ?  Register for the Eco Stewards' Learning Tours.

The ECO Certified ® Real Estate Consultants at The ECO Steward Real Estate Firm  specialize in working with eco-developers and LAND for sale in the Greater Asheville, North Carolina area. We are excited about value-added, ECO-friendly properties, and focus on positive futures. Our real estate practice inspires property investments for wealth of the generous kind.

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

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N o Pressure, Just Exploring.  The Eco Steward Real Estate Firm and Design Team is excited about taking folks out exploring.

ECO-FRIENDLY TOURS that explore GREEN ASHEVILLE  and sustainable innovation opportunities in the Greater Asheville area are popular as the season's unfold and more and more people become curious about the trend toward GREEN building and thoughtful land planning. (see photo)

"We love the idea of showing current residents and people who may be interested in relocating here  Asheville's newest GREEN offerings, " one of the tour guides told me.

From Green-Built homes to Eco-Communities and Conservation Neighborhoods, from Equestrian Estates and Horse Farms with Trails that lead off into conservation lands, (such as the one in the photo here) from homes for 1st time homebuyers to Historic Properties,

 it seems the guides, all of whom are up-to-speed on mountain green news, delight in delivering their Green learning tours.  " It is a green adventure  for a one or two, or an entire family or a group, "they tell me.

And it is a way, without pressure, quietly to infuse a sense of what's happening in the "green property scene"in the Greater Asheville Area, and put it in the contextof what is meaningful for those on the Green Learning Tour. How that unfolds for each person on the Tour.. . is a mystery.

TOUR GUIDES 

Tour Guides are professionals:  Eco-Design and Development Experts, Green Builders, Landscape Architects, Sustainable Innovation Experts and Eco Certified® Real Estate Consultants - all of whom are uniquely qualified to interpret information and data, provide commentary and answer questions. 

RATES

Eco-Stewards Green Learning Tours vary. Rates also vary. Depending on the Green Learning Tour they range from $20.Hour  and up. 

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 ___~o
 -\_<,                                       
(*)/'(*)    ..........      ............to keep on rolling into the sustainable  world you can create today and tomorrow!. .........................    .............with

OBJECTIVE FIDUCIARY COUNSEL from Eco Certified ©Real Estate Consultants. Contact janeAnne@janeAnne.com or  give a call at 828-255-1082 . Design your dream. Give us your checklist .

ECO STEWARDS' LEARNING TOURS. Curious about sustainable GREEN real estate possibilities ?  Register for the Eco Stewards' Learning Tours.

GREEN ASHEVILLE PROPERTY TOURS. Asheville "GREEN" Real Estate and Relocation: The Eco-Steward Firm, ALL Eco-Certified® Real Estate Consultants!  Copyright © 2009 All Rights Reserved
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David Tuch, VP at Equinox Environmental has a wealth of knowledge and experience. A presenter at the 2009 GREEN HOMES (and Land)  Tour, Tuch is involved in an array of eco-community developments in the Greater Asheville, NC area.

During the presentation time, Tuch, an expert consultant for the Mountain Landscapes Initiative, talked about  how  we can grow local economies in North Carolina's mountain region without threatening the natural assets that attract new people and new investment. He also looked at  how to adjust to change in the mountains without sacrificing community character and sense of place.  

Following that thought he asked . . .  "WHERE is the perfect place to construct the green-built home of your dreams?"

If I were to choose, and it would be hard because Asheville is full of possibility, I  possibly would choose a building site in one of Asheville, North Carolina's  eco-communities.

 "GREEN" is the word here in Western North Carolina's mountains.More and more here in Asheville we are noticing a trend toward sustainable environments, and more and  more. Asheville is becoming the "hub' of green and sustainable development.  Touring various eco-communities in the Asheville, NC areato explore sustainable innovation inour area is what this is all about.    

Eco-Stewards' GREEN LEARNING  TOURS takes you to one of Tuch's masterpieces of planning,  Drovers Road Preserve. (This might just be one of my favorite places. I've spent many happy hours there. Just inside the entrance to this eco-community you can discover a bit of authentic Appalachian history.You can actually see the roadbed that once connected drovers to and from the markets of Asheville's city center. The trail is marked. The mood is set.

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__~o______________
 -\_<,                                       
(*)/'(*)    ..........      ............to keep on rolling into the sustainable  world you can create today and tomorrow!. .........................    .............with

OBJECTIVE FIDUCIARY COUNSEL from Eco Certified ©Real Estate Consultants. Contact janeAnne@janeAnne.com or  give a call at 828-255-1082 . Design your dream. Give us your checklist .

ECO STEWARDS' LEARNING TOURS. Curious about sustainable GREEN real estate possibilities ?  Register for the Eco Stewards' Learning Tours.

The ECO Certified ® Real Estate Consultants at The ECO Steward Real Estate Firm  specialize in working with eco-developers and LAND for sale in the Greater Asheville, North Carolina area. We are excited about value-added, ECO-friendly properties, and focus on positive futures. Our real estate practice inspires property investments for wealth of the generous kind.

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

David Brannon talked about thoughtful land planning at the annual Green Homes Tour -April, 2009. He explained that a general awareness of the need to plan for the future - or at least the acknowledgment of the planning process - seems to be on many people's minds these days.  But still, at the local level,  a very focused need for of planning is apparent. And though an awareness of planning is fairly pervasive, opinionson just how to go about charting the future for the mountain region definitely vary.

Rethinking traditional development

Brannon. a participating consultant for the Mountain Landscapes Initiative, explained that models of future housing developments offer multiple benefits of shifting from traditional, multi-acre lots to smaller, cluster-type developments. He pointed out that open space could be preserved, views could be shared and communities could be less reliant on fuel for transportation.

Brannon participates as an expert guide on Eco-Steward's GREEN LEARNING TOURS.

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__~o____________
 -\_<,                                       
(*)/'(*)    ..........      ............to keep on rolling into the sustainable  world you can create today and tomorrow!. .........................    .............with

OBJECTIVE FIDUCIARY COUNSEL from Eco Certified ©Real Estate Consultants. Contact janeAnne@janeAnne.com or  give a call at 828-255-1082 . Design your dream. Give us your checklist .

ECO STEWARDS' LEARNING TOURS. Curious about sustainable GREEN real estate possibilities ?  Register for the Eco Stewards' Learning Tours.

The ECO Certified ® Real Estate Consultants at The ECO Steward Real Estate Firm  specialize in working with eco-developers and LAND for sale in the Greater Asheville, North Carolina area. We are excited about value-added, ECO-friendly properties, and focus on positive futures. Our real estate practice inspires property investments for wealth of the generous kind.

GREEN Asheville Landscape Architect BRANNON. Asheville "GREEN" Real Estate and Relocation: The Eco-Steward Firm, ALL Eco-Certified® Real Estate Consultants!  Copyright © 2009 All Rights Reserved
________________________________________________________________________________________________

The 2009 Buncombe Green Home Tour was a lively happening on the last Sunday of April.  The tour , which is  self-guided included about 50 Healthy-Built homes. Interested "tourists" picked up brochures at Board Office or simply downloaded the Green Home Tour's brochure from www.green-hometour.com. (You may want to take a peek at that!!)

FEATURED on the Green Home Tour -Asheville's  existing green homes for sale and pre-construction green developments.  

ALSO those attending could opt to learn about eco-friendly LAND USE.   

David Brannon,  Landscape Architect, SiteRhythms  and David Tuch Landscape Architect, Equinox Environmental  gave stellar presentatations on a variety of topics from sustainable land planning to environmental resource assessment during the tour.  Those topics included:

•. LAND Planning & Design • Land Suitability Analysis •  Site and Eco-Friendly Building Design  •  Site Resource Assessment •  Site Development and Our Steep Slopes  •  Green  Buildings & Communities  •     Mountain  Ecosystems You Must Consider  • Tree Protection and  landslide Protection... • Conservation Easements & Private Land Trusts   • Purchase of Development Rights  • Farmland Preservation and more

  We are excited about the turnout for this tour and the obvious interest in green land planning, eco-wise development and green-built homes.

(photo shows a green home being visited.)

We hope to see you in 2010..or BEFORE!

at one of Eco-Steward's GREEN LEARNING TOURS

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__~o
 -\_<,                                       
(*)/'(*)    ..........      ............to keep on rolling into the sustainable  world you can create today and tomorrow!. .........................    .............with

OBJECTIVE FIDUCIARY COUNSEL from Eco Certified ©Real Estate Consultants. Contact janeAnne@janeAnne.com or  give a call at 828-255-1082 . Design your dream. Give us your checklist .

ECO STEWARDS' LEARNING TOURS. Curious about sustainable GREEN real estate possibilities ?  Register for the Eco Stewards' Learning Tours.

The ECO Certified ® Real Estate Consultants at The ECO Steward Real Estate Firm  specialize in working with eco-developers and LAND for sale in the Greater Asheville, North Carolina area. We are excited about value-added, ECO-friendly properties, and focus on positive futures. Our real estate practice inspires property investments for wealth of the generous kind.

Asheville's GREEN Home/LAND Tour of 2009A. sheville "GREEN" Real Estate and Relocation: The Eco-Steward Firm, ALL Eco-Certified® Real Estate Consultants!  Copyright © 2009 All Rights Reserved
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YOU =)  

are invited  

by janeAnne and John Eco Certified® Real Estate Consultants

at The Eco-Steward Firm

 to a cheerful Seminar on Conservation Based Land Development

WHEN: THIS SUNDAY April 26th, 2009...

at 1- PM April 26th, 2009...

WHERE: at the Asheville Board of Realtors new office building
 located at 37 Montford Avenue, Asheville, NC 28801

WITH: David Brannon, Landscape Architect, SiteRhythms and  David Tuch,VP of Equinox Environmentals
This is an interactive presentation with lots of graphics and time to answer your questions!

TOPICS INCLUDE:

• Land Planning & Design
• Land Suitability Analysis
• Site and Eco-Friendly Building Design
• Site Resource Assessment
• Site Development and Our Steep Slopes
• Mountain Ecosystems
• Tree Protection and Landslide Protection
• Conservation Easements & Private Land Trusts
• Purchase of Development Rights, Farmland Preservation

Meet us in the lobby (upstairs) or in the seminar room (downstairs)

You can then opt to go on the self guided Green Home Tour also taking place on Sunday. Just pick up a brochure. A list of the homes on the tour and directions to the homes will be on the event's brochure. More INFO:????   Please  download the Green Home Tour's brochure from www.green-hometour.com

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Things aren't the same as they were back in the 1950s, when hula hoops,   poodle skirts, 45s, and cruising Woodward Avenue were popular. Things were different then.... but in the year 2009 and beyond, when emissions of greenhouse gases from fossil fuel combustion and the resulting warming of the planet   have serious  implications for all of us, it is  comforting to know that

we are on the brink of an energy solution right now, today. ..and so many of us are helping out having taken a few simple steps to make our homes more comfortable-while saving money. And money isn't all we can save....Earth-friendly solutions ... most of us have already put to good use...

(my friend in poodle skirt offers a quick curtsy to you)

ENERGY POLL: 

I am taking a poll...(just below)
Please comment and let us know
IF YOU HAVE done one or all of the following...

HAVE YOU....

 Taken the Do-It-Yourself  Home-Energy Audit . . .?

Most homes can save 25% to 50% or more energy. A home energy audit points to savings by looking at general condition of heating and air conditioning systems,  insulation, the degree of outside air infiltration, the operation and condition of lighting, and reviewing the efficiency of water heating systems and appliances. You may choose to ask  professional auditors to come on over to do the audit. They might bring some handy instruments with them like blower doors  ...to measure the extent of leaks in the building envelope... and/or infrared cameras   ...to reveal hard-to-detect areas of air infiltration and missing insulation. But sometimes it takes a while before the auditor can get to your home, So in the meantime, you can start right away with a do-it-yourself home energy audit found right here: .

Organized Your Personal ECO-Friendly  Plan  . . . ?

Use this   instant access to free tools and resources. You can start saving on monthly electricity bill right away.  The average family can save $600+ a year on electricity by taking a few simple steps. In my home town of Asheville, North Carolina, the Average Home energy billis $1594 while the bill for an energy-efficient home is $1003 with a potential Savings of $591.   What are the figures in your area?

(FUN!) Discovered and Begun to Remedy Leaks.. .?  ...Use a spray mist bottle for this one.

Get the gang together for the indoor mist test. Spray your arms and hands. They will become the  fast and ready tools to tell you where air leaks may be found in your living spaces.  Hint: look around electrical outlets ,switch plates, window frames, baseboards, weather stripping around doors ,fireplace dampers, attic hatches, wall- or window-mounted air conditioners, dog doors , pipes and wires, electrical outlets, foundation seals, and mail slots.

(More FUN!) Found More Leaks. . .?

Teamwork pays off on this one, too. You may want to wait for a nice sunny day then venture outside to inspect all the places where two different building materials meet...like the  exterior corners, the places where siding and chimneys meet and the places where the foundation and the bottom of exterior brick or siding meet. You don't have to be a professional to notice where you need to  caulk holes or penetrations for faucets, pipes, electric outlets, and wiring. Look for cracks and holes in the mortar, foundation, and siding, and seal them up neatly.

Changed Your Light Bulbs.. .? Energy for lighting accounts for about 10% of your electric bill.

So it's always a good idea to check out the wattage on your light bulbs in your house. 100-watt bulbs use more energy than 75 watt bulbs do and you may not need all that wattage. I like the idea of replacing incandescent light bulbs with efficient  compact fluorescent lamps for areas where lights are on for hours at a time.

By now you know that the new fluorescent bulbs don't moan and flicker like the old ones did. ...Annual Savings: $60 (for upgrading your five most frequently used lights) 662 pounds of coal. Imagine what would happen if  you  upgraded your entire home!

I am into LED lighting , but you may not know about this yet... =)

FIND OUT: Start with your five most frequently used lights.

Resources
Find the best ways to save energy in YOUR home with this calculator!

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
http://yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf
/content/ClimateScienceFAQ.html

The Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center
http://cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/pns/faq.html

The United Nations Environment Programme/World Meteorological Organization:
http://www.gcrio.org/ipcc/qa/cover.html

Have you taken any or all of the above steps?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__~o
 -\_<,                                       
(*)/'(*)    ..........      ............to keep on rolling into the sustainable  world you can create today and tomorrow!. .........................    .............with

OBJECTIVE FIDUCIARY COUNSEL from Eco Certified ©Real Estate Consultants. Contact janeAnne@janeAnne.com or  give a call at 828-255-1082 . Design your dream. Give us your checklist .

ECO STEWARDS' LEARNING TOURS. Curious about sustainable GREEN real estate possibilities ?  Register for the Eco Stewards' Learning Tours.

The ECO Certified ® Real Estate Consultants at The ECO Steward Real Estate Firm  specialize in working with eco-developers and LAND for sale in the Greater Asheville, North Carolina area. We are excited about value-added, ECO-friendly properties, and focus on positive futures. Our real estate practice inspires property investments for wealth of the generous kind.

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

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Don't miss this year's Green Home Tour!   There are 37 unique green properties on the tour, ranging in price from $121,000 to over $2 million.  

The 2009 Buncombe Green Home Tour will take place between 1-5 PM on April 26^th, 2009.  The tour is self-guided and a list of the homes on the tour and directions to the homes is on the event brochure.  The Green Home Tour will be hosted at the Asheville Board of REALTORS® new office building, located at 37 Montford Avenue, Asheville, NC 28801. 

The LAND and eco development team from Eco Steward Realty Brokers will be in  lobby ready to greet you and accompany you on the tour. Even though we specialize in exceptional acreage and amazing lots, we realize that some of you may choose to build GREEN ...so we are sponsoring a short presentation by  David Brannon Landscape Architect, SiteRhythms  .

 David  (see photo)will be presenting at the Asheville Board Building on a variety of topics from sustainable land planning to environmental resource assessment ...

David has been instrumental in the landscape design of a number of eco-communities in the Greater Asheville area, and was part of the charrettes team for Mountain Landscapes Initiative.

To attend the tour,pick up a brochure at the Asheville Board of REALTORS® either on the week of April 20th or during the event.  You can also download the Green Home Tour's brochure from www.green-hometour.com.

WHAT: 2009 Buncombe Green Home
WHERE: Tour the Asheville Board of REALTORS® new headquarters at 37 Montford Avenue - then proceed onto any or all of the homes.  All homes on the tour are located in Buncombe County.

TIME: 1:00 PM 

The 2009 Buncombe Green Home Tourfeatures existing green homes for sale and pre-construction green developments.  Information will be available at the Asheville Board of Realtors on the day of the event for the pre-construction green developments that people cannot tour.