GOING FOR THE GREEN

On Monday, three of my associates and I are travelling down to Amelia Island, Florida to participate in a seminar and obtain our NAR designation as GREEN Realtors. I have always been a fan of green building practices, but this level of study should give me a whole new insight in the Green movement.

The decision to get our Green designation was spurred on by our securing a new client who is establishing the first Green Community in the Blue Ridge Georgia area. It's called Toccoa Camp, and all residents there have access to the beautiful rushing waters of the Toccoa River. A huge draw for trout fishermen, this area boasts some of the best fly fishing in the country, but the idea of getting closer to nature is being taken 1 step further by this groups planners. The whole development is building homes certified "green" and great lengths are being taken to minimize the impact of the building on the surrounding environment.

When I tried to implement green building in my own home, I took over 100 of the logs that were cleared from the house site, and recycled them back into the house. That works when you are building a log home, but the work to hand prepare each log took over a year. It was a labor of love, but not one I recommend to everyone. We also incorporated additional insulation into the exterior walls, and have 3 heat sources, including a fireplace that works like a wood, burning furnace and heats the whole first floor. I had no idea the length to which Green methods have been incorporated into building today.

Although sometimes it feels like we are a bit ahead of our time with brining Green to Blue Ridge, I hear more and more often that we are going to be going more green as a country in the coming years. I am really looking forward to learning more about the green movement in home building. I am eager to report what new discoveries I learn, next week, upon my return.