Alex Mordas - Green Building Consultant

Wondering where to send your kids to school. Got a high-acheiving, but non-traditional student; an artistically-minded student; or a science-minded student that you believe could excel..? Great. Tallahassee has many good schools that offer nationally competitive educations and regularly send students off to the Ivy Leagues and equivalents.

SAIL is, perhaps, a little more alternative than many. However, it consistently outscores state and district averages, and has won many awards.

SAIL stands for a School For Arts and Innovative Learning. Founded in 1975 with the "belief that all students can learn and succeed when provided a learning environment that meets their needs and interests. SAIL emphasizes individualization, democratic decision making, and application of academics in a humanistic atmosphere." For more information contact SAIL directly at:

2006 Jackson Bluff Road Tallahassee, FL 32304

Phone 850.488.2468

Fax 850.922.8483

sail@mail.sail.leon.k12.fl.us

Or visit the website.

Florida is renowned for - among many other things - it's lack of hills. At it's highest point - Britton Hill - it is only 345 ft. A mere bump to most. Surprisingly to many newcomers, Tallahassee does not quite fit this mold. This beautiful "old south" city has topography galore! For the cyclist in all of us, this makes Tallahassee a diverse and enjoyable area in which to live. We have hill climbs, off-road slogs, long, gorgeous, winding country rides. and plenty of bike lanes and nice downtown rides.

A local favorite for many is the St. Mark's Trail. This 16 (or 17 depending on who you ask) mile converted railroad track winds through old stands of live oak draped in spanish moss. Numerous side trips are to be found heading out from this trail for the off-roader in all of us. Perhaps the greatest thing, for those of us with growing families, is that the trail-head offers free parking, and bicycle or inline skate rental. One last "secret" of this ride is, that after 17 miles of pumping the pedals, you get to stop and take a break at Posey's Oyster Bar, "home of the topless oyster" and suck down a cold beer or coke and eat some incredibly good fried southern seafood. Who could ask for more!

For more information on cycling in the Tallahassee area, go to Capitol City Cycling Club's (CCCC) website, or check out the links here. CCCC, especially, has great links and resources for the newbie cyclist, for example, once a month at 9am, the Bruegger's Bagel ride begins for any and all newbie cyclists. It's a great way to get involved, meet people, and begin learning what Tallahassee has to offer - and get in shape. What are you waiting for.

(Click on the Banners to go to Locally Owned Tallahassee)

Here in Tallahassee, we are lucky to have such a well-developed local business network.

If you are a small business owner in the area and are interested in strengthening your business by networking, giving back to, and helping build up the community and local economy, then take a look...

Buying local - and supporting local business - is probably the fastest way to help your community develop both a strong local economy, and a unique character that will set it apart and increase the quality of life. If you don't believe me, think of what it is and why it is you love the area you live in? Local is what makes us what we are. What separates us from the neighboring town, nearby city, or next state over.

As REALTORS® we are local by nature. We are inherently invested in our local communities and through our daily work provide a valuable resource for local residents. Who knows an area better than a good REALTOR®? Who cares more that the quality of life is maintained, and that the local economy thrives? Whether we work for a national chain, or for a small local office, as independent contractors our businesses are rooted in our communities, and our success depends on all of our success.

For most folks, a REALTOR® is often the first and/or last person they will see when moving to or from an area. By supporting local businesses, REALTORS® can effectively foster the growth and development of our community's uniqueness, educate ourselves on local issues, and provide value-added service to the people we work with.

If you live in the Big Bend and you are interested in green living, this is an event you will not want to miss.

Mark your calendars for the 22nd of March, 2008.

Vendors galore, workshops, and much, much more!

Check out the Sustainable Big Bend website for more information, or contact Michelle Adamski at the following address:

Michelle Adamski, MS

Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent II
University of Florida/IFAS Wakulla County Extension>
84 Cedar Ave.
Crawfordville, FL 32327

Phone: (850) 926-3931
Fax: (850) 926-8789
E-mail: madamski@ifas.ufl.edu

Tallahassee Coffee Shops

At some point, almost everyone who moves to a new town wonders: "where is the best spot to sit down, relax and grab a great coffee..?"

Where indeed! It is often really hard to find good information on where your local coffee shops are and when they are open. Far too many otherwise-great coffee shops are small, out of the way, and known to only a handful of locals and regulars.

To help resolve this issue for Tallahassee, I've compiled a list of my favorite places (this may not be entirely comprehensive so please feel free to comment and add to it).

What these places ALL have in common, is that they 1) have good-to-great coffee, 2) are designed to be comfortable to sit for some time and work, or chat, or whatever it is you want to do in a coffee shop, AND 3) they have free wifi.

1) Hometown Coffee House

Located on Monroe Avenue, within convenient walking distance for those North of Tennessee. "The World Traveler Café promotes local eco-tourism and environmental travel to support sustainable development in poor countries. It is an active coffee shop that also provides environmental group meeting and green class room space. Co-manager Lisa Harper can be reached at lisalu303@yahoo.com and needs an evening event coordinator. All eco groups wanting to hold events should e-mail Lisa with your desired times. "

Hours of operation are somewhat iffy, due to the volunteer-run nature of the establishment. But boy do they have great, organic and fair trade coffees, comfy seating and burning hot wifi. And with "decent pizza (perhaps Tallahassee's greatest pizza establishment) right next door. It is everything you will ever need for a lazy saturday. Update... The World Traveler Cafe is not operating as a full cafe as of May 2008. There is internet, good seating and coffee available, and down the road it may become more active. Right now, it's still worth checking out as it is part of the Green Living Center, and is a nice, quiet place to sit down and get some work done.

3) Black Dog Cafe

Located on Beautiful Lake Ella, the Black Dog Cafe is definitely one of Tallahassee's favorite spots. Always busy, always relaxed, always a good coffee and an interesting spot. Lake Ella is a great spot to take a walk and meet many of Tallahassee's locals. There are also numerous other small businesses in the area including a great homemade icecream/brittle store. The Black Dog offers gourmet and specialty coffees, frappes, teas, chai, pastries, and assorted savories. After 6pm they sell wine and beer. There is often good music and always a game of chess or scrabble going on. They now have WiFi. Open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

One of Tallahassee's Greatest. The Coffee Pub is hip, clean, brews a great brew, and everything is organic, and fair trade. Free wifi is blazing hot, and the place is right next door to good food and great beer.

The Coffee Pub, at Thomasville Road and Fifth Avenue, is open from 6:30 a.m. until midnight Monday through Saturday. For more information, call 425-5701.

5) Brew and Bean

1730 W Pensacola Street
Tallahassee, FL 32304
850.224.BREW (2739)
Corner of Chapel Dr & W Pensacola St
Located at Boardwalk Village Next to Subway

Hours
7am-midnight, Mon-Fri
8:30am - midnight Sat.
1pm - midnight Sun.

This place is sometimes overrun with students, but usually an interesting mixture of all-ages. Trendy decor, large building, and great coffee, define the place. While slightly more expensive than some coffee shops, the extra cost is usually worth it. Where else can you get free wifi, a comfy seat, a friendly staff, a great cup o joe, and, AND a draft beer, or a quality wine. This place is perfect for socializing. Beer comes in real pints or half-pints. Group events, office parties, and afternoon teas are also available, just call ahead to schedule:

6) All Saints Cafe

You don't truly know Tallahassee if you don't know All-Saints Cafe! Some may be slightly off-put by the grungy, indie nature of this place. But give it a chance... The coffee is great. The staff are wonderful. Wifi is free. Food is worth eating, and it is open 24hrs a day, 7 days a week. Also worth checking out regularly to examine the art displayed on the walls - local artists exhibit work that is regularly updated. The quality varies dramatically, but sometimes is really pretty good.

903 Railroad Ave, Tallahassee Florida 32310
Tel: 850-224-0805
24 Hrs, 7 days a week.

7) Bad Ass Coffee

Located on Capital Circle, not within walking distance to anything, this quirky little place - part of a small chain - brew a fantastic cup of Kona coffee (Coffee grown in the United States, in Hawaii). Free wifi, REALLY comfortable seating, and great snacks make this a good spot if you find yourself in this part of town, or want something a little of the beaten track.

So that's the list of Tallahassee's best coffee shops (that i know of). Hope this helps, please feel free to comment and add more to this list.

As always, if you or anyone you know is in the market to buy, sell, or invest in real estate (especially if it is green), please do not hesitate to give me a call.

Alex Mordas, M.Sc.
EcoBroker® & REALTOR®
LEED for homes, Field Agent
Green Home Certifying Agent, FGBC
www.tallahassee-ecobroker.com
alexmordas@kw.com
(850) 559-4976