Full Circle Real Estate Group: Athens Real Estate, Sustainable Real Estate

Each year, organizations in the Athens area come together for a community-wide celebration providing citizens with the opportunity to increase their awareness of and interest in improving the environment of their home, yard, business, and community.

Events are hosted from March through May by organizations to encourage learning and to provide tools necessary for creating an environmentally friendly community.  Check out the GreenFest Calendar from March through May to learn what you can do to better our community for future generations!

When looking back over all of the properties Full Circle sold last year, I discovered an interesting statistic. We sold 48 properties worth more than $9 million and a whopping 70% of those homes were located within 3 miles of downtown.

The majority of our clients come to us wanting to find homes in walkable neighborhoods near downtown and campus that allow them to use their cars less and their feet more. The desire to live a more sustainable and energy-efficient lifestyle is starting to become the norm and a recent study shows that housing located near public transportation uses less energy than even Energy Star-rated ones in the ‘burbs.

The study conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency says that location is vital because buildings and transportation together account for about 70% of U.S. energy use and 62% of its greenhouse gas emissions.

"People can do many things to reduce their energy use: install energy-efficient light bulbs, carpool or walk or buy Energy Star appliances, among other things. But the way in which we plan and build our communities also has a significant role to play in creating a more environmentally and economically sustainable future," EPA said in announcing the results.

The Princeton Review named The University of Georgia as one of 18 colleges on its "2011 Green Rating Honor Roll" – a list of colleges that received the highest possible score (99) in its Green Rating tallies this year.

Known for its education services helping students choose and get in to colleges, The Princeton Review just reported its third annual Green Ratings of colleges: a measure of how environmentally friendly the institutions are on a scale of 60 to 99.  The Company tallied the rating for 703 institutions based its institutional surveys of colleges in 2009-10 concerning their environmentally related practices, policies and academic offerings. (www.princetonreview.com)

You can read an update on UGA's Office of Sustainability and the great strides they are making on campus in this week's Flagpole Magazine or click HERE.

We gathered the troops at Full Circle to discuss what home and building trends we thought would be in demand this year. Based on our conversations with clients, our knowledge of sustainable building practices and that crystal ball we have lying around our office, we predict we’ll hear a lot more about these Top 10 trends in 2010:

1.    Living Smaller: The days of decadence and McMansions are over. Smart builders are already figuring out creative ways to build smaller, tighter, more energy-efficient homes with better use of space. Buyers don’t want to sacrifice luxury, but they will give up square footage to lessen their footprint. The average size of a new house decreased last year for the first time in nearly three decades and we predict that trend will continue.

2.    Adaptive Reuse: You can recycle more than paper and plastic. More and more people are adapting old buildings for new uses while retaining their historic features. We’ve seen this trend grow over the last several years in Athens and it will only continue due to the demand for in-town living options.

3.    Walkability: As we mentioned, there has been a growing demand for in-town living, particularly from baby boomers, who want to live where they can walk or ride their bikes to do their daily activities. We hope Clarke County will maintain an emphasis on enhancing sidewalks, bike lanes, greenways and parks because demand for these amenities from buyers will continue to grow.

The 2nd Annual Green Life Expo will be held Friday, 10am to 5pm, and Saturday, 10am to 3pm, at The Classic Center. The FREE Expo is designed to educate businesses, families and individuals on ways to lessen their carbon footprints while saving natural resources and money. Make sure you drop by to check out all of the exhibitors and bring recyclables including home electronics (including TVs), CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes, computer games, alkaline and rechargeable batteries, fluorescent light bulbs/tubes, gently worn clothes and shoes for Soles4Souls.

Back in September, we gave props to UGA students and The Go Green Alliance for starting a grassroots effort to convice UGA President Michael Adams of the importance of a proposed Office of Sustainability. The students put it to a vote and the referendum passed with more than 80% of voters in favor of increasing student fees by $3 per semester to raise funds for sustainability initiatives on campus. However, the decision still hinged on the Presiden'ts approval.

Last week, Adams yielded to student's wishes and approved the new office to coordinate campus energy conservation, recycling and other sustainability efforts.

Read the full article HERE thanks to The Athens Banner-Herald.

Every year at Christmas my sister and I engage in a sometimes friendly, sometimes hostile, gift-wrapping contest. I’m up against the kind of person who when asked what she wanted to be when she grew up at age 5 would respond with “a gift-wrapper at Macy’s.” She turned out to be an interior designer, but her gift-wrapping skills are quite stellar. She’s elaborate. She’s precise. At times, I questioned whether she spent more money on the wrapping than my actual gift.

Needless to say, I’ve had a Susan Lucci-like losing streak going on for YEARS. However, that ended last year when I got “crafty” on her. It was simple, actually. You don’t need to spend a lot of money to make a winning presentation. I just recycled!  I used old blueprints I had lying around to wrap the gifts and used thick red ribbon I had collected from my sister's glorious designs from Christmases past to come up with a classic and original look. Simple. Cheap. Green. Victory!

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency launched a really simple and cool interactive website this week that you must check out HERE! We've also added a link to it on our Resources page.

Home owners, buyers and renters can use this resource for going green indoors and outdoors. EPA’s new Green Homes Web site will help people make their homes greener with tips on reducing energy consumption, carbon footprints, waste generation and water usage, as well as improving indoor air quality.

The latest federal survey of American housing (2007) reported 128 million housing units across the U.S., accounting for nearly 54 percent of national energy use and nearly 31 percent of all U.S. carbon dioxide emissions, the most common greenhouse gas contributing to climate change.

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, it's time for non-vegetarians to buy the turkey and plan the meal and festivities. After recently reading "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan and watching "Food, Inc.", an eye-opening and very scary movie about factory farms and our screwed up food system, I'm thinking now more than ever about where that Thanksgiving turkey comes from and what its been fed.

I contacted Nature's Harmony, a local sustainable pasture-based farm, and they've already sold out of their Heritage Turkeys, but you can go ahead and put down a deposit and order one for next year. Earth Fare still has some all natural Plainville Farms turkeys available at $2.49 a lb, which are antibiotic-free and a good option if you can't get one from a local farmer. If you are a local farmer and you still have turkeys available or you know of one, email me at katie@fullcircleathens.com and we'll post your information. I'm at a loss for more local options!

I also came across this great article with "8 Easy Green Thanksgiving Tips", so check it out HERE and think "local" and "organic" this year! Support local Fire and Flavor Grilling Company by purchasing their Turkey Perfect product made right here in Athens.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We have to give 5 Seasons Brewing in Atlanta some props for their new "green" beer concept. These guys partnered with RainHarvest Systems to create a microbrew made from 100% on-site captured rainwater.

Apparently, it takes seven pints of water to create one pint of beer. By using rainwater, the brewery is saving a ton of water and offering patrons an eco-friendly and tasty beer option. Check out the video HERE to see how this rain-barrel brew is made.

"We are extremely excited with our new partnership with 5 Seasons Brewery. We believe it uniquely demonstrates the broad array of applications where rainwater can be used instead of chemically treated drinking water; plus it is a great way to create public awareness of rainwater harvesting," said Randy Kauk, Pres of RainHarvest Systems.

The University of Georgia does not get good grades in national rankings for environmental friendliness - but the campus is making progress, and a new $6 million federal stimulus grant for energy efficiency will help, campus officials say.

UGA got a "D" on the most recent sustainability report issued by the American Association of Sustainability and Higher Education. The Sierra Club, which issues a similar score sheet, ranked UGA near the bottom of 135 schools surveyed, at 115.

"I think we do a lot more than we get credit for," said Kathy Pharr, an assistant vice president for finance and administration. "That said, I think we could better maximize our opportunities."

Gov. Sonny Perdue's office announced last week that UGA will get $6 million for eight energy-saving projects on the main campus, the university's Griffin campus and at the Marine Institute on Sapelo Island.

CLICK HERE TO READ FULL STORY IN TODAY'S ATHENS BANNER-HERALD.

It’s not a crime to love meat. After all, it’s a great source of protein, and it really tastes great. But like most things that are fun and enjoyable, it’s best to eat meat in moderation. Diets that rely too heavily on meat increase the participant’s risk of heart disease and cancer. It is also important to note that more of the world’s emissions stem from livestock farming than from transportation. The world’s livestock farms account for 18% of all the greenhouse gas emissions on the planet.

You don’t need to cut meat out of your life altogether though, as the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health just asks that you go meatless on Mondays. One meatless day a week will reduce your saturated fat intake by 15%, subsequently lowering your risk for heart disease. Scientists have found that if Americans were able to reduce their meat consumption by 20%, the amount of greenhouse gases avoided would be equal to a scenario in which every American instantly switched to driving hybrid vehicles.

MeatlessMonday.com offers some great tips on what to do without meat.  Click HERE for more info.

It's that transitional time again in Athens where U-Hauls zig-zag across town, Target makes zillions of dollars and wide-eyed freshman cram themselves into spaces as large as walk-in closets.

Since a growing number of students are showing their concern for the environment with groups such as Go Green at UGA, I thought we should show renters and apartment dwellers ways they can green their spaces. You don't have to own a place to make changes that will help the environment.

1. Make sure your windows and doors are sealed tight

2. Use CFL bulbs, which you can buy almost anywhere these days

3. Change your air filters. If that is your landlord's job, make them do it.

4. Reduce, Reuse and Recyle - www.acc-recycle.org

5. Get a low-flow shower head

6. Only run full loads in the dishwasher and laundry machine

7. Use greener cleaners

8. Put aerators in your faucets

9. If you are painting, use No or Low-VOC paint, which can be found at your local Sherwin-Williams

10. If your space doesn't already have a ceiling fan, ask your landlord if you can install one

  All commercial developments in Athens will have to be friendlier to the environment after Athens-Clarke officials begin writing new regulations next month.
  Athens-Clarke commissioners said at a Thursday agenda-setting meeting that they will start forcing developers to obtain LEED certification for all new and renovated shopping centers, office buildings and other commercial developments.
  The proposed code changes will not apply to homes or apartments.
  Green building raises construction costs and rents by a few percentage points, but actually will save businesses money in the long run by cutting down on utility expenses, said Commissioner Ed Robinson, a small-business owner.
"This is actually a business-friendly policy we're attempting to develop," Robinson said.

Click HERE for more info and a link to the story published today in The Athens-Banner Herald.

The U.S. Green Building Council just announced it is expanding the benefits of green building to include its surroundings. LEED for Neighborhood Development, one of the USGBC's newest rating systems, will be rolling out later this summer. Many practitioners and developers are waiting eagerly for this LEED rating system, which is the first to look beyond a single building and incorporate the context of a project.

This will be the first national program for green neighborhood design and construction, the rating system aims to transform the market for larger projects in terms of locations, design and performance.

Click HERE for more information on this new LEED designation.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) signed into law by President Obama in February of 2009 provides some tremendous opportunities for homeowners. In the short run, it creates jobs; in the long term, homes that use less energy will save consumers money.

But what exactly does weatherization mean? How much will it cost the average family, and what exactly can homeowners do to reap the rewards? Green building efficiency expert Charlie Szoradi and his team spent the past several months reading and deciphering this 400-page piece of legislation to create a free resource for homeowners that decodes the Act. The free Federal Tax Incentive Decoder is now available for all individuals to download.

Source: www.greenandsave.com

Modular homes and GreenPods are becoming more and more popular as an affordable way to build green. A growing cadre of architects and builders who, with varying luck, have turned to factories to build green. The homes range from simple cottages, available for less than $100,000, to high-end showpieces at $1 million or more, according to an article in today's USA Today.

These are not mobile homes, known as "manufactured" housing, but rather "modular" homes built to local codes and set on permanent foundations. They often consist of several customized modules that are placed together at the property.

"It's the future," says David Johnston, Colorado-based author of Green From the Ground Up. In the past year, Johnston has held green-building workshops at factories in several states. Click HERE for more info!

If you’ve heard only one thing about the green movement, it was undoubtedly the benefits of Compact Fluroescent Lamps in comparison to their more popular brother, the incandescent bulb. And just for the completely uninitiated, the CFL uses 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs, and, as it lasts longer as well, it will save you about $30 over the course of its use.

There are some lingering suspicions related to CFLs that may have caused some to take pause when considering the switch to CFLs, such as the supposedly high mercury content, the idea that they have higher “embodied energy”, or that moving away from incandescent bulbs will negatively impact your heating bill. These are all very silly reasons to avoid a product that is guaranteed to work better, for longer, and cost you less money. Here’s why:

"Tough economic times like these weed out those who believe that green represents an added cost that can only be sold when clients have money to burn. The designers, builders, and owners pursuing green now are those who have made it a core value of their business. They understand that building green is ultimately the frugal choice, while building otherwise is wasteful." - Editors' Letter, Green Source Magazine, March/April 2009.

Want a cool, green T? Check out www.livgrn.com, where you'll find a line of 100% organic cotton t-shirts and hoodies. The folks at Liv Grn are merging style and comfort with earth-sustaining materials. They donate 10% of their profits to Global Green, one of the world's largest and most recognized green charities.

Kermit the Frog is coming to Athens for this year’s Earth Day celebration to spread the word, “It’s SO Easy Being Green!” The 2009 Earth Day will be hosted by the Go Green Alliance and Physical Plant Division and will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Tate Plaza on Wednesday, April 22nd.

The event will include live music, free food and giveaways and live animals. Display booths with various fun and educational activities will be hosted by many of UGA’s departments and student clubs, as well as participation from various local businesses. Mayor Heidi Davison will also be in attendance.

The goal of this year’s celebration is not only to appreciate the Earth, but to try and teach UGA students how they can do their part to sustain our planet’s health and resources. With the theme, “It’s SO Easy Being Green,” the Go Green Alliance and Physical Plant Division hope to bring not only fun, but education to the day by showing students easy ways to live green. So come on out to Tate and join in the celebration!

For more information on Earth Day 2009 or the Go Green Alliance, please visit the organization’s Web site, www.gogreen.uga.edu. Or check out our blog, www.ugagogreen.tumblr.com.

Athens Technical College will host a "4Ever Green@ATC" Earth Day expo from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday with more than 30 exhibitors and vendors, tours of the Athens-Clarke Recycling Center and film screenings.

The expo will be held in the Athens Tech Student Center, while environmental awareness films will be shown in the college auditorium. The event will feature door prizes and panel discussions.

Exhibitors are scheduled to include Athens-Clarke Public Utilities and Stormwater, Athens Transit, Keep America Beautiful and the State Botanical Garden of Georgia. Source: Athens Banner-Herald

Join us for a reception and awards ceremony honoring the individuals, organizations and businesses that have made a positive impact on the environment of Athens-Clarke County over the past year. This FREE event starts at 6:30pm at the Terrapin Brewery, 265 Newton Bridge Road.

Full Circle Broker Patrick O'Brien, also President of the Athens Grow Green Coalition, is presenting the Best Development award to Transmetropolitan for their rehab project on Oglethorpe Ave. In the Fall of 2008, the owners of Transmetropolitan opened their second location at 1550 Oglethorpe Ave in the former Helan Auto Parts Store. Brothers Jay and Wesley Russo and their partner, Brian Collantuno, have provided new vitality to a previously dormant structure with this comprehensive adaptive re-use project, providing the west side of Athens with this stylish and locally-owned dining destination. The interior renovations have retained the mid-century modern character of the original structure and the flat roof construction of the building provided the opportunity for roof-top patio dining.

For more information about GreenFest events, go to www.athensgreenfest.org.

Go green and save green: Intermediate's guide

In this guide, you'll find out how to spend about $1,200 to save over $7,000 in 5 years. Here are suggestions of medium-cost things you can do to help you go green and save green. Click HERE.