Article Category: Sustainable Site Planning

Tom Owens: Certifying it Twice

Certifying it Twice: High-Performance Home Receives ENERGY STAR® 3 and Green Built Homes Certifications Tom Owens   Clients came to us a few years ago in search of someone who could both design and build a home that would be environmentally friendly, energy efficient and structurally durable. They had a...

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Jason Martini: Dome Dreaming

Dome Dreaming: Local Monolithic Dome Serves as New Model of Stewardship and Harmony Jason Martini   We are living in such a time where old systems are collapsing and failing, and it’s time to create new models that will support our future generations to survive and thrive. There are so...

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Leigha Dickens: Being a Better Corporation

The Journey to Being a Better Corporation   By Leigha Dickens “We envision a global community that uses business as a force for good.”  That is the opening line of the B Corporation declaration, a document that business leaders sign as part of a final step to transfer their company’s...

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Sam Ruark-Eastes: Permaculture

Permaculture: Green Building Meets its Revolutionary Cousin   By Sam Ruark-Eastes By now you might have heard of Permaculture. The ecological design system has reached the mainstream consciousness with articles in the NY times and many other publications. It is estimated that over 50,000 people in the US have taken a...

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Ryan Miller: Following Asheville’s Lead

Following Asheville’s Lead: Growing Green Building Across the State By Ryan Miller   Alright, Asheville. As the North Carolina city with the deepest market penetration and strongest consumer demand for green building, the rest of our state looks to you for inspiration and leadership in green building.  Many of the new...

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Tim Ormond: Green Infrastructure

Green Infrastructure: The Great Shift in Stormwater Management By Tim Ormond   There was a time when stormwater was primarily considered a problem to be tackled.  Get it off site as quickly as possible through constructed systems of gutters, pipes, ditches and concrete-lined channels.  Out of sight and out of...

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Raymond Thompson: Runoff – a sod swale

Runoff - a Sod Swale Raymond Thompson   Welcome to Western North Carolina, home of ancient mountains and rainforest conditions.  If you build here, be ready for tight building schedules, limited budgets, and small steep lots.  Builders need to be ready to get creative, stay clean, and keep from going...

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Margaret Chandler: Tree Preservation

Tree Preservation Margaret Chandler   A beautiful old tree is an asset to any home.  Providing shade, wildlife habitat, and immense charm, it is worth the effort to retain these valuable natural resources on a construction site.  Building around these trees is a collaborative process and requires cooperation of the...

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Ron Czecholinski: Echo Hills Cottages

Echo Hills Cottages: Building an Intentional, Green Neighborhood from the Inside-Out Ron Czecholinski   Echo Hills Cottages is an intentional neighborhood in West Asheville, NC that will consist of 11 homes with a small footprint starting at 800 square feet.  The homes are being certified to the Gold Level of Green...

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Garret K. Woodward: Downsizing your home, upgrading your life

Downsizing your home, upgrading your life By Garret K. Woodward   It wasn’t the initial idea Josh Scala had in mind. “This is the smallest certified green built house in North Carolina,” he said. “Which was not the original plan, but as the thing started to progress, it just turned...

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