The 2010 WasteWise award winners were:

Better World Books, Georgia — This company collects and sells new and used books online. They also donate a portion of each sale to help literacy initiatives worldwide.  In 2009 alone, the company recycled 7,090 tons of materials, which is equivalent to removing 2,900 passenger vehicles from the road for one year in terms of carbon dioxide output.

Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp (FCCC), South Carolina — Freightliner is the nation’s largest producer of diesel-powered chassis for the RV and walk-in van industry.  By taking a ‘green’ initiative, the company has gone from dumping 125 tons of solid waste per month in January 2008 to zero landfilling in September 2009. Not only is this great news for the environment, but it has also saved FCCC $157,598 in 2009 alone.

Fetter Group, Kentucky – Fetter Group, a printing company out of Louisville, has switched to reusable plastic shipping boxes and no longer uses “proof approval stickers,” eliminating the production of more than 10,000 proof stickers per year.  In 2009, Fetter Group was able to add $250,000 to its bottom line through its efforts to reduce waste.

Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Legal Services –The Division has implemented several environmentally friendly practices. Its paper reduction efforts saved Florida taxpayers more than $1 million in 2009.  TBy switching to electronic processing tools, paper use was reduced by 1.5 million pages per year, saving  more than $85,000.

Georgia Environmental Protection Division, Tradeport Complex – In 2009, employees recycled 100 tons of traditional recyclables and diverted one ton of used coffee grounds for use in home compost bins. These efforts saved taxpayers almost $6,500 and eliminated greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to nearly 37,000 gallons of gasoline.

The WasteWise program is a free, voluntary partnership that helps businesses reduce their environmental impact and find cost savings through innovative waste reduction and recycling activities. Currently, over 2,700 participants and endorsers are involved in the program.

For more information on the WasteWise program and the award winners, visit http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/partnerships/wastewise/events/2010awardees.htm.

“I commend St. Alban’s for demonstrating that a commitment to environmental stewardship can lower energy costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said EPA Deputy Regional Administrator Stan Meiburg.  “Energy efficiency can save money, reduce air pollution and help fight climate change.”

Like many congregations, St. Alban’s Episcopal Church is housed in a facility that has been expanded, renovated, and changed over time. The church was founded in 1953, built its first 800-square-foot building in 1954, and today occupies 14,703 square feet. The additional square footage is comprised of two separate expansion efforts, the last taking place in 2000. Energy had not been a large concern when the building was first built. But a changing world and a growing membership have moved energy stewardship as one of the most prominent positions on the church’s list of goals in the last three years.

The first steps in increasing efficiency were improvements to the older building’s envelope, adding insulation, and changing lighting from incandescent to CFL. Smaller, but significant, improvements included timers on water fountains, weather stripping, and caulk. Landscaping was upgraded to include large areas of mulch to reduce mowing and water. One office was relocated to substantially reduce HVAC expenses in the newest building. The parish has also signed up for the ENERGY STAR ® Challenge, committing to reducing energy usage by 10 percent a year. Signing the GIPL Covenant is another commitment made by the parish to help it remain on track.

Saint Alban’s Episcopal Church estimates that they are saving more than $1,500 annually in energy costs for the operation of their worship space. The savings of nearly 70,000 kWh per year represents a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the CO2 emissions from the annual electricity use of over five homes.  Efforts have not stopped with improved energy efficiency. Recycling cardboard, bulletins, newsletters, and office waste saves a ton of paper, saving 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, three cubic yards of landfill space, 4,000 kilowatts of energy and 7,000 gallons of water.

The 2010 Energy Star Small Business and Congregations Award winners used tools and resources provided by EPA’s Energy Star ® program to develop their plans and measure and track their accomplishments. By strategically managing the energy performance of their facilities, these small businesses and congregations cut utility costs without sacrificing features, convenience, style, or comfort while making significant contributions to a cleaner environment.

More about the 2010 Energy Star Small Business Award winners: http://www.energystar.gov/SmallBizAwards

Green Builder magazine, Green Builder Media’s flagship publication, has once again received recognition for its  investigative reports, analysis, design ideas and pertinent information for professionals and consumers.

The magazine received two national journalism awards from the National Association of Real Estate Editor’s annual journalism competition. The first award, “Best Trade Magazine Report for the Residential Real Estate, Mortage/Finance or Homebuilding/Residential Development Industries,” went to Green Builder’s editor in chief Matt Power for the article titled “The Limits of Technology.” The article addressed which green technologies really progress sustainability.

The second award of Best Residential Trade Magazine was granted to Green Builder magazine because of the variety, depth and beauty that the magazine holds.

The magazine is led by a veteran staff including editorial director, Cati O’Keefe; editor in chief Matt Power; and national design director, Eddie Malstrom.

For more information about Green Builder magazine, visit the website.

S&A Homes was recently awarded the 2010 Energy Star Leadership in Housing award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for qualifying an outstanding number of ENERGY STAR™ Homes in 2009.  The builder closed more than 200 Energy Star Qualified homes last year! Congratulations to S&A Homes.

For homebuyers seeking energy efficient homes at an affordable price, S&A Homes offers the E-Home. Focused on building high performance homes that combine energy efficiency, eco-friendly building materials and indoor air quality solutions, the E-Home meets all of these goals as well as provides the best value in the market.

Big deal, just another community, right?  Nope.  The Park Run community is comprised of two condominium buildings, with a total of 23 planned, making this the first multi-family housing complex to receive this certification.

Congratulations to The Jones Company!

The challenge has arisen for other condo and apartment communities to be built green, so hopefully we should see more of them.  With more consumers looking for an environmentally responsible home, The Jones Company should simply be the first with many more builders to follow suit.

Certification under the National Green Building Standard is awarded by the NAHB Research Center, a subsidiary of NAHB.  To become certified, a home is measured on energy efficiency, environmental construction, site and lot design and indoor air quality.  The builder also has to educate homeowners on proper maintenance and operation to keep their home running green.

The Park Run community utilized the expected Energy Star appliances and lights, energy-efficient windows, low-flow faucets and low-VOC flooring in their homes.  What really sets it apart though, was the handling of the site.  All unused building materials were recycled, and the landscaping uses plants native to the area to avoid excess watering.

Are you currently building green?  Check out the NAHB green scoring tool from the NAHB Research Center to determine if you’d be eligible for certification.

Developed by the GAHBA through a partnership with Southface Energy Institute, government and industry leaders, EarthCraft is a voluntary green building program that serves as a blueprint for healthy, comfortable homes that reduce utility bills and protect the environment.  Since EarthCraft’s inception in 1999, more than 450 builders have become builder members and more than 7,150 homes in the Southeast region have been certified to EarthCraft standards.

President of Wickstead Works, Frank Wickstead said, “We have remained very active despite the economy and we attribute that success in part to our partnership with the EarthCraft program.”

Each EarthCraft home follows a systems approach to home building that stresses an understanding of how the different components of a home work together.  This approach results in a home that performs better, is more economical for the homeowner and is still comparable in price to a home built with standard construction practices.

Congratulations to  WicksteadWorks on winning the Renovator of the Year Award!

If this sounds like you then make sure to get together all the necessary paperwork and forms and send them in. All applications and supporting materials must be submitted no later then February 3, 2010 on one CD. No print materials will be accepted or reviews.

Award categories include:

• Advocate of the Year (Builder, Remodeler, Individual, Group)
• Advocate of the Year (State or Local Government)
• Green Project(s) of the Year (Single Family, Remodel, Multifamily)
• Green Site Development of the Year
• HBA Green Building Program of the Year (New and Existing)

All projects entered in the Green Project of the Year category must have been started after June 2008 and substantially completed by December 2009, in order to be eligible.

How will the projects be scored?

All project entries can be scored to the green certification program of the applicant’s choice. But in order to better facilitate the judging process, all single-family homes must be scored with the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines or the ICC 700-2008 National Green Building Standard.

Multifamily and site development projects must be scored using the ICC 200-2008 National Green Building Standard.

This  Online Green Scoring Tool, provided by the National Association of Home Builders will generate checklists that can easily be saved to the submission disk.

All winners will receive one complimentary ticket to the awards dinner on May 17, 2010 as part of the 12th Annual National Green Building Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina.

So don’t delay! Make sure you fill out your forms and get your applications in as soon as possible.

Developed by Minerva Properties, this Atlanta golf community was named the 2005 Community of the Year by the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association and was also selected to receive the 2006 Grand Award for Outstanding Development by the Georgia Urban Forest Council. Since winning these prestigious awards, Heron Bay has continued their efforts to preserve the integrity of the area surrounding the Atlanta Lake Community.

Heron Bay began their extensive tree initiative program in 2002 when a beautiful American Beech Tree on Heron Bay Boulevard was saved. Since that time over 3,500 trees have been planted in the common and amenity areas of Heron Bay. Minerva has also partnered up with Henry and Spalding Counties to create tree-lined streets, planting trees on 50 foot centers twice yearly. By planting during the dormant season, this project has seen a survivability rate of almost 99%.

Greenhaven will carry the US Green Building Council’s LEED for Homes (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), Earthcraft House, Energy Star, Health House, and NAHB green building certifications and showcase the latest in green building techniques, sustainable design, state-of-art technology and energy efficiency.

Twenty of Atlanta’s top decorators, each with a fresh and unique perspective on eco-friendly design, has worked with the LEED program guidelines to transform the 7,000 square foot house into a green show home to be toured by all.

To complement the inspiring design, Pace Homebuilders’ Richard Feis will unveil Greenhaven to be an archetype for maximum sustainability and energy-efficiency. The implementation of state-of-the-art technologies in the design of Greenhaven will create a smart and functional home to evolve with the needs of today’s family.

For more information about Greenhaven, visit www.greenhavenhome.com.

You can become a Fan of Greenhaven on Facebook, www.Facebook.com/GreenhavenShowHome

The award, given by Southface and The Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association, distinguishes an EarthCraft House renovator that has gone above and beyond to reduce energy use in an existing home. The annual awards program honors the leading builders, developers, renovators and manufacturers dedicated to protecting the environment through sustainable design and construction of homes, communities and products.

WicksteadWorks is an Atlanta remodeler that builds to a minimum standard of EarthCraft certification on all projects.

The EarthCraft House program is a voluntary, green building third-party validation program that serves as a blueprint for healthy comfortable homes that reduce utility bills and protect the environment.  Since the program’s inception in 1999, more 450 builders have become builder members, and more than 7,150 homes in the Southeast region have been certified to EarthCraft House standards.