Results from the ENERGY STAR National Building Competition: BOOTCAMP Green Building Dayna Thompson | April 26, 2017 The EPA recently announced results from the ENERGY STAR® National Building Competition: BOOTCAMP. The competition “challenged building owners, managers, and occupants to reduce energy and water use, and save money over just 90 days!” Over 800 buildings tracked their performance using ENERGY STAR PORTFOLIO MANAGER in order to increase monthly savings. Two Nonprofit Energy and Water Efficiency (NEWE) Initiative program participants, Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Minnesota – Southside Unit and East Texas Food Bank, and Premier Academy, a … Continue reading “Results from the ENERGY STAR National Building Competition: BOOTCAMP” Read More Tags: Boys and Girls Clubs, Energy Star, Feeding America, Gooduse
The 2016 ENERGY STAR National Building Competition: BOOTCAMP Green Building Dayna Thompson | April 24, 2017 The 2016 ENERGY STAR National Building Competition: BOOTCAMP took place from Sep 1 through Nov 30, 2016. The competition was a chance for more than 800 buildings to cut back on energy and water usage. Competing teams tracked their buildings’ performance using the ENERGY STAR PORTFOLIO MANAGER in order to increase monthly savings. Two NEWE Initiative program participants, Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Minnesota and East Texas Food Bank, and Premier Academy, a Grants to Green recipient, all placed … Continue reading “The 2016 ENERGY STAR National Building Competition: BOOTCAMP” Read More Tags: Gooduse
Georgia’s Low-Income Housing Developers Can Lead on Solar Renewable Energy Shan Arora | April 10, 2017 Georgia has an uplifting solar story to tell. We had 22 megawatts (MW) of installed solar in 2012 when Southface launched the Solar Map available on www.GeorgiaEnergyData.org. The state exceeded 1,100 MW by the end of 2016. However, our tracking of solar installations in Georgia also reveals that the vast majority of this capacity is in the form of solar farms that sell electricity exclusively to utilities. Very little distributed generation (DG) solar capacity is being added that directly benefits … Continue reading “Georgia’s Low-Income Housing Developers Can Lead on Solar” Read More Tags: Affordable Housing, Solar
LaFayette Transformation Plan Communities Dayna Thompson | April 6, 2017 Private developer Rea Ventures, in partnership with Southface, is funding a Transformation Plan for the city of LaFayette, GA in hopes of developing approximately 60 units of housing for the underprivileged community. Following the Georgia Department of Community Affairs guidelines, the team is engaging the community and working with local officials and partners to develop a shared vision for the future of Lafayette. Having a plan in place prior to construction helps the community accommodate future growth while preserving what … Continue reading “LaFayette Transformation Plan” Read More Tags: Affordable Housing
Southface Annual Report About Us Staff Editor | March 31, 2017 2016: A year of transition and visioning BARRY R. GOLDMAN, CHAIR Senior Vice President & General Counsel Acuity Brands Lighting, Inc. Dear friends of Southface, 2016 was a year of planning, transition and visioning for the Southface staff and governing board in preparation for new leadership. The senior staff team refined best-in-class management practices. Thanks to a Toolbox Grant from the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, the board received consulting and coaching to transition from a board working alongside a … Continue reading “Southface Annual Report” Read More Tags:
The Atlanta Audubon Society Partners with the Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge to Create Lights Out Atlanta Green Building Dayna Thompson | March 22, 2017 The Atlanta Audubon Society has announced that they will be working with the Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge (ABBC) to create a new, voluntary program called Lights Out Atlanta. The program hopes to educate people about reducing the number of bird deaths in Atlanta due to unnecessary light use. According to the Atlanta Audubon Society, an estimated 350 million to 1 billion birds die in the United States every year due to building collision. Because most birds migrate at night, brightly … Continue reading “The Atlanta Audubon Society Partners with the Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge to Create Lights Out Atlanta” Read More Tags: Better Buildings Challenge
Reliable is Proud to Offer ENERGY STAR Verified Installation in Georgia Green Building Dayna Thompson | March 22, 2017 According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), many utilities have prescriptive rebate programs that offer incentives for high efficient HVAC equipment. But nearly half of all heating and cooling equipment in U.S. homes never performs to its advertised capacity and efficiency due to poor design and incorrect installation. This means homeowners pay higher operating costs over the life of the equipment and utilities may not be realizing their deemed energy savings they had anticipated. In an effort to address … Continue reading “Reliable is Proud to Offer ENERGY STAR Verified Installation in Georgia” Read More Tags: Energy Star
Greenprints 2017 Keynote Overview: Disrupting Urban Regeneration – Unlocking the Power of Neighborhood EventsGreen Building Dayna Thompson | March 16, 2017 Since 1998, Greenprints has brought together thought leaders in sustainability throughout the Southeast and beyond to discuss building performance, energy policy, community design and more. In that tradition, we were honored to have Rob Bennett as our 2017 keynote. Bennett, a recognized leader in the sustainable cities movement, is CEO of EcoDistricts, and his keynote address highlights urban regeneration. In his presentation, Bennett reimagines neighborhood-scale development as the fundamental solution that will transform cities into sustainable neighborhoods. While addressing steps … Continue reading “Greenprints 2017 Keynote Overview: Disrupting Urban Regeneration – Unlocking the Power of Neighborhood” Read More Tags: Greenprints
Tiny Houses Coming to Atlanta? Policy Joey Shea | March 16, 2017 Tiny Houses are seeing strong progress in Atlanta. Current code and zoning ordinances make Tiny Houses throughout most of the city either fully illegal or not feasible. Southface has worked closely with the City of Atlanta Office of Planning and Community Development on a Tiny House feasibility study, examining the policy barriers and code obstacles to micro-housing and Tiny House construction. Supported by Tiny House Atlanta, the nation’s largest meetup group for Tiny House enthusiasts, political will is building to … Continue reading “Tiny Houses Coming to Atlanta?” Read More Tags: Tiny House
Southface Presents the 2017 Fulcrum Awards: Three Winners Emerge from a Group of Ten Applicants Events Southface Staff | March 9, 2017 Atlanta, GA – March 9, 2017 – Southface has long understood the value of partnership in creating sustainable homes, workplaces and communities. With a call for “Raising Consciousness, Tipping the Balance,” the Southface Fulcrum Awards program was designed to recognize people, programs, buildings, movements, organizations and more that all demonstrate excellence in pursing Southface’s vision: a regenerative economy, responsible resources use and social equity through a healthy built environment for all. The second annual awards were presented yesterday at Southface’s … Continue reading “Southface Presents the 2017 Fulcrum Awards: Three Winners Emerge from a Group of Ten Applicants” Read More Tags: Greenprints
