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Green Building on the Coast
The case for resource-efficient building in a region that builds fast.
From the archive. This page keeps material published on this domain by Smart Coast, a Fairhope, Alabama nonprofit, in the years around 2004–2013. It is preserved as a record; the magazine that publishes smartcoast.org today is independent and is not that nonprofit. Contact details and personal information have been removed, and pictures that no longer exist have been replaced with credited photographs.
Photo: Chris Pruitt, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Smart Coast is an advocate for resource efficient green building. We have hosted three green building workshops and plan to continue to provide educational opportunities on this topic. Our hope is that our coastal region will soon become more involved in all aspects of resource efficient planning and building.
In many areas of the United States, municipalities are requiring that new municipal buildings be LEED certified as the mindset has shifted to awareness of short term as well as long-term resourcefulness. As areas have gained experience with the multidisciplinary approach of green building, the additional costs to “build green” have continued to drop. Now the additional costs may range from 0-1% and these costs are quickly recovered by the much lower maintenance costs. Municipalities as well as private homeowners are very interested in saving money on heating/cooling, water as well as enjoying better health due to improved indoor air quality. Smart Coast believes it does not make sense NOT to be building green. We realize there is a learning curve involved for local architects, engineers, landscape architects, and contractors. We also realize homes and commercial buildings will sell quickly in our coastal area without being resource efficient. The time will come when the tide will shift and most people will look at the bigger picture of the economic, environmental, and social benefits of resource efficient building and Smart Coast looks forward to being a part of this shift in thinking. To learn more about green building, go to www.usgbc.com.
Testimonials Andy Bauer, City Planner for Orange Beach Robin White, Alabama Power Paula Coker, Edgefield/Blu Wood Lumber Peter Clark, Pearson Pilings Norman James, Household Termite & Pest Control Lisa Hirsch, Go Green Wholesale, Inc.
