GreenCoast 2008 continues in Mobile

Thursday, April 10, 2008

By KATHY JUMPER

Real Estate Editor

It takes 22,000 years for Mother Nature to absorb a laptop dumped in a landfill.

Polls indicate that 38 percent of developers say building green is important, an 8.5 percent increase from two years ago.

Building a green structure can improve return on investment by 6.6 percent and decrease operating costs by

8 to 9 percent.

Mother Nature provides services valued at $33 trillion, but what is the value she gets in return from humans?

Such were the statistics released Wednesday by George Bandy II to more than 300 attendees at the GreenCoast 2008 Conference & Green Expo at the Arthur Outlaw Convention Center. It continues today from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Smart Coast, a nonprofit group that says it promotes balanced, healthy development in the Gulf Coast region, organized the event with the U.S. Green Building Council Gulf Coast chapters. The conference featured 25 speakers from around the Southeast talking about green commercial and residential building, marketing, design and products.

"We Southerners are like molasses," said Wendy Allen, co-director of Smart Coast, along with Charlene Lee. "We're slow to take something on, but once we warm up to the idea, we embrace it."

There is a fee to attend the conference, but the Green Expo is open to the public, free of charge, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The 75-plus exhibits feature energy-saving products from sports lighting and low-flush toilets to solar designs, custom closets and the latest in flooring and concrete materials. For conference information, call 251-928-2309 or see www.greencoastonline.com.

Experts say green building practices help conserve natural resources and increase the indoor air quality for residents or employees. Green building owners can reduce energy costs by 15 to 20 percent and recoup the up-front costs within several years, they say.

The green building strategy is about doing something for the next generation, according to Bandy, vice president of diversity strategy at Interface FLOR in Atlanta. The Opelika native is also former chairman of Atlanta's green building council.

"You'd be amazed how knowledgeable young people are about green building and sustainability," Bandy said. "If you're not preparing young people for sustainability, you're doing them a disservice. Sustainability is not about charity or philanthropy. It's about great design, better solutions, superior value to customers and society, and personal changes."

The green building movement is one of the biggest trends across the country, said remodeler Danny Lipford of Mobile, who is the emcee of the GreenCoast 2008. He owns Lipford Construction and hosts the nationally syndicated show "Today's Homeowner with Danny Lipford."

"It's all very similar to what we're trying to do locally, have progress and growth without spoiling the natural resources," Lipford said.

White-Spunner Construction is building its own office complex off Interstate 65 and Government Boulevard using Leadership in Energy and Environmental De sign or LEED methods -- one of the area's first.

"It was easy for me to say, let's go ahead and do a LEED building, but it took some education on the part of the engineers and staff," said John White-Spunner, president of the company, which is the major sponsor of GreenCoast 2008. "But we think it was the right thing to do. You invest more on the front end, but we will get our money back in a few years. And it will be a better working environment for the people working in the building."



GreenCoast 2008 continues in Mobile Thursday, April 10, 2008 By KATHY JUMPER Real Estate Editor It takes 22,000 years for Mother Nature to absorb a laptop dumped in a landfill. Polls indicate that 38 percent of developers say building green is important, an 8.5 percent increase from two years ago. Building a green structure can improve return on investment by 6.6 percent and decrease operating costs by 8 to 9 percent. Mother Nature provides services valued at $33 trillion, but what is the value she gets in return from humans? Such were the statistics released Wednesday by George Bandy II to more than 300 attendees at the GreenCoast 2008 Conference & Green Expo at the Arthur Outlaw Convention Center. It continues today from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Smart Coast, a nonprofit group that says it promotes balanced, healthy development in the Gulf Coast region, organized the event with the U.S. Green Building Council Gulf Coast chapters. The conference featured 25 speakers from around the Southeast talking about green commercial and residential building, marketing, design and products. "We Southerners are like molasses," said Wendy Allen, co-director of Smart Coast, along with Charlene Lee. "We're slow to take something on, but once we warm up to the idea, we embrace it." There is a fee to attend the conference, but the Green Expo is open to the public, free of charge, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The 75-plus exhibits feature energy-saving products from sports lighting and low-flush toilets to solar designs, custom closets and the latest in flooring and concrete materials. For conference information, call 251-928-2309 or see www.greencoastonline.com. Experts say green building practices help conserve natural resources and increase the indoor air quality for residents or employees. Green building owners can reduce energy costs by 15 to 20 percent and recoup the up-front costs within several years, they say. The green building strategy is about doing something for the next generation, according to Bandy, vice president of diversity strategy at Interface FLOR in Atlanta. The Opelika native is also former chairman of Atlanta's green building council. "You'd be amazed how knowledgeable young people are about green building and sustainability," Bandy said. "If you're not preparing young people for sustainability, you're doing them a disservice. Sustainability is not about charity or philanthropy. It's about great design, better solutions, superior value to customers and society, and personal changes." The green building movement is one of the biggest trends across the country, said remodeler Danny Lipford of Mobile, who is the emcee of the GreenCoast 2008. He owns Lipford Construction and hosts the nationally syndicated show "Today's Homeowner with Danny Lipford." "It's all very similar to what we're trying to do locally, have progress and growth without spoiling the natural resources," Lipford said. White-Spunner Construction is building its own office complex off Interstate 65 and Government Boulevard using Leadership in Energy and Environmental De sign or LEED methods -- one of the area's first. "It was easy for me to say, let's go ahead and do a LEED building, but it took some education on the part of the engineers and staff," said John White-Spunner, president of the company, which is the major sponsor of GreenCoast 2008. "But we think it was the right thing to do. You invest more on the front end, but we will get our money back in a few years. And it will be a better working environment for the people working in the building." © 2008 Press-Register © 2008 al.com All Rights Reserved.