I'll be up on the roof at LEEDing Edge on March 27th at 8:30 p.m. for Earth Hour 2010. It'll be interesting to see which buildings go dark on the Atlanta city skyline.

Of course when the lights come back on, hopefully they are fluorescent. By now we all know that fluorescent lighting is much more energy-efficient than incandescent. Much has been said about the environmental and energy gains that could be made if every home in America changed just one incandescent bulb to CFL. But even in the world of fluorescent lighting there is opportunity for significant upgrades. 

So I've got a game-changing lighting technology to share with my readers who own or manage commercial and institutional properties that have a lot of fluorescent lighting fixtures. 

The Watt-SaverTM T5 lamp adapter allows you to convert T12 and T8 fixtures to burn T5 lamps at 18 watts or 28 watts by simply bypassing the existing ballast and clipping the adapter in place of the old bulb. The adapter has it's own built-in electronic ballast that replaces the old magnetic ballast. The adapters save substantial dollars in lighting energy, HVAC costs, labor for retrofit, and ongoing maintenance. And the greenest solution is always to reuse what you have. The T5 adapter allows you to reuse the existing fixtures in place instead of sending them to our landfills.

Those who pay attention to the exciting world of flourescent lighting will also be aware that sales of replacement T12 ballasts will be prohibited after July 2010. We can all say good riddance since the typical four-lamp T12 fixture is running at 176 watts versus 76 watts for a fixture with lamp-for-lamp T5 adapters.  Many clients could de-lamp to two T5's and still get better luminance and enjoy even greater energy savings of only 36 watts per fixture.

Georgia customers can qualify for significant federal tax deductions and state tax credits for upgrading their older fixtures with these T5 adapters. Some customers are seeing up to 79% energy reductions with a pay-back of less than one year!

There are an estimated one billion T12 lamps still burning in America. Imagine the economic, environmental, and energy impact when those lamps are changed to T5. 

For a one sheet on the T5 adapter click here.

For FAQ on the T5 adapter click here. 

For any other questions please contact me at 404.421.9968.

I've been enjoying treks for several Saturdays past with what some have dubbed The Wild Wandering BeltLine Artist Tribe. We are a relatively harmless pack of two- and four-legged mammals reclaiming the BeltLine as public realm well in advance of official trails and transit. Artists are also preparing proposals for the upcoming Art on the BeltLine this spring.

Won't you join us this Saturday, March 6? The map outlines the route. We start the walk at noon in the vicinity of Park Tavern on the Southeast corner of Piedmont Park.

Understanding how plants produce power will soon help us to create homes that are their own power plants.

Recalling your high school natural science lessons, you'll remember that sunlight that hits your every day, garden-variety leaf is converted into an electric current that splits the water in the leaf into hydrogen and oxygen.

Pursuing biomimicry of photosynthesis, scientists envision solar-powered homes equipped with an electrolyzer and an energy storage appliance called a fuel cell in the basement or garage. Solar panels from the roof would supply energy for the electrolysis of a water source to produce hydrogen and oxygen to be stored in the fuel cell. This fuel cell would produce electricity to power the home at night when the sun isn't shining with enough surplus to provide juice for plug-in hybrid cars, for example. 

A quantum leap has recently been made in the development of cheap catalysts that allow the production of hydrogen from water zapped with electricity, even if it's dirty water. The beauty of this process is that the by-product of the fuel cell operation is the same water, but purified.

The final hurdle is to see a decrease in the cost of photovoltaics for solar power. This appears to be on the horizon with companies like Georgia-based Suniva delivering solutions that are driving down the cost of solar.

So we can outfit ecohomes of the near future with photovoltaics and rainwater harvesting systems working together to potentially produce enough electricity to sustain the home's power and transportation needs.

Kind of makes you want to go out and hug a tree, doesn't it?

Stop fighting it. You know you want to.

My brother Speech & Co. bringing us a pertinent message buoyed by some sweet rhythm, harmony and melody.  Thanks for taking us to the other side, AD. This pilgrim is singing your tune...

Yesterday I spent the morning showing my clients several properties. Nothing unusual there for a real estate broker. Except that we did all the showings on foot. It was cold and overcast but my Buyers were game so we covered some ground in the Old Fourth Ward. The tour included a range of homes, from a $49K 1895 row house within view of the MLK Jr. birthplace to a stunning $749K 3 story modern with city skyline views from the roof terrace. All within a few city blocks. Talk about diversity.

This is a logical approach to buying when part of the attraction to the area is the walkability.

The latest demographical and consumer behavior data suggest that this may become a routine experience for me. A recent Urban Land Institute report focuses on major demographic waves to watch in the new decade. The study centered on four major people groups: Aging Baby Boomers, Younger Baby Boomers, Generation Y, and Immigrants. All of these groups have some common characteristics that reflect a desire to live in more pedestrian-friendly, transit-oriented, mixed-use environments that de-emphasize auto dependency, whether the location is urban or suburban, the report noted.

So how do I articulate this growing demand? In the past I've promoted Rail Estate [homes within 1/2 mile of MARTA] and homes within bike-friendly communities. Real Estate company Pedal to Properties calls bike-friendly properties Wheel Estate. I'll take a cue from them and call homes in walkable neighborhoods Heel Estate.

If you find yourself in step with this trend you should know that The Old Fourth Ward scores high in all these categories: 

• WalkScore.com gives the neighborhood high 80's, making the area rich in "Very Walkable" Heel Estate.
• Located in close proximity to heavily-trafficked bike paths on Freedom Parkway and the Edgewood Avenue corridor makes bike culture increasingly pervasive and Wheel Estate abundant. 
• As a primary node on the developing BeltLine, the area will continue to evolve as premium territory for pedestrian-, bike-friendly, transit-oriented lifestyles. Or Rail, Wheel, and Heel Estate. 

Ready to go house hunting in a walkable, historic, intown community? Put on your walking shoes and let's stroll!

City of Atlanta has millions of dollars available to help with down payments for homes on the BeltLine. Here are some program basics:

• 10 – 20% of purchase price
• Purchase price limit is $252,890
• Must be in the BeltLine Tax Allocation District. 
• Income eligibility:
  • 1 or 2 person household: $71,200 household income or less
  • 3 or more person household: 81,800 household income or less
• Assistance is in the form of a 0% interest second mortgage
• Repayment of mortgage is due in full upon sale, refinancing, or when the home is no longer owner-occupied. Mortgage loan is forgiven after 15 years.

Let me assist you in acquiring your very own home on the BeltLine in 2010! Email me or call 404.421.9968 today.

Last year Clayton Homes of Knoxville, TN made a quantum leap in sustainable and affordable living with their introduction of the i-house. This is the little house that roared across the blogosphere in 2009 [it was #1 in Top 10 Jetson Green Stories of 2009].

I'm stoked to begin the new year/decade by announcing the Berkshire Hathaway company is bringing the i-house to Atlanta.

In addition to solar, this i-house will be the first to feature the i-raincatcher, a rainwater harvesting system custom designed to fully leverage the rain catchment capabilities of the ecohome's metal butterfly roof.

As my readers know, I'm fond of christening projects. I'm calling Atlanta's first i-house the LightHouse because this home will be a beacon of sustainability and affordability to the Atlanta community.

This home will define sustainable with the following features:

• Solar panels 
• Whole-house rainwater harvesting system
• HERS rating of 42 [Almost 60% more energy-efficient than the typical new home]
• System built [greenest way to build]
• Location efficient [embedded in one of Atlanta's most walkable neighborhoods and close to MARTA, future BeltLine, and bike paths] 

This home will define affordability because of:

• Potential utility costs of $1 per day courtesy of the HERS rating and solar panels
• Potential $0 per month water bills
• Energy tax credits of 65% of cost of solar
• Price point well below homes with similar green features

The i-house homeowner will live light-on-the-land with operational costs that will be light-on-the-pocketbook.

We will be announcing the location soon, so stay tuned...

Georgia Solar Energy Association does it's part every year to inspire us with local real-world examples of solar projects. On October 3, 2009 GSEA sponsors an educational tour featuring homes, businesses, and educational/government/religious facilities with solar system installations. Visit www.gasolar.org for more info. The tour ends later that day at the German-inspired Hotoberfest in Glenwood Park where attendees can enjoy craft brews and a solar-powered music venue. Ain't it cool how all this ties together?

We are proud to have our premiere ecohome listing, Eden House, as part of the tour, showcasing the solar hot water system.

With the federal, state, and local incentives, the time has never been better to implement your own solar energy system.

I feel immense frustration at the slow pace of change in the face of the increasingly urgent need for more sensitive and responsive human environments," Prince Charles wrote.

"The task is made all the harder by the short-term thinking that still predominates in so many spheres of life: a perspective which threatens at a fundamental level our ability to avert catastrophic climate change…

"Expressed in terms of the built environment, within the UK, the emphasis of my foundation remains on maintaining the drive towards dense, mixed-use, walkable development in preference to suburban sprawl, as well as the evolution of residential design to show that 'eco-homes' can be as attractive and courteous to their surrounds as the most desirable traditional dwellings."