Saturday, April 30, 2005
eHOMES.& $$$ REWARDS FOR YOU
Greetings All!
If you are planning to meet with Asheville 1031/Eco-STEWARD Realty to find and invest in land and sooner or later build a home in the Greater Asheville area, it might be a wise choice to gather as much information as you can on providing a healthy home for your family... That's why I have been working on a task force to gather and offer such information. Another member of our task force told me all about NC HEALTHY BUILT HOMES...I was so impressed, I went on over to visit their web site... and found this! Let me know what YOU think!
All the Best,
janeAnne
natureWalker@janeAnne.com
North Carolina HealthyBuilt Homes Program
The new NC HealthyBuilt Homes Program provides a comfortable, healthy and affordable house that reduces energy and water usage and helps protect the environment.
Builders select materials and processes to reduce pollution and the waste of natural resources both during the manufacturing and construction phases and throughout the life of the home, and give careful attention to energy efficiency and indoor air quality. Because the quality, amenities, and energy savings are evident, these homes have a higher value and are easier to sell.
A Program for North Carolina Builders
There are currently more than 25 residential “green” builder programs across the country providing technical and marketing assistance to builders who wish to reduce the energy use and environmental impact of the homes they construct. These programs typically establish guidelines, verify compliance and publicize the benefits of owning a high performance or “green” home.
Participating builders can display recognizable logos that let potential buyers know they are dealing with a builder who is committed to offering a superior product.
The NC HealthyBuilt Homes program launched in North Carolina focuses on collaboration between the NC Solar Center, the State Energy Office, NC Department of Administration and local communities. In addition, HealthyBuilt Homes recognizes and gives credit for the following programs:
Energy Star
Environments for Living
System Vision
Getting Started
Download the NC HealthyBuilt Homes Program Checklist
Download the Builder Benefits Document
Request an enrollment package from the NC HealthyBuilt Homes Coordinator at HBH coordinator
View existing examples of green building technologies in North Carolina
Contact the North Carolina Solar Center for design reviews, educational workshops, and professional development. For technical assistance by phone, call 919.515.5666 or email the center.
Click here for information about Design Reviews.
Click here for information about Educational Workshops.
Click here for information about Professional Development.
Learn about tax credits for renewable energy and historical preservation available to help you financially.
Click here for information about NC Renewable Energy Incentives.
For more information, contact the NC HealthyBuilt Homes coordinator at the NC Solar Center.
If you are planning to meet with Asheville 1031/Eco-STEWARD Realty to find and invest in land and sooner or later build a home in the Greater Asheville area, it might be a wise choice to gather as much information as you can on providing a healthy home for your family... That's why I have been working on a task force to gather and offer such information. Another member of our task force told me all about NC HEALTHY BUILT HOMES...I was so impressed, I went on over to visit their web site... and found this! Let me know what YOU think!
All the Best,
janeAnne
natureWalker@janeAnne.com
North Carolina HealthyBuilt Homes Program
The new NC HealthyBuilt Homes Program provides a comfortable, healthy and affordable house that reduces energy and water usage and helps protect the environment.
Builders select materials and processes to reduce pollution and the waste of natural resources both during the manufacturing and construction phases and throughout the life of the home, and give careful attention to energy efficiency and indoor air quality. Because the quality, amenities, and energy savings are evident, these homes have a higher value and are easier to sell.
A Program for North Carolina Builders
There are currently more than 25 residential “green” builder programs across the country providing technical and marketing assistance to builders who wish to reduce the energy use and environmental impact of the homes they construct. These programs typically establish guidelines, verify compliance and publicize the benefits of owning a high performance or “green” home.
Participating builders can display recognizable logos that let potential buyers know they are dealing with a builder who is committed to offering a superior product.
The NC HealthyBuilt Homes program launched in North Carolina focuses on collaboration between the NC Solar Center, the State Energy Office, NC Department of Administration and local communities. In addition, HealthyBuilt Homes recognizes and gives credit for the following programs:
Energy Star
Environments for Living
System Vision
Getting Started
Download the NC HealthyBuilt Homes Program Checklist
Download the Builder Benefits Document
Request an enrollment package from the NC HealthyBuilt Homes Coordinator at HBH coordinator
View existing examples of green building technologies in North Carolina
Contact the North Carolina Solar Center for design reviews, educational workshops, and professional development. For technical assistance by phone, call 919.515.5666 or email the center.
Click here for information about Design Reviews.
Click here for information about Educational Workshops.
Click here for information about Professional Development.
Learn about tax credits for renewable energy and historical preservation available to help you financially.
Click here for information about NC Renewable Energy Incentives.
For more information, contact the NC HealthyBuilt Homes coordinator at the NC Solar Center.
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Asheville Wins Quality of Life Awards!
It's great to live in the Asheville area...there is so much here to inspire and support the kind of quality of life so many of us seek. In 2005, Asheville won numerous quality of life awards...following up on similar awards from previous years. so far Asheville's kudos include:
RelocateAmerica.com: Named Asheville #9 in “America’s Top 100 Places to Live in 2005.” The nominated towns were compared against education, crime, employment and housing data for the past year.
Men’s Journal: Western North Carolina attractions, Asheville's Early Girl Eatery and The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa listed in its "12 Months of Adventure" expert's guide to the perfect trip in 2005. (February 2005)
Conde Nast Traveler: Named the Inn on Biltmore Estate to its 2005 Gold List: The World's Best Places to Stay.
The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa was named to the 2005 Gold List Reserve.
Pinnacle Living Magazine: Asheville rated one of the top 25 towns in the Southern mountains for relocation, second homes and retirement. (2005)
We specialize in second/vacation homes and relcation innovation!
Please check out our Featured Listings at:
www.janeAnne.com
and contact:
KUDOS@janeAnne.com
RelocateAmerica.com: Named Asheville #9 in “America’s Top 100 Places to Live in 2005.” The nominated towns were compared against education, crime, employment and housing data for the past year.
Men’s Journal: Western North Carolina attractions, Asheville's Early Girl Eatery and The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa listed in its "12 Months of Adventure" expert's guide to the perfect trip in 2005. (February 2005)
Conde Nast Traveler: Named the Inn on Biltmore Estate to its 2005 Gold List: The World's Best Places to Stay.
The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa was named to the 2005 Gold List Reserve.
Pinnacle Living Magazine: Asheville rated one of the top 25 towns in the Southern mountains for relocation, second homes and retirement. (2005)
We specialize in second/vacation homes and relcation innovation!
Please check out our Featured Listings at:
www.janeAnne.com
and contact:
KUDOS@janeAnne.com
Thursday, April 14, 2005
~Info Bit~
THINGS TO KNOWabout WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA
Here are some amazing links the LAND LEGACY LADY HAS CHOSEN FOR YOU TO SEE :-)
HERITAGE AWARDS
Together We Read strives to develop an interest in reading and discussion through a focus on good literature and on issues relating to our region. In this way, we create our own common text; and spread the word about important efforts and achievements in the field.
Architectural Heritage Award
Mars Hill College. Documentation of the history of its buildings for National Register historic district status. Eighteen structures, dated 1892 to 1947, comprise the earliest surviving higher education complex in western North Carolina. www.mhc.edu 689-1298
Commemoration Award
Polk County Library & Polk County Travel and Tourism. Creation of a series of programs and a historic tour and map for the county’s sesquicentennial. James Metcalf created the map for a program highlighted by an event at the Polk County courthouse, Jan. 20, 2005. www.nc-mountains.org publib.polk.nc.org 894-8721
Cultural Revival Award
Eastern Band of the Cherokee, Cultural Resources. Revitalization of the Cherokee language through total immersion infant rooms and Cherokee language stories on tape. 497-1597
Documentation Award
UNCA Ramsey Library Special Collections. The addition, description, and posting of many important collections, including the Speculation Lands Collection; Biltmore Industries Archive; and collections on Black Highlanders and on Jewish Life in WNC. www.toto.lib.unca.edu 251-6645
Photographic Archive Award
Pack Memorial Library, N.C. Collection. Addition of several special collections. The N.C. Collection contains thousands of photographs of the region, indexed. Recent acquisitions include photos: from Robert Brunk, relating to crafts; of St. Joseph’s Hospital; from Six Associates; and of events covered by the Enka-Candler Record. www.buncombecounty.org/governing/depts/library/ 250-4750
Oral History Award
Center for Diversity Education. Creation of the archive and exhibit, “WWII Mountain Memories: Home Front to the Front Line.” Reid Chapman and Center volunteers produced 140 interviews, which will go to the Library of Congress, and which form part of a traveling exhibit. www.main.nc.us/diversity 254-9044
Biography Award
Western Carolina University Hunter Library. Creation of website, “Horace Kephart: Revealing an Enigma,” and collections that inform it. Using a variety of media, the library has created an archive around the life and times of Horace Kephart. Its website presents photos, artifacts, documents, writings, maps, and links to other sources of information. www.library.wcu.edu/togetherweread 227-7474
Popular History Award
West Asheville Library. Development of the first archive of West Asheville history and the production of an interactive CD. Phyllis Lang, Susan Reiser, and Culley Holderfield worked with the West Asheville History Project Committee. 251-4990
Literary Voices Award
City Lights Bookstore and Spring Street Editions. Publication of “Wake,” CD and book, and “Gatherings,” an anthology. “Wake” comprises poems by Kathryn Stripling Byer written in the aftermath of 9/11. “Gatherings” includes fruits of a contest inspired by Word and Witness: 100 Years of N.C. Poetry. www.citylights.booksense.com 586-9499
Gallery Award
Haywood County Library & Haywood County Historical Society. Exhibit of “Haywood County’s Southern Highlanders,” portrait paintings of 32 pioneers by Waynesville artist Frank Saunders. www.haywoodlibrary.org 452-5169
Creative Approach Award
Appalachian Cultural Museum. Artine Artinian Self-Portrait Collection. Over the last 25 years, Artinian, Boone resident and retired Bard College professor, has commissioned artists and local citizens to create self-portraits. The collection now numbers over 400 original works of art in a variety of media. www.museum.appstate.edu 262-3117
Environmental Heritage Award
Quality Forward. Treasured Trees Program. The program documents and recognizes the largest, oldest, and most beautiful trees in the area. A 2005 calendar features the trees. Quality Forward has also planted over 15,000 trees in Buncombe County. www.qualityforward.org 254-1776
Agricultural Heritage Award
Western North Carolina Nature Center, Charles D. Owen Educational Farm. Care of species of endangered livestock that were once common in the mountains, and provision of related educational programs. The Center participates in the Vanishing Breeds program of the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. www.wildnc.org 298-5600
Land Stewardship Award
The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy. Conservation, restoration, and management of the Highlands of Roan and of wild tracts in five other geographic regions. Working with property owners, the U.S. Forest Service, and other conservation groups, the conservancy has legally guaranteed protection of wild land in seven regions. www.appalachian.org 253-0095
Pioneer Award
Old Buncombe Genealogical Society. First Families program. The program honors the regions’ first settlers by providing the method by which people can authenticate and document ancestors who lived in Buncombe County between 1792 and 1800. At that time, Buncombe covered thirteen counties. Over 300 applications have been approved to date. www.obcgs.com 253-1894
Natural Sciences Award
Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College. French Broad River Water Sampling Project. Inspired by Wilma Dykeman’s chronicle, The French Broad (Together We Read’s 2002 choice), the college engaged biology and chemistry students to document the history of the river’s ecology and create an ongoing database. www.abtech.edu/as/french 254-1921
Education Award
Warren Wilson College, Environmental Leadership Center. EcoTeam curriculum for third-graders. College students reached over 5,000 children with a variety of lessons, from map-reading to the study of species interaction. www.warren-wilson.edu/~elc/ecoteam 771-3006
Community Award
YMI Cultural Center. A combination of cultural, civic, and economic efforts geared toward celebrating and fostering African-American and Latino heritage. Along with candidate forums, and the Goombay and Festina Latina festivals, the YMI develops exhibits such as “Forebears & Trailblazers: Asheville’s African-American Leaders, 1800s-1900s.” www.ymicc.org 252-4614
Leadership Award
Friends of Mountain History. Support of heritage-related groups throughout 24 WNC counties. Over the last four years, FOMH has provided matching fund grants to 18 organizations, sponsored major educational programs, and served as a clearinghouse and advocacy agency. www.fomhnc.org 687-7234
~Visitor Bit!~
The press will tell you to visit the Greater Asheville area for our wonderful amenities—from the cultural to the “natural." Here's a "Visitor Bit" as a start from the perspective of one who lives here and feels very lucky...(more to come soon!)
THINGS TO DO AND WHERE TO GO TO FIND OUT MORE:
Hiking in the forests ranks high on my list of favorite things, especially when the wildflowers begin to peek out at this time of year. The cascades and waterfalls are “noisy” now, and so are the birds. But it’s a joyous noise. Here’s a link to the North Carolina National Forests site If you go there, this site might help you to decide where you’d like to listen first!
Maybe you are attracted to education, research, conservation, and even gardening advice and plant sciences. If so, I know a wonderful 426-acre site is nestled in one of the most beautiful natural settings in the United States. Mountain peaks bound the property's visual perimeters and 1.8 miles of the Bent Creek stream run through this place. It is the Arboretum. Here you can take a glorious nature walk. The NC Arboretum close to Asheville and great for a single person or a family to visit.
If you yearn for waterscapes and adventure, the Nantahala Outdoor Center on the way out to the French Broad rafting areas might satisfy you. You can fly down the River on exciting rafting trips, with the skilled help of guides!
If flying down the River doesn’t attract you, how about a nice leisurely drive on the amazing Blue Ridge Parkway ?
more soon
or email me for INFO sooner!
natureWalker@janeAnne.com
THINGS TO DO AND WHERE TO GO TO FIND OUT MORE:
Hiking in the forests ranks high on my list of favorite things, especially when the wildflowers begin to peek out at this time of year. The cascades and waterfalls are “noisy” now, and so are the birds. But it’s a joyous noise. Here’s a link to the North Carolina National Forests site If you go there, this site might help you to decide where you’d like to listen first!
Maybe you are attracted to education, research, conservation, and even gardening advice and plant sciences. If so, I know a wonderful 426-acre site is nestled in one of the most beautiful natural settings in the United States. Mountain peaks bound the property's visual perimeters and 1.8 miles of the Bent Creek stream run through this place. It is the Arboretum. Here you can take a glorious nature walk. The NC Arboretum close to Asheville and great for a single person or a family to visit.
If you yearn for waterscapes and adventure, the Nantahala Outdoor Center on the way out to the French Broad rafting areas might satisfy you. You can fly down the River on exciting rafting trips, with the skilled help of guides!
If flying down the River doesn’t attract you, how about a nice leisurely drive on the amazing Blue Ridge Parkway ?
more soon
or email me for INFO sooner!
natureWalker@janeAnne.com
Friday, April 01, 2005
Asheville = Herb Heaven!
Around the Greater Asheville area, some say they are in "Herb Heaven".
Herb farms are proliferating in the welcoming mountains around Asheville's Buncombe County and in Madison County to the north. The land and more particularly the lay of the land is wonderful for growing all kinds of herbs. With a mounting interest in both the medicinal uses of herbs, as well a renewed recognition of their culinary appeal, our "Appalachian Paradise" attracts thousands of herb enthusiasts who may come to visit but end up choosing to make Western North Carolina their home.
As their real estate professional with Eco-STEWARD Realty, Inc. , I traverse the Appalachian farmlands, my trusty dog at my side. He has a "real nose" for this kind of thing. (I'm smiling.) We enjoy searching out properties on which to develop herb farms, always with a focus on organic gardening.
This year the Farmer's Market will fill with the sweet smell of herbs and herbal products as the Herbfest comes to Ahsville the first week of May. This is the largest festival of its kind in the entire Southeast. This year too, master gardeners and herb specialists will be available to answer questions and offer tips while shoppers browse through a variety of plants, take home ideas for culinary creations or discover a multitude of gifts from essential oils to dried herb decorations. (see below for details)
If you chose to come then, make your appointment with me EARLY if you are ready to invest in an herb farm!
natureWalker@janeAnne.com
HERBFEST INFO:
May 6 -8. Asheville, North Carolina Send to a Friend The Western North Carolina Spring Herb Festival at the WNC Farmer's Market will include a wide selection of herb plants, as well as herb crafts, books, soaps, teas, salves, baked goods and more. Education programs and herb information will also be offered by master gardeners. Admission is free. Contact: WNC Spring Herb Festival, P.O. Box 103, Mars Hill, NC 28754Phone: (828) 689-5974URL: http://www.wncherbfestival.com
MEDICINAL HERBS:
June 4 -6. Black Mountain, North Carolina Send to a Friend The annual symposium on herbal medicine at Blue Ridge Assembly near Asheville, North Carolina, will include workshops on the following topics and more: childhood obesity, osteopenia, pain management, muskulo-skeletal health, early Alzheimer's, cardiovascular case histories, cancer prevention, clinical Ayurveda, environmental causes of thyroid dysfunction, and an herb contraindications update. CE credit available for health professionals. Contact: Blue Ridge AssemblyPhone: (800) 252-0688URL: http://www.botanicalmedicine.org
