Eco Office Update

Sto Powerwall Stucco Systems manufactured by Sto Corp., the leader in cladding, coating and restoration systems, was selected as the cladding of choice for the Eco Office in Atlanta. “The Southface Eco Office is the result of a unique collaboration among Southface, the owner; Lord, Aeck & Sargent, the architect; Eco Office Contractors: A Green Building Consortium (of five builders); and others who have donated their services and dollars, as well as off-the-shelf green building products and technologies, like Sto’s, that will be used in the Eco Office,” said Dennis Creech, executive director of Southface.

The three-story structure, approximately 10,000 square feet, will serve as a model of environmentally responsible commercial construction and will demonstrate that green commercial building creates a healthy and productive workplace with reduced operating costs. The Eco Office will showcase innovative ideas for saving energy and water, reducing waste, re-using and recycling materials, and maintaining a healthy indoor environment. The building will be home to a two-story classroom, two private offices and workstations for the staff.

"We wanted a cladding that offered durability, low maintenance, cost competitiveness and aesthetics," said Creech. “When a representative from Sto contacted us and showed us the product we immediately liked it.

Topping out of the stair tower at the roof: Mendieta Construction workers await arrival of concrete for the last lift of PolySteel ICFs (insulated concrete forms). Many thanks to Cherokee Pumping Co. and Pumpco Inc.; both have donated their equipment to convey concrete material to the rooftop.

The Georgia Association of Water Professionals announced the winner of the 2005 Fox McCarthy Water Wise Award at its annual spring conference. Delta Airlines was presented with this year’s award for its water conservation efforts. Delta’s maintenance division, Delta TechOps, used technology to reduce water consumption by 50 percent, saving Delta $400,000 annually.

The Southface Eco Office was presented with the Fox McCarthy Water Wise Certificate of Achievement for innovation in Water Conservation. The Eco Office will catch rainwater and store it for use in landscaping and flushing toilets. These practices help reduce water costs for Southface and for commercial builders and can lessen the burden of stormwater management for local governments while protecting the environment. Special site development and landscaping design will filter pollutants from stormwater and protect Georgia’s waterways. The Southface Eco Office will also incorporate state-of-the-art filtration and water-efficient technologies, such as low-flow and waterless fixtures. When complete the Eco Office will use 75 percent less water than a comparable office building. To put this into perspective, the water-saving fixtures used in the Southface Eco Office could save the Atlanta airport over 90 million gallons of water a year.

For more information about the 2005 Fox McCarthy Water Wise Award visit www.gawponline.org.

	Georgia Holds Second Annual ENERGY STAR® Sales Tax Holiday In an effort to help Georgia save energy, money, and protect the environment, Governor Perdue signed HB 1219 to create the ENERGY STAR® Sales Tax Holiday from Thursday, August 3rd through Sunday, August 6th, 2006.

Georgians were encouraged to look for appliances that have earned the ENERGY STAR® label, which designates products that meet strict energy efficiency criteria set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy.

Between August 3 through August 6, consumers saved both state and local sales tax on ENERGY STAR® qualified appliances that cost $1500 or less - including dishwashers, clothes washers, air conditioners, ceiling fans, fluorescent light bulbs, dehumidifiers, programmable thermostats, refrigerators, doors and windows.

Many ENERGY STAR® qualified appliances use 30% less energy than conventional models without sacrificing features, style or comfort. Some products, such as energy efficient compact fluorescent lamps, save as much as 80%. By replacing old, inefficient appliances with ENERGY STAR® qualified models, Georgians can help protect the environment while saving money and energy. Consumers can better understand the options and benefits of ENERGY STAR® qualified products by visiting the interactive ENERGY STAR® @ Home tool by visiting www.energystar.gov.

In addition to the ENERGY STAR® Sales Tax Holiday, consumers can save money with federal tax credits on doors, windows and other energy efficient products. The Energy Policy Act of 2005, signed into law on August 8, 2005, authorizes tax credits on a variety of products designed to save energy, save money and protect our environment that are available through December 31, 2007. More information on the federal tax credits is available on the ENERGY STAR® Sales Tax Holiday page at www.gefa.org.

Southface welcomes our newest interns New intern faces at Southface, L-R, Jeremie Choukroun, Anne Rogers, Marie Weis, Katie Bergfeld, Gavin Gregory (back) (Click to enlarge photo)

Southface Hellos & Goodbyes Southface welcomes: Beth Haynes as the Director of Development and Communications Southface wishes to congratulate: Kelly Hendry, former Southface intern now serving as a Residential Green Building Services Fellow Becky Rowe, former Southface intern now serving as a Policy Fellow Southface offers best wishes to departing staff: Jeremy Draper and Jim Kane Visit our staff webpage to learn more about our staff.

Southface Sizzlin' Summer Solstice Celebration

Southface thanks all of our members, friends and colleagues who joined us for our annual Summer Solstice Celebration on June 15th. The gathering was held in Southface's backyard with a great view of the progress on the Eco Office construction.

	Above left: Maggie McIntosh and Brent Stephens (Southface Interns) scoop ice cream. Above: Dave Boles, Ruth Ann Rosenberg, Beth Haynes (Southface staff) listen to a good story from Elizabeth Robertson (GEFA). Left: David Godfrey and Angela Young have a last hurray for the outgoing Atlanta Dept. of Energy. They along with many of their compatriots were recognized at the Summer Solstice event at Southface in June.
Howard Katzman (right) leads a discussion at the weekend Home Building School held June 8-11 at the Cobb Housing Center. Southface is thankful for this and other alliances that have helped with hosting our educational programs during the construction of the Eco Office.
Above left: Peter Hildebrand of Polyvision demonstrates the hardware behind the Thunder Wall to Vikram Sami and Jason Smith of Lord, Aeck & Sargent Architects. Above right: Ian Hutchinson, Executive Vice President of Polyvision, demonstrates the Thunder™ Virtual Flipchart™ System. Polyvision has donated a “Thunder Wall” to the new Eco Office. More information is online at wwwpolyvision.com. Right: “Team Jonah” from the Art Institute of Atlanta, designed and built the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR website this spring. The site is up and running, thanks to their help. L-R Ashley Shoemake (designer), Kristy McCarley (PM and Information Architect), and Peter Bault (Developer). www.southfacehome performance.com