Southface Institute: Blog

Small Commercial Buildings Benefit from ACBI

Green Building

Over the past three years, Southface has conducted research on the small commercial building sector through a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. The Advanced Commercial Building Initiative (ACBI) aims to demystify building systems and remove barriers to resource efficiency. The small commercial sector (buildings less than 50,000 sq. ft.) has long been a void in the realm of resource-efficient buildings. Yet, it’s estimated they make up 90 percent of all commercial buildings and 60 percent of all commercial …

Tags: Advanced Commercial Building Initiative

Southface Board Member Leads Vets’ Initiative for American Bar Association

About Us

Linda Klein, long time member of the Southface board and past chair, is assuming the presidency of the American Bar Association next week. In and of itself, her appointment is something to be proud of, but her agenda is something further to be excited about as her term begins. Linda is developing a program to provide legal aid to veterans of the US armed forces. Linda is committed to serving those who have served our nation, and her position at …

Tags: Staff

"Ray of Hope" to be Presented at 2016 Bioneers Conference

Regenerative Design

The 2016 National Bioneers Conference will host the first-ever awards ceremony for the $100,000 Ray C. Anderson Foundation “Ray of Hope” Prize. The prize will be awarded to one of seven finalist teams in the Biomimicry Global Design Challenge, a worldwide design competition that crowdsources nature-inspired solutions to climate change issues, like food systems, water management and alternative energy.

Tags: Biomimicry

Utilities, Manufacturers Protest Federal Power Plant Rule

Policy

Southface’s own Kevin Kelly was interviewed for an excellent article about industry response to the EPA’s Clean Power Plan. See what Kevin had to say about the strength and potential of the clean energy sector in Georgia and beyond.

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Historic Preservation in Rome, Georgia

Green Building

EarthCraft, a green building certification program that is a partnership between the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association and Southface, recently assisted in the historic preservation of an apartment building that was built in the 1800s! SK Collaborative was the EarthCraft Technical Advisor for this restoration. The Greystone Apartments, an EarthCraft Multifamily project, currently serve as home to seniors and residents with disabilities in downtown Rome, Georgia. The apartment complex, originally called The Armstrong Hotel, was first restored in the wake of a fire …

Tags: Historic Preservation

Solar Cells Are Out of This World

Renewable Energy

Southface’s Kavin Manickaraj traveled to Cape Canaveral, Florida this past weekend to watch a NASA rocket launch to the International Space Station. Why is a Southface staffer going to see a rocket launch newsworthy? This rocket was carrying five thin-film solar cells that Kavin designed, destined for the International Space Station. The cells will remain at the station for between four and six months. Manickaraj was in graduate school at Georgia Tech when his research advisor, Jud Ready, came to …

Tags: Solar