Presenters:

John Legerton, Legerton Architecture

Katie Bray, Blue Ridge Sustainability Institute

The April 2013 Green Monday highlighted residential solar energy in addition to complimentary clean energy sources that contribute to a “net-zero” building design.

The benefits of solar and other alternative energy sources are familiar to many Asheville residents and friends of the Blue Ridge Sustainability Institute.

Questions we face are:

• Is Asheville ready for solar energy to be part of every home’s energy source?
• What steps can we take to “grow” solar energy?

John Legerton, president of Legerton Architecture, introduced a project his firm is developing that incorporates a comprehensive array of green technologies including solar as a primary feature. Katie Bray presented a residential solar initiative coordinated through the Blue Ridge Sustainability Institute called “Solarize Asheville.”

The emphasis of this event was group discussion to explore implications of both approaches for Asheville and communities in our region.

Presenters:

Cecil Bothwell, Asheville City Council

Richard Fireman, Regional Director, N.C. Interfaith Power & Light

Building on the Green Monday spring theme of ENERGY, the March 18 Green Monday highlighted Zero Energy Districts (ZED) and community based energy efficiency (EE) initiatives. Benefits of both initiatives are familiar to friends of BRSI – reduced carbon emissions, cleaner air, lower energy costs, and getting the most out of the energy dollars we spend.

The questions we focused on was “Can these initiatives add to sustainable energy momentum in Asheville? And if so…how?”

Cecil Bothwell reported on his visit to the FortZED community partner initiative in Fort Collins, Colorado. Richard Fireman offered a presentation on Clean Energy Durham, a neighborhood initiative designed to support local action toward clean energy & energy efficiency.

The emphasis of this event was group discussion to explore implications of both approaches for Asheville and communities in our region.

Click the image to view the March 2013 e-newsletter. Or view our archived newsletters.

Presenter: Patrick Harper, Clean Energy Regional Planner, Land of Sky Regional Council

Click the image to view the December 2012 e-newsletter. Or view our archived newsletters.

A dynamic discussion of the opportunities and barriers to leveraging Asheville’s existing strengths in sustainability and tourism for the greater benefit of the community.

One of Asheville’s key community values has long been environmental conservation and sustainability, driven by its beautiful mountain home. One of its key economic strengths has long been tourism, also driven strongly by mountains and scenery.

In December, BRSI will expand on its Eco-tourism Green Mondays from last year by exploring the intersection of sustainability and tourism at the local business level, focusing on how (and whether) sustainability and tourism can be leveraged against each other for greater benefit to the community. This Green Mondays will be led and moderated by Green Restaurant Initiative Director Tim Ballard.

Panelists will include:

• Jamie Ager- Hickory Nut Gap Farms
• Michael and Marty Yates- Noble Rock Resort
• Vicki Schomer- Asheville Green Cottage
• Jessie Lehmann- Asheville Bike Taxi
• And More!

Hosted by the Blue Ridge Sustainability Institute

BRSI Green Mondays are held in the Board Room of the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce Building from 4-5:30p.m. Green Mondays are sponsored by Progress Energy, with support from the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce, Lenoir Rhyne University Graduate Center, and Purplecat Networks.

BRSI’s Green Restaurant Initiative is but one example of a project conforming to this vision and
with measurable results. In collaboration with Asheville Independent Restaurants, BRSI obtained
funding to implement energy efficiency, energy conservation, and renewable energy measures
at 16 restaurants. The installation of energy efficient lighting, solar hot water systems, high
efficiency water fixtures, and waste heat recovery devices is projected to yield a 10% reduction
in annual energy consumption of approximately $43,000 annually. Clean energy upgrades were
made in support of all participants achieving rigorous third-party green certification through the
national Green Restaurant Association, with the goal of establishing Asheville as “America’s
Greenest Dining Destination.”

Other projects, include:
- Replicating Asheville’s successful Green Restaurant Initiative in other WNC communities
- Developing a Green Hospitality Coalition to extend the success of the Green Restaurant
Initiative in WNC’s hospitality sector
- Launching a Sustainable Tourism Network in WNC to assist businesses in attracting the
burgeoning population of tourists interested in sustainable venues.
- Residential energy uplifts
- Regional sustainable inventory
- Promotion of energy efficiency and renewables in WNC

Tax-deductible donations to BRSI are focused on projects that convert knowledge into action; a
provision of operational support ensures such projects are completed efficiently and effectively.

An exploration of the good and the bad outcomes associated with urban revitalization efforts, using the River Arts District as a focus of conversation.

Urban Planner Stephanie Monson Dahl moderated a group of diverse panelists in a conversation about the meaning and impact of tax valuation, the definition of a place through its people, how consumers do or don’t value the arts, and the impact of human development on the natural environment. Panelists used data and stories from our own communities and elsewhere to increase the collective understanding of what we can do to make our revitalization efforts more sustainable in the future.

Panelists included:

• Cindy Weeks, Community Investment Manager of Mountain Housing Opportunities. Cindy was the Project Manager for 372 Depot, which provides 60 units of affordable housing and 9,000 square feet of commercial space in the River Arts District. Cindy is currently coordinating two urban redevelopment projects in our community: the Eagle Market Place, and the Glen Rock Project. Cindy is an expert in community development and public private partnerships that keep spaces affordable.
• Kitty Love, Director of Asheville Area Arts Council. Kitty has been the Director since 2011, and was previously the Director of Arts 2 People from 2004-2011. She has been involved in many arts based enterprises, programs, one of which is the Lexington Avenue Arts & Fun Festival, or LAAFF, which she founded in 2001. Kitty is an expert in artist based resource development and arts advocacy.
• Robert Camille is an entrepreneur busy growing an architectural salvage business, Blue Ridge Surplus. For many years he worked in Asheville’s downtown, most recently as a partner in the firm Camille-Alberice Architects. His heart now belongs to the River Arts District, where he works to establish his vision of Asheville’s future on the thirteen acres of River Arts District property he owns. Robert is an expert in redevelopment projects and process.
• Joe Minicozzi, AICP is the principal of Urban3, LLC. Joe is currently working with communities across the United States to analyze whether or not their property tax structure produces the government revenue and the private development patterns that support the vision and goals of the community. Joe served as the Executive Director of the Asheville Downtown Association during much of the Business Improvement District discussion and before that, was New Projects Director at Public Interest Projects in Asheville and founder of the Asheville Design Center. Joe is an expert on urban design and redevelopment analytics.

Hosted by the Blue Ridge Sustainability Institute

BRSI Green Mondays are held in the Board Room of the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce Building from 4-5:30p.m. Green Mondays are sponsored by Progress Energy, with support from the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce, Lenoir Rhyne University Graduate Center, and Purplecat Networks.

Click the image to view the November 2012 e-newsletter. Or view our archived newsletters.

Click the image to view the October 2012 e-newsletter. Or view our archived newsletters.