EarthCraft Atlanta: Setting the Standard for the S

With successful green building programs like EarthCraft House, Metro Atlanta is slowly defining what it means to be green in the Southeast US. The city now has over 5,500 EarthCraft certified homes and condos and six EarthCraft communities. The standards have proven to be so successful at producing homes that Georgians want to live in that they've been adopted in Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

The EarthCraft standards were developed for Metro Atlanta in 1999 as way to measure and encourage energy efficient building practices in the booming Metro Atlanta region. In order to be certified by the EarthCraft program, homes have to meet standards for environmental impact, pollution prevention, energy efficiency, comfort and conservation.

The real estate market in Metro Atlanta is now full of homes with the EarthCraft seal of approval. The program offers training and technical assistance to builders interested in building green homes. After just eight years, hundreds of builders in Georgia specialize in building certified Earthcraft houses.

Though it may feel good to live in a green home, the popularity of the EarthCraft standards and the homes that get the EarthCraft Seal of approval aren't about tree-hugging. What's really making people take notice is the added value that certification guarantees. Because they're energy efficient with higher standards for building materials and indoor air quality, Earthcraft buildings are designed to be cheaper to operate and save owners money. These homes are also longer-lasting and healthier to live in.

The success of the EarthCraft House program is one of many signs of Atlanta's aspirations to go green and not a moment too soon. The population of Metro Atlanta has exploded over the last five years and the area has grown faster than any other major metropolitan area in the states. It's significant that a city famous for its sprawl should also be the birthplace of such a successful eco-program. The Earthcraft program takes its place alongside world-class community projects like Atlantic Station, Georgia Tech's recent success in the 2007 Solar Decathlon and one of the highest percentages of LEED certified buildings in the US. Programs like these are testimony to the city's effort to catch up with itself and grow sustainably.

Posted by Hilda S Jordan on February 09, 2009 at 02:37 PM

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Hilda S Jordan is affliated with CENTURY 21 Hawkins & Kolb, which is located in Sumter, SC. For further assistance please use the contact information located on the right.

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Local Information for Sumter, SC

Latitude: 33.926942 -- Longitude: -80.363541

ZIP Codes for Sumter, South Carolina	29150 29151 29153 29154
Area Code for Sumter, South Carolina	803
Time zone for Sumter, South Carolina	EST

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Sumter (IPA: /'s?mp.t?/ or /'s?mp.t?/) is a city in and the county seat of Sumter CountyGR6, South Carolina, United States. Its population was 44,013 at the 2000 U.S. Census. It is the principal city of the Sumter, South Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. It should not be confused with Fort Sumter, which is in Charleston harbor, almost 100 miles away. Sumter was incorporated in 1845 as Sumterville, and the name was shortened to Sumter in 1855. The city is named after General Thomas Sumter, who was known as the "Fighting Gamecock", who commanded troops in the American Revolutionary War and served in the United States Congress. Sumter started as a plantation settlement town, and grew over the years to be more industrialized. Today, industry in Sumter is mostly manufacturing, military, and medical related. -- Source: Wikipedia.com

South Carolina 2000 Census Population Profile Map

	Sumter	South Carolina	United States
Population	39,643	4,012,012	281,421,906
Median age	31.9	35.4	35.3
Median age for Male	29.6	34	34
Median age for Female	34.1	36.7	36.5
Households	14,564	1,533,854	105,480,101
Household population	37,422	3,876,975	273,643,273
Average household size	2.57	2.53	2.59
Families	10,052	1,072,822	71,787,347
Average family size	3.14	3.02	3.14
Housing units	16,032	1,753,670	115,904,641
Occupied units	14,564	1,533,854	105,480,101
Vacant units	1,468	219,816	10,424,540

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EarthCraft Atlanta: Setting the Standard for the S

Local Information for Sumter, SC

Latitude: 33.926942 -- Longitude: -80.363541

Enter our Photo Sweepstakes and Win $200 for your Sumter photos!

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