| The topic of discussion for this month’s SBC meeting is Green Financing.
For many of us financing our project might be the most difficult hurdle.
October's meeting will focus on the way a company like Old Kent,
whom is knowledgeable about Green Building will perform for the buyer,
seller, and builder in a residential mortgage transaction. Since
they are the bank, they have control over their programs, thus allowing
them to overcome obstacles that may have stood in the way before.
With the august guidance of appraiser Bob Ward, who according to Paul McCutchen
is accredited with bringing down the barriers, Old Kent will demonstrate
that green can be camouflaged to look like conventional building to the
bank. Tom Crase, Old Kent’s Central Texas Regional Manager, has been
on the construction side of lending for several years and has seen it all.
He will be providing background on the builder friendly attitude of Old
Kent and will give insight into ways to overcome problems owners and builders
face with lending institutions.
If you are a builder, homeowner, or home-buyer that would like
to know more about your financing options this is a meeting not to miss.
At the conclusion of the meeting, you will discover that financing is not
as difficult as you had thought.
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Announcements
| EcoFair Workshops
EcoFair Texas, the Sustainable Building Coalition, and the Hornsby Bend Community Environmental Partnership invite you to two workshops this month at Hornsby Bend Wastewater Treatment Facility near Bergstrom Airport. Rainwater Catchment Workshop
Leichtlehmbau Construction Workshop
Cost for each workshop is $35 per person. Bring a sack lunch; water
and snacks will be provided. These are "hands-on" workshops--please
wear work
Cool House Tour ’99
Sat, Oct. 16th 10 am to 4 pm SBC is joining the Texas Solar Energy Society, the Sustainable Living Alliance™, the US DOE and Austin Energy’s Green Building Program to produce of stellar tour of homes in the Austin area. The Cool House Tour ’99 features some of the best examples of energy-efficient and environmentally-sound design in the area. You can look forward to seeing innovative wall construction methods, such as straw bale, FasWall, Hebel and Rastra block; passive solar design, incorporating pre-air conditioning traditions for high energy efficiency; traditional looking homes, with lots of "green features"; and a special interest section including a totally off grid home and rainwater harvesting at H.E.B. How to take the tour: The Cool House Tour is self-guided: you choose what you want to see and go at your own pace. A Guidebook to the locations serves as both your ticket for entry and as the key to your self-directed tour. Each site has a full page devoted to its significant features and sustainable highlights along with a photo and clear directions. You will be able to plot your personal tour from this information. How to get the Guidebook: You may pre-purchase the Guidebook for $6 per person at the H.E.B. stores at Brodie Lane, Arboretum & Hancock Center for two weeks prior to the tour or via mail, for an additional $1 for postage, from the TXSES office by sending your check for $7 per person to: TXSES t PO Box 1447 t Austin, TX 78767-1447 You may also purchase the Guidebook at any of the sites on the tour
as your first stop. All of the locations are listed on the web site
at www.txses.org or you can call for a faxed copy of the list from the
TXSES office at 512/326-3391 or 800/465-5049.
Please help support sustainable building by volunteering at the annual Cool House Tour on October 16th. 14 examples of energy and resource efficient design will be open. We are in need of 28 volunteers to act as docents at the sites, which will work 3-hour shifts, from 10 am -1 pm or 1-4 pm. Each volunteer will receive a free Guidebook. In addition, volunteers
are invited to a private "Taste of the Tour" Reception, 4 - 7 pm one evening
during the week prior to the tour. This affords volunteers the opportunity
to visit 3 of the sites, as well as network with the architects, builders,
home owners & other co-sponsoring organizations. An orientation following
the reception, 7:30-8:30 pm is required. Contact Kathryn Houser,
at (512) 326-3391.
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C.O.A. Green Building Seminars
Open to Green Building members. Call ahead to Mary Mcleod, City of Austin 505-3702 October 12 Deconstruction 721 Barton Springs 11-1 pm Pete Hendrix speaker
Permaculture Workshop
The Permaculture Fundamentals course will be taught this fall by Peter Banes and Patricia Allison, both members of the Earthaven ecovillage in North Carolina. They have 15 years of combined teaching experience and are inspiring and brilliant. The course participants will be camping 20 miles nw of Dripping Springs. Organic vegetarian meals are included in the cost of $500.00. There will be some work exchanges available. The opening circle begins at 7:00 p.m. Friday, Nov. 26th. This nine-day intensive will end at noon on Sunday, Dec. 5th. Participants will learn the disciplines needed to design and create sustainable homes, gardens and lifestyles. Home owners, apartment dwellers, city planners, architects and farmers all have benefited from the holistic approach of Permaculture. Call Mary Talbot or Robert Southworth for registration at 894-3605 8th Annual Austin Powwow
AISD's Native American Parents Committee invites you to the 8th Annual Austin Powwow on Saturday, Nov 6 at the Toney Burger Sports Center in Southwest Austin. Info-line: 338-9860 This all-day event has an educational Kids Powwow at 10 am, and concludes
around 10 pm. Colorful dance contests around the DRUMS, Indian foods,
an outdoor concert at the huge Arts & Crafts fair. It's
the largest single-day Powwow on Turtle Island (North America) and
it's FREE !
Sustainable Charette
On November 4th at the University of Texas School of Architecture, AIA Austin will host a day-long charette to design an Interpretive Center for the Bull Creek Watershed. Participants will work on multi-disciplinary teams. Our objective is to produce designs for a prototype development project that will become an example of effective sustainable design for future architects and developers of the Bull Creek Watershed and other spaces in Austin. This high visibility design event will serve as a community forum for enhancing the awareness of sustainable building issues among Austinites. Led by the Sustainable Building Committee, the AIA is partnering with the Bull Creek Foundation and other local entities that can have an impact on development of the Watershed. These partners include: UT Architecture and Planning departments, private-sector companies, Austin developers and others from the real estate community. For more information on participating in the charette, or to register, please contact: Jacqui Dodson 433-2606 or dodson@gsc-inc.com
SBC comes through
Last month’s speaker was raising money to help improve the water supply to his local village. SBC helped Awad A. Abdelgadir raise over $125. Thanks for your generosity. |