National Green Building Advocate Award

 

NAHB ANNOUNCES NATIONAL GREEN BUILDING AWARD WINNERS

SALT LAKE CITY, May 3– Thirteen builders, remodelers and other home building industry professionals were honored today as winners of National Green Building Awards by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) at the 13th annual National Green Building Conference in Salt Lake City.

“These awards recognize and celebrate the most forward-thinking builders and remodelers in green building,” said Bob Jones, immediate past chairman of NAHB and a builder from Bloomfield Hills, Mich. “These award winners are pushing the envelope of what we can achieve with energy and resource efficiency.”

The Home Builders Association of Middle Tennessee’s Green Building Council and Habitat for Humanity of Williamson County were recipients of the Advocate of the year award for their partnership on the Affordable & Green Home Tour and Education Fair which highlighted easy and inexpensive ways to be green.

The event, which was held in October of 2010, included a tour of two Habitat homes on Alex Drive in Spring Hill, built to the National Green Building-Silver Certification level.  Both homes were still in progress, at different levels of completion, so tour participants could see improvements done at various stages in the construction.

“It’s a popular misconception that it costs a lot of money to build green. But, we are able to build green without seeing an increase in costs.  It’s a win-win situation for our affiliate and our homeowners who are able to save in maintenance costs,” says John Besser, Executive Director for Habitat for Humanity of Williamson County.

Erin Richardson with All-American Pest Control, President of the Green Building Council, said “This award represents a major step forward in educating the public on green building practices.  We are thankful for our partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Williamson County and all the green building professionals that helped make this event come to life.” 

To learn more about Habitat for Humanity of Williamson County, visit www.habitatwilliamson.org.

To learn more about the Green Building Council of the Home Builders Association of Middle Tennessee, visit www.hbamt.net/green.htm.

Too learn more about All-American Pest Control, visit www.allamericanpestcontrol.com.

Green Building Advocacy Awards

Five awards were given to individuals or organizations for their efforts in green building advocacy:

• Addison Homes of Greer, S.C., as Advocate of the Year in the Builder category.
• Philip Beere of Green Street Development in Scottsdale, Ariz., as Remodeler Advocate of the Year.
• Dr. Jennifer Languell of Fort Myers, Fla., as Individual Advocate of the Year.
• The Home Builders Association of Greater Tulsa, Okla., as Home Builders Association Advocate of the Year.
• The Home Builders Association of Middle Tennessee’s Green Building Council and Habitat for Humanity of Williamson County, Tenn., as Advocate of the Year  in the Group category.

 Additional information about the National Green Building Awards can be found at www.nahb.org/greenbuildingawards.

ABOUT NAHB: The National Association of Home Builders is a Washington-based trade association representing more than 160,000 members involved in home building, remodeling, multifamily construction, property management, subcontracting, design, housing finance, building product manufacturing and other aspects of residential and light commercial construction. NAHB is affiliated with 800 state and local home builders associations around the country.  NAHB's builder members will construct about 80 percent of the new housing units projected for this year.

Follow NAHB on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NAHBMedia.

Are you afraid of spiders?

The fear of spiders is the third most common fear… just behind death and public speaking. Here in Middle Tennessee we find 6 very common spiders. These spiders include the House Spider, Hobo Spider, Wolf Spider, Cellar Spider, Jumping Spider, Black Widow Spider and Brown Recluse Spider.

Our customers find that our Perimeter Pest Control program and/or our Green Choice Pest Control program are effective treatments to get rid of spiders. With both program, you get superior exterior treatments to stop spiders before they get inside your home. We create an invisible barrier by treating the foundation of your home, window sills we can reach, splash blocks, garbage cans, garage door openings, and door openings. Both the Perimeter Pest Control and Green Choice Pest Control program, provide you with additional protection for up to 47 different Middle TN pests including…

 

• Ants
• Crickets
• Firebrats
• Earwigs
• Silverfish
• Flies
• Roaches
• Fleas
• Wasps
• Clovermites
• Pillbugs
• Sowbugs
• Millipedes
• Centipedes
• Mice
• Rats
• Food Infesting Pests
• Beetles
• Weevils
• Fungus Gnats
• Spring Tails
• Lady Bugs
• Moths
• Boxelder Bugs and
• Carpenter Bees

Due to the nature of Brown Recluse Spiders, we recommend a bit more thorough process to reduce brown recluse spider populations. The process starts with a 2 week evaluation period to determine best treatment approach for your home and level of brown recluse activity.

If you need services for general spiders and/or brown recluse spiders, connect with us by phone, email or by filling out our Home Evaluation Form on our website.

Join Us for a Green Remodel Home Tour

The Home Builders Association Green Building Council hosts the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Green Remodel Tour

 

When:         Wed., Feb. 23rd @ 12:30 - 1:30 PM         

Location:   123 Clarendon Avenue, Nashville, TN 37205
                       
Who Should Attend?: Homeowners, Builders, Real Estate Agents

To register for the tour, please contact the Middle Tennessee Chapter of the Home Builder's Association at:  [email protected]

Tour: Attendees will tour the home of Ward Cammack, one of the only NAHB Certified Green Remodel Homes in Middle Tennessee. The tour will consist of a 45 minute, four (4) stop tour that highlights the NAHB Green Remodel Program and Process, GeoThermal, Green Marketing from the realtors perspective and green interior upgrades.


About the Program: The NAHB Green Remodel Program can be applied to homes built before 1980. It is designed to demonstrate that during a remodel or renovation, at least a 20% reduction in energy and water usage is achieved. Additionally, the program emphasizes indoor air quality improvements. The Cammack household achieved an impressive 64% reduction in energy usage by upgrading the insulation and lighting packages and installing a geothermal heating and cooling system.

All-American Pest Control supports Green Building in Middle Tennessee. Erin Richardson serves as the HBA Green Building Council President. All-American Pest Control is an annual sponsor. 24% of all New Construction homes in Davidson and Williamson County were certified Green in 2010. All-American Pest Control offers three exceptional green services including Green Choice Pest Control, the Sentricon Termite Colony Elimination System, and Bora Care.

If you would like to sign up for a Free Home Evaluation, click here.

 

 

Termite Prevention Tips

Wow! There is a lot of really bad information about termites on the internet. I just did a quick search to see what is out there before writing this post and it's frustrating to me to read all the fear-based, scare tactics that companies use. 

Yes, termites are a concern and termites are difficult if nearly impossible for a do-it-yourselfer to tackle. That's why people like me are in business- we're here to help protect your home. But, no, you don't need to fear that your home is in imminent serious danger and you don't need to make a quick, fear based decision.

Here are three simple guidelines to help reduce risk of termites...

1) Keep Moisture Away from Your Home First and foremost, if you notice a water leak, moist door frames, soft wood, or standing water... don't delay, fix the problem.

2) Get rid of scrapwood, firewood, and old stumps around your home Check under your house to see if your builder left old 2X4s underneath your house, grind old tree stumps, and don't stack firewood directly on the ground. 

3) Have your house inspected regularly - at least once a year. It's a fact that there are termite colonies foraging in every acre in Tennessee. Regular inspections by a trained professional will help to detect potential problems early on. 

If you have more questions, give me a call or shoot me an email. 

All-American's Green Termite Protection To learn more about the Sentricon Termite Colony Elimination System, click here. 

Requiring only a few grams of bait (the size of a sugar packet), Sentricon is so effective that it has been recognized as a Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award winner for environmental responsibility! To schedule a free home evaluation, Give us a call!

More Pesky Pest Info from All-American:

HELP! I have termites!

Won't the termite go in between the stations and eat my house?

Mark Your Calendars for LIpscomb's Green Business & Living Summit, April 2-4

All-American is a Gold Sponsor for The Green Business and Living Summit and Expo. The Green Business and Living Summit and Expo will be held on the Lipscomb University campus, April 2-4, 2009. This event is hosted by Lipscomb’s Institute for Sustainable Practice, and focuses on growing green business opportunities in Tennessee such as green building, energy, transportation, home, office, electronics, waste elimination, and the environment. There will be a 2 ½ day Green Expo showcasing green products and services for consumers as well as a one day Business Summit for business leaders interested in this rapidly growing market and in greening their business practices. All will begin with a community wide kickoff event and keynote address by Gary Hirshberg, President and CE-Yo of Stonyfield Farms, as well as a green art show, product demonstrations, green job fair, and more. Additional information is posted on the web site at www.greenbusinessandliving.net.

Join Us! The inaugural HBA Middle TN Green Building Council

HBAMT's newest council will hold its first meeting next week!

Wednesday, Jan. 28th, 11:00 AM

An Introduction to the HBAMT's GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL!
Presented by the Green Council Leadership Team:
Jay Elisar, Bill Lawrence, Erin Richardson & Beth Taylor

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
The HBAMT; 9007 Overlook Blvd., Brentwood, 37027
RSVP  (615) 377-9651, ext. 308
PRICE* $20 with RSVP; $25 w/o RSVP

*FREE for Green Building Council members
thanks to our meeting sponsors InkFlip, Tate Ornamental, and Woolf Harris.

Monumental Green Building Movement in Nashville, TN

The Jones Company of TN announced yesterday that they are 100% committed to green building. Our company has been chosen to be their green termite protection provider.  I am thrilled that we can play a small part in this monumental green building movement in Middle Tennessee.

What does this mean for Middle Tennessee? This forward thinking, conscientious decision will have a big impact on the rest of the residential builders in Middle TN.  It's time for all builders to begin to evaluate their building practices to build a longer lasting, more energy effecient home.

I'm most impressed that The Jones Company of Tennessee, has committed to implement green building practices that will not increase the cost of the home.  Most of the rebutals I here from builders in Middle Tennessee is that green building is more expensive.  The Jones Company is proof that this doesn't have to be the case!

Home Builders Association: Green Council

It's Official!  The Home Builders Association of Middle TN is currently developing a Green Council. Mark your calendars! Our first meeting will be held on January 28, 2009. Subsequent gatherings will be held the fourth Wednesday of every month. Our goal is to help our members move the practice of green building into the mainstream. If you or anyone you know would be interested in learning more or joining our council, contact me.

Other links:

National Association of Home Builders Green
US Green Building Council - Nashville Chapter
Lipscomb Launches Institute for Sustainable Practice
Green Power Switch

Green Termite and Pest Control in Nashville

Green has become quite a popular word.  And, many businesses believe that Green (money) will come with Green product offerings. At All-American we have been "green" before green was Green. Confusing, I know. I'm not trying to be... but truly, over 10 years ago we exclusively went to a green termite control program. We didn't make the decision to do so for the sake of being green. We made the change because we felt it was the right thing to do for our customers, our employees and our business.  Sentricon uses grams of bait (the size of a sugar packet) to eliminate a termite colony verse hundreds of gallons of termiticide chemical. This decision has prevented us from using over 1.5 million gallons of chemical termiticide in Middle Tennessee homes.

Another area of our business where we made green strides before it was popular to do so was in general pest control. Traditionally, it took monthly visits and "spraying" inside a customers home on a regular basis to get rid of pesky spiders, ants, crickets,roaches in Middle Tennessee. This was the way pest control had always been done and this is the way we did it as well. A big change was made when we started treating the outside of the home inside of the inside. By moving the treatment zone from inside your home to outside your home, we were able to...

• control pest from the outside before they ever became a problem inside
• limit chemicals inside your home to only what is absolutely necessary
• Save our customers valuable time because they do not have to be there to meet "the bug guy"

Recently, we have added an even greener pest control service. This is our Green Choice Pest Control program. This program is much like the service described above, but it only utilizes the latest technology in botanical based and natural pest control products.  It works very well in keeping pests out before they get inside and many Nashvillians choose this approach to pest control.

Currently, we do not recommend one service over the other. Both services work great! We leave it up to you to decide what is best for you and your family.

Can You Afford Not to Go Green?

Green, environmentally responsible, sustainability, carbon footprint, conservation, tree hugger, energy efficient, hybrid...

It is quite amazing how Nashville and the rest of the country is becoming more and more aware of the impact each person has on our world and the small things that each of us can do to make a big difference.

Not surprising, I’m sure... there is green technology available to you in pest control and termite protection services as well. I’m giving a presentation on September 22 at the Home Builders Associate on this topic. My presentation outlines 3 main points:

• How have EPA regulations changed the face of the termite control industry due to health concerns, environmental concerns & ineffectiveness?
• What are some real life, real small business results to support green verses traditional approaches?
• Can you afford or afford not to go green?

At All-American we believe in continuously researching new technology to serve our customers better.  We offer green pest control and green termite protection, but we also offer some incredible, effective more traditional approaches.  We do not offer anything that we would not feel comfortable using at our personal homes.

If you would like to learn more about pest control or termite protection for your home, feel free to email or call me.