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Green Home Assistance

February 16th, 2009 by Sundance Channel

Looking for a way to transform your home into a green paradise? There are people and organizations out there who want to help you find your own unique way of joining the green revolution. Whether you have a fancy contractor or you want to do-it-yourself, you can find great information on many websites.

There are a few websites out there that can get you started. If the info contained in the websites themselves is not enough, then you can use these websites to help introduce you to the right people with the skills and knowledge to help you achieve your sustainability dreams and aims.

Transforming the world for many years, Buildinggreen.com [www.buildinggreen.com] has an extensive online catalog of green builders and green product suppliers. Since a name and contact information is often far too little get you started right, you can find many complete articles and how-to-guides on this website. One could spend countless hours browsing the information contained in just one section of this website, so green builders rejoice.

GreenHomeGuide [www.greenhomeguide.com] is website with many resources for building a green home, including a forum dedicated to getting you direct answers from green pros.

If you just want to get some green devices into your existing house, GreenHome.com [www.greenhome.com] provides an extensive and well documented list of fabulous green appliances and other products.

Spending less money and achieving the same standard of living while protecting the environment is a goal that rewards you for the hard work. Hopefully you are energized and want to start living a greener lifestyle.

Thanks again for joining us in THE GREEN BLOG and we hope you leave comments on this post if you have more info to share on the topic of Green Building.



AT&T Collaborates with Greensburg GreenTown to Build First Model Green Town

Contributes $50,000 for Sustainable Homes

Greensburg, Kansas, September 22, 2008

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) today announced a collaboration with Greensburg GreenTown, the nonprofit organization working to rebuild Greensburg, Kansas as the nation’s first model green town. As anchor corporate sponsor of the organization’s The Chain of Eco-Homes Challenge project, AT&T will donate $50,000 to help build eco-friendly homes and get the project started, as the organization looks for additional corporate sponsors.

The Chain of Eco-Homes Challenge seeks to build a variety of model homes that will demonstrate the latest in residential building technology and green living. Through The Chain of Eco-Homes Challenge, the organization is partnering universities with builders, industry trade associations, designers, and product suppliers to build GreenTown’s first demonstration eco-homes.

Faculty and students from the participating universities will have the opportunity to collaborate with local builders in constructing the homes. Together, they will build homes that showcase all types of sustainable building techniques, energy efficiency features and green living products. The homes will be scientifically monitored to demonstrate the actual energy savings realized.

“AT&T is a strong supporter of the responsible use of our natural resources and inspiring innovation, which is exactly what The Chain of Eco-Homes Challenge is all about – incorporating new technologies and sustainable design into the rebuilding of this community,” said Dan Jacobsen, president of AT&T Kansas. “We’re pleased to provide this contribution to support the successful comeback of Greensburg.”

AT&T’s support will help with the start-up costs for The Chain of Eco-Homes, which will serve as “living laboratories” where Greensburg residents can learn about sustainable housing, and also as eco-lodging for visitors wishing to experience different types of sustainable building methods and technologies.

“We’re very grateful to AT&T for its commitment to our Chain of Eco-Homes project,” said Daniel Wallach, executive director and founder of Greensburg GreenTown. “These homes have the potential to serve as a model for communities across the country. AT&T’s donation has taken what was just an idea on paper and made it real.”

Greensburg GreenTown has been leading efforts to build the most sustainable and energy-efficient community in America since 2007, when a tornado destroyed nearly 95 percent of the rural Kansas town. Since the tornado, AT&T has invested more than $2 million in Greensburg to rebuild the telecommunications infrastructure. Greentown’s newest initiative, The Chain of Eco-Homes Challenge, is just one of the green initiatives the organization has implemented in Greensburg. The $50,000 AT&T donation is specifically earmarked for The Chain of Eco-Homes Challenge.

“The Greensburg GreenTown project is one more example of how Greensburg is continuing its efforts to not only be Kansas’ newest city but also the most energy efficient city,” state Representative and Minority Leader of the Kansas House of Representatives Dennis McKinney said. “We appreciate the efforts of the companies and organizations like AT&T that continue to support this effort.”

State Senator Ruth Teichman said: “I am very proud of what AT&T has done. They were on the scene restoring telephone service moments after the tornado and are continuing their efforts through this generous donation. The company stands as a model of good corporate citizenship for Greensburg and Kansas.”

AT&T works to enhance energy performance and minimize energy consumption in its own company buildings, IT systems and networks, and the company is evaluating alternative energy sources such as wind and solar power. The company conserves natural resources through waste reduction and recovery and recycling efforts, helping its customers do the same. AT&T also helps customers further manage their own environmental impact through intelligent use of AT&T products and services, such as teleconferencing, video conferencing and other broadband applications.

AT&T has served as the major telecommunications provider for Greensburg for more than 100 years.

For more info on Greensburg’s Greentown Initiative, check out the GOODFIGHT website [www.sundancechannel.com].