2008 GREEN BUILDINGS OPEN HOUSE EXPANDS TO 2 DAYS
Twenty-seven homes and businesses that use renewable energy or
eco-friendly building techniques will be open to the public for free
self-guided tours during the 2008 Green Buildings Open House, now a 2-day
event, on Saturday and Sunday, October 4th & 5th.
Participating sites will showcase a variety of strategies for
building or renovating to create functional, comfortable homes and
workplaces that promote environmental sustainability and human
health. "Green building" features on view will include grid-tied and
off-grid solar photovoltaic systems, wind turbines, geothermal heating,
timber framing, straw bale construction, non-toxic finishes, local or
natural materials, and more. Homeowners and/or builders will be on hand to
show you their site's green features and to answer questions.
World-class sustainable design and cutting-edge solar technology
will be featured in two sites on this year's tour: the Platinum
LEED-Certified Park Center for Business and Sustainable Enterprise at
Ithaca College designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects, and the 2007
Cornell Solar Decathalon Team entry (now a private home). In addition,
thirteen entirely-new homes have joined the tour, and four sites that were
under construction last fall can now be seen in their completed states.
Entry is free, and half the sites will be open for tours each
day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. In general, homes east of Cayuga Lake and in
downtown Ithaca and EcoVillage can be visited on Saturday, October 4th,
while sites west and south of the lake (including Ithaca College) will be
open on Sunday, October 5th. A guidebook containing descriptions, maps and
directions is available as a PDF at www.ccetompkins.org or at Tompkins
County Cooperative Extension, 615 Willow Avenue, Ithaca.
Guided shuttle van tours led by members of the Ithaca Green
Building Alliance will be offered each day for a fee of $10/person or
$15/two from the same household. Space is limited and pre-registration is
required. Free guided bicycle and motorcycle tours also will be offered on
Saturday, October 4th only (rain date: Sunday Oct. 5). Bike and motorcycle
tours will meet at Gimme! Coffee on Cayuga Street in Ithaca at 10:00 a.m.
The bike tour will be approximately 20-25 miles at a relaxed pace, and
participants will need road worthy bikes and helmets.
For more information, or to register for a van, bicycle or
motorcycle tour, call Tompkins County Cooperative Extension at (607)
272-2292. The Green Buildings Open House is organized annually by the
Ithaca Green Building Alliance and Tompkins County Cooperative Extension,
in cooperation with the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, and the
American Solar Energy Society's National Solar Tour.
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For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please
visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
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