HARDEEVILLE, SC — The Savannah chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council will tour Tradition Hilton Head’s HGTV Green Home in observance of Earth Day on April 22.
Tradition Hilton Head’s developer, Core Communities, has long been recognized nationally for its commitment to environmental stewardship, placing great importance on building sustainable communities and protecting the environment.
And a great way to observe Earth Day is to take a close-up look at HGTV’s Green Home, HGTV’s first such project.
“The Green Home represents the focus that Tradition Hilton Head puts on being a sustainable, environmentally sensitive community”, said David Page, president of Tradition Hilton Head. “The Green Home is a testament to the fact that our community is looking to the future, not only in preserving the environment but in building homes that retain their value,” he said.
Page noted that being selected as the location for HGTV’s first Green Home demonstrates Tradition Hilton Head’s commitment to eco-friendly and energy efficient development.
“Tradition Hilton Head welcomes the Savannah chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, and we are confident their members will be pleased with what HGTV and Tradition Hilton Head are doing in this green revolution, which we believe is here to stay,” Page said.
Page emphasized: “Core Communities’ leadership in green design is just part of the responsible way the company has chosen to conduct business.
“The excitement and interest about HGTV’s Green Home has been amazing since the home opened for tours on March 24,” he said. “In less than a month’s time, some 5,000 tours have been conducted of the home.”
The U.S. Green Building Council is a non-profit organization which developed Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), a voluntary, consensus-based national rating system for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings.
The HGTV Green Home is LEED-certified. LEED addresses all building types and emphasizes state-of-the-art strategies for sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials and resources selection, and indoor environmental quality. A practical rating tool for green building design and construction, LEED provides immediate and measurable results for building owners and occupants.
Vessela P. Valtcheva-McGee, chairwoman of the Savannah chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council and an architect with Dawson Wissmach, said she anticipates up to a hundred people to attend the reception at Tradition Hilton Head, and a large number of them to tour the HGTV Green Home.
“What better proof that sustainable design is on its way to becoming a standard when a network like HGTV decides they want to create a new show around it,” she said. “As advocates of sustainable practices and high performance buildings, we are thrilled to see the first ever HGTV Green Home in our very own backyard. Designed by a local architecture firm and built in a local development, the Green Home features the implementation of green principles in a traditional and appropriate architectural expression.”
Members of the U.S. Green Building Council include building owners and end-users, real estate developers, facility managers, architects, designers, engineers, general contractors, subcontractors, product and building system manufacturers, government agencies, and nonprofits.
Savannah and Lowcountry members of the U.S. Green Building Council will tour the home from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday.
The public is invited to tour the HGTV Green Home daily through May 18. Proceeds from the public tours benefit the United Way of the Lowcountry. Call (843) 208-5300 or visit www.TraditionHiltonHead.com for more information.
Earth Day was first observed in the U.S. in 1970, the year the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was established, and is celebrated worldwide April 22.
