Cape & Island Green Buildings Invited to be Part of Northeast Open House

The 2007 Green Buildings Open House & National Solar Tour

Saturday, October 6, 2007, Deadline Saturday, September 1, 2007

Cape & Islands Self Reliance invites residential and commercial green buildings to be part of the Green Buildings Open House on Saturday, October 6, 2007. From Maine to Pennsylvania, doors will open for the public to learn about energy efficiency, renewable energy choices, and green design.

2007 marks the sixth year of the Green Buildings Open House, which is part of the American Solar Energy Society’s National Solar Tour. In the Northeast, this national event has been expanded to include a wide range of commercial and institutional buildings as well as buildings that use a variety of renewable energy and green building technologies and materials.

Visitors use an online directory to find open sites in their area and create a personalized tour itinerary. Host sites are asked to have someone available from 10am–4pm to give tours of their building and answer questions.

This event offers a unique opportunity for members of the public to see renewable energy and other green building technologies at work; for homeowners and building managers to showcase their buildings; and for green builders, architects, and businesses to advertise their work and products. On the day of the event, homeowners and building managers will be on site to describe their green building features and to answer questions.

Members of the public can learn basic principles of green building, such as designing for solar heating (“passive solar”), energy-efficient building techniques like superinsulation and air sealing, and the use of resource-efficient and healthy building materials. Many buildings will demonstrate how solar hot water is collected and stored, how photovoltaics can be placed on or integrated into the shell of a building to produce electricity, and how wind can be used to generate power.

The Green Buildings Open House demystifies green buildings, proving that they are comfortable, affordable and attractive.

The registration deadline is September 1, 2007.

To participate, please complete the registration form online at: www.nesea.org/buildings/openhouse or contact Self Reliance at 508-563-6633 for more information.  Visit the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) here. Visit the ASES National Solar Tour site here.