Tommy Linstroth’s new business helps Clients get their projects LEED Certified

Tommy Linstroth announces new Business, Trident Sustainability

(SAVANNAH, GA) Local sustainability guru Tommy Linstroth announces his new business, Trident Sustainability Group, LLC.

http://www.tridentsustainability.com

Trident Sustainability Group is a full-service sustainability and green building consulting firm that focuses on providing triple bottom line solutions to a diverse range of clients both locally and nationwide. Trident provides hands on guidance on green building design and construction and offers extensive development-based expertise to help clients achieve LEED certification for their projects. Trident also provides institutional sustainability services to organizations, from nonprofit and small business to municipalities and government agencies looking to decrease energy and water consumption, improve indoor air quality, and reduce their environmental footprint.

To date, Linstroth has been involved with more than thirty LEED certified projects, with over a dozen more underway. These projects include the first all-retail LEED shopping center in the nation, the first LEED McDonald’s restaurant, and Sustainable Fellwood, one of the largest green affordable housing developments – part of the LEED for Neighborhood Developments pilot program and LEED for Homes program – in the nation.  He has helped clients achieve LEED certification on projects ranging from million square foot warehouses to boutique hotels to historic renovations to schools, with a stellar record of client retention.

Linstroth is Chair of the USGBC – Georgia chapter and is the original founder and past-chairman of the United States Green Building Council – Savannah Chapter. He serves on the board of directors for the Georgia Conservation Voters and the Live Oak Public Libraries and on the Chatham Environmental Forum, the Mayor’s Healthy Savannah Initiative and the Creative Coast Advisory Board.

Linstroth is the founder of the RehydrateUS Initiative (www.rehydrateus.org). The Rehydrate US Initiative is a non-partisan and independent organization, established to address the unnecessary waste of water in our built environment and in response to the historic drought affecting the Southeast in 2008, threatening water supply to millions of citizens..

He is a frequent speaker on green building throughout the country, and he co-authored the book Local Action: The New Paradigm in Climate Change Policy published in November 2007, and is a contributing author for The Green Building Bottom Line, published in November 2008. He is a frequent author for numerous journals and periodicals, and has a column in Sustainable Facilities magazine. He currently resides in Savannah, Georgia.

Trident Sustainability Group is based in Savannah, GA, at 210 East Bay Street.
Linstroth can be reached at  912.695.4692 Visit www.tridentsustainability.com for more information.

Scrap Metal Recycling Savannah

http://www.newellrecycling.com

Raise Money By Metal Recycling

Thinking about tossing that old washing machine? Think again. That washing machine could raise funds for your group or organization.

Appliances are just one of many recyclable items accepted by Newell Recycling, one of the largest recyclers and processors of recycled metals in the Southeast.

“We encourage schools and organizations that are interested in raising money to fund their projects to start a recycling drive by going out and collecting recyclable metals and bringing them to Newell to sell,” says Bobby Triesch, vice president and director of Ferrous Operations.

Newell will pay per pound for any ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metal brought to one of its locations. Recyclable goods range from objects as small as aluminum cans to large-scale items such as appliances, automobiles and farm equipment.

Drop-off locations in and near the Savannah area include the Garden City facility at 100 Sonny Perdue Drive and a facility in Statesboro at 9013 US Hwy 301 South. Additional Newell Recycling facilities are located in Augusta, Doraville, East Point, Elberton, Lithia Springs, and Macon, Georgia, and Allendale, South Carolina.

Another way for organizations to raise funds by recycling is to participate in Newell’s Cash for Cans program, an initiative aimed at helping organizations, schools, clubs and the community raise funds while simultaneously helping the environment. Newell provides participants with printed materials and specially designed collection trailers for the duration of their aluminum can drive. Once the trailer is full, Newell weighs the contents and pays the participating organizations for their cans.

Whether participating in Cash for Cans or collecting items on their own and bringing them to one of Newell’s seven feeder yards, organizations do much more than just raise funds. The items are all recycled and re-used, saving valuable precious natural resources.

The recycling process starts with the items that are collected at the Newell feeder yards. The metal parts are transported to one of the company’s three shredder plants in Savannah or Atlanta. Items dropped off at the feeder sites in Garden City, Statesboro, Augusta, Allendale and Macon are all transported to the Savannah Shredder.

The 6,000 hp shredder plants simultaneously process, separate and sort the recyclable metals down to the smallest particles. The shredders are capable of grinding the equivalent of 170 cars per hour into fist-sized pieces.

Once the items are shredded down, the metals are then cleaned and made ready for re-use and transported by truck, rail and ship to smelters, mills and foundries around the world.

Newell Recycling has received many accolades and awards over the years, including being named one of Atlanta’s 50 Fastest-Growing Private Companies and one of Atlanta’s Top 10 Fastest-Growing Women-Owned Firms by the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Newell Recycling was also featured on The Discovery Channel show “Mega Machines.”

For more information on how to raise funds by recycling and to learn more about Newell Recycling, please visit http://www.newellrecycling.com

Metal Recycling Savannah

Savannah PRO Tennis May 1-9, 2010, at the Franklin Creek Tennis Center.

www.savannahchallenger.com.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Sponsorships Available for 2010 USTA Events in Savannah

(SAVANNAH, GA) Several sponsorship opportunities are available for three upcoming USTA tournaments in Savannah. The events, which will feature national and international tennis professionals, include the $50,000 USTA Savannah Challenger, the USTA National Men’s 40 Clay Court Championships and the USTA Georgia Super Senior Championship.

All three events will be hosted by The Landings Club on Skidaway Island and will draw thousands of tennis fans from the region. Available sponsorship opportunities include the Title Sponsor Package for $25,000, the Presenter Sponsor Package for $10,000, the Coastal Empire Sponsor Package for $7,500, the Low Country Sponsor Package for $5,000, the Georgia Sponsor Package for $2,500 and the Savannah Sponsor Package for $1,000.

In addition to working in partnership with a premier and respected national sports organization, sponsors will receive numerous benefits including structured community grassroots-based marketing, promotional opportunities and corporate entertainment. Sponsors will be listed on the official Savannah Challenger website, will be listed in all related USTA Pro Circuit programs and will be mentioned in various press materials.

The $50,000 USTA Savannah Challenger takes place May 1-9, 2010, at the Franklin Creek Tennis Center. Last year’s tournament featured 64 world-ranked tennis professionals and drew 3,200 tennis fans. The 2009 tournament was recently awarded the Special Tennis Event of the Year award by USTA Georgia. A portion of the proceeds from the 2010 tournament will be donated to the Savannah Community Foundation to be distributed among local charities.

The USTA National Men’s 40 Clay Court Championships will take place September 25-October 3, 2010, at the Franklin Creek Tennis Center. This is the tournament’s 22nd consecutive year at The Landings and will feature players from several states around the nation. The players, many of whom are former tour professionals, are competing in the 40-49 year age bracket.

The USTA Georgia Super Senior Championship will take place October 22-24, 2010, at the Franklin Creek Tennis Center. The event, which is in its 10th year at The Landings, was voted the USTA Southern Georgia 2008 Team Tennis Event/Program of the Year. The tournament will feature more than 650 players, both men and women ages 60 and over and 70. Winners of the tournament will go on to represent Georgia at the USTA Sectional Championships in March 2011.

For more information about sponsorship opportunities for the $50,000 USTA Savannah Challenger, the USTA National Men’s 40 Clay Court Championships and the USTA Georgia Super Senior Championship, please visit www.savannahchallenger.com. Inquiries may also be directed to The Landings Club Director of Tennis Andrew Burrow at 912-598-2570 or tennis@landingsclub.com or Tournament Chairperson Robin Gold at rcgold28@gmail.com.

Down Syndrome children should learn sign language

Sign Language Promotes Effective Communication in Children with Down
syndrome

By Leigh Donovan

The amount of information that children with Down syndrome understand
far exceeds what they are able to communicate in their early years.
Most kids with Down syndrome have speech delays, and quite often their
expressive language is slower to develop than their receptive
language. This can cause a lot of frustration for children and their
parents, as the kids cannot communicate as effectively as they’d like.

As a tool, speech therapists actively encourage the use of sign
language in the early years, along with traditional speech therapies,
to help to bridge the gap between a child’s receptive and expressive
language abilities. This keeps a positive line of communication open
between the child and parent despite challenges.

“I would say that teaching signs to your baby with Down syndrome
is a must,” says Candy Bogardus of Lowcountry Down Syndrome
Society. Candy has been using sign language with her five year old
daughter Lainey who has Down syndrome since she was just seven months
old.

“It is difficult to decipher the needs of any child at times,
but when a child has no words to tell you her needs it can be
extremely frustrating,” says Candy. “Lainey’s quick
learning of sign language helped eliminate this frustration.”

According to Candy, Lainey did not speak with words until she was four
years old however was using over 75 signs by the time she started
talking. Lainey learned signs so quickly in fact that it was a
challenge for her twin older brothers and other family and friends to
keep up at times.

Cognitive development and confidence are facilitated and enhanced in
children by the use of signing. This is done through the process of
affirming that what the child is thinking and expressing through signs
is indeed correct. For example, if the child signs “hear train” to his
mother, his mother is able to then respond by saying and signing “yes,
mommy hears the train” or “no, mommy hears a truck.”

In the past there has been some debate on the topic of signing and
Down syndrome. Some have suggested that the use of signing may
discourage the child’s continued development and improvement of
speech due to fears that they may lean on this form of communication
too heavily.

Recent data however has shown that these fears are unfounded. In fact,
the opposite is actually true. It seems that signing may in fact help
to promote speech.

A case study by Theresa Kouri of the School of Speech Pathology and
Audiology at Kent State University in Ohio actually found that signing
has a positive influence on the development of spoken language in
babies and children with Down syndrome.

In the published article “How Manual Sign Acquisition Relates to
the Development of Spoken Language: A Case Study” the
relationship between signed and spoken word was observed in a young
girl with Down syndrome during a treatment regimen using simultaneous
input.

During the course of the study all of the child’s words were
recorded over an 8-month period and classified according to the manner
of speech and communication production (such as spontaneous/imitated
and signed and/or spoken). It was revealed that most of the words that
the young girl initially signed were later spontaneously spoken.

The study demonstrated that over time most of the young girl’s
signs actually evolved into spontaneous speech. Thus it was concluded
that the use of simultaneous signs does indeed support the formation
of spoken language.

As for Lainey, she is a now a chatterbox. “She still signs
words while she is speaking,” Candy says, “she
definitely figured out the relationship between the spoken word and
the signed word.”

According to Candy the use of sign language has been a huge confidence
and self-esteem builder for Lainey. “Without signs she would
have been left out of playing with her friends and unable to
participate in her daily activities.”

Lainey participates in a program at their church called Cubbies that
involves learning and reciting bible versus each week to her teachers
and peers. Before she was able to speak her mother Candy would teach
her how to sign each verse. “She was able to keep up with her
peers and receive awards for her memorization,” Candy points
out. “Without signs she would have been unable to participate
in this program.”

All parents can agree that there is no greater joy than the feeling
experienced when their child begins to communicate with them. Signing,
used as an initial method of expressive communication, can give the
child the opportunity to achieve the cognitive growth that speech
promotes before the child has the ability to speak. This creates a
clear channel for bonding with people and relating to the world around
them—and is enriching for both the child and parent alike.

Lowcountry Down Syndrome Society promotes the use of sign language.
They have several volumes of DVD’s within their library called
“Signing Times” which can assist children and parents in
learning sign language. They also recommend that children work with
trained speech therapists as well to ensure success.

LDSS is a family support group for those touched by Down syndrome and
their families. LDSS is active in raising awareness within the
community through local leadership, support, outreach, education and
advocacy. (912) 728-8505 http://www.ldssga.org.

////////////////
Distributed by CarriageTradePR.com on the Local NewsWire(TM)
Marjorie Young, President 912-844-9990
Writer: LEIGH DONOVAN
PRC: Holly
Date: 12/19/09

Savannah Real Estate, buy new home, historic district

(SAVANNAH, BLUFFTON, ATLANTA) – Lee Wilkes III has joined Savannah real estate experts at Celia Dunn Sotheby’s International Realty.

www.celiadunnsir.com

An active real estate investor, Wilkes worked in real estate appraisal and valuation for five years in Savannah and for five years before that in Atlanta. It’s uncommon, he explained, to have a real estate agent also be an appraiser.

Because he is a skilled appraiser, Wilkes is expert at pricing homes when he is a seller’s agent. He also knows how to get buyers a good deal or recognize when a property is overpriced.

A Savannah native, Wilkes is an expert in local real estate and knows the nuances of all the area neighborhoods. He focuses on downtown, midtown, the islands and The Landings, where he lives.

“Being from here, you want to protect your name and always work with integrity,” Wilkes said. “I believe in dealing with people honestly. Clients get my full and undivided attention as I work on their behalf. I’m dedicated to their needs and listen to them.”

For the past 10 years, Wilkes has helped buyers and sellers accurately value their homes. He has served as an expert witness in real estate valuation.  His real estate education includes individual classes in valuing historic, waterfront and unique property, property inspection, RELO, real estate finance, tax-free exchanges, and contract law.

A member of St. Peters Episcopal Church, Wilkes is married and has two young sons. He is a board member with Forest City Gun Club, a member of Saint Andrew’s Society of Savannah, a member of Sons of the American Revolution, and a member of Sons of Confederate Veterans. His hobbies include woodworking, photography, home brewing, kayaking and exploring downtown Savannah.

A graduate of Savannah Country Day School, Wilkes earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Rhodes College in Memphis, TN.

Known for its tradition of integrity, Celia Dunn Sotheby’s International Realty specializes in residential and commercial properties in Savannah and the Low Country of Georgia and South Carolina. Founded in 1981, Celia Dunn Sotheby’s International Realty is noted for outstanding service to its clients, thorough knowledge of Savannah and the South Carolina Low Country, and excellent staff, in addition to having one of the region’s top property management departments. The owners are natives of Savannah who have more than 60 years’ combined experience in real estate. The offices are located at 9, 13, and 17 West Charlton Street on Madison Square in Savannah and 6 Bruin Street in Bluffton, S.C.

For more information, call Celia Dunn Sotheby’s International Realty at (912) 234-3323 or visit www.celiadunnsir.com. To contact the Bluffton office, call (843) 836-3900.

Melaver, Inc.

http://www.sustainablefellwood.com/
http://www.nahbrc.com/
http://www.melaver.com/

(SAVANNAH, GA) The National Association of Home Builders Research Center has given an Energyvalue Housing Award to master developer Melaver, Inc., for the green affordable housing development Sustainable Fellwood. The award is one of 20 given to projects from 15 different states and will be presented at a ceremony on January 18, 2010.

Sustainable Fellwood, which serves as a principal component of the City of Savannah’s Westside Development Revitalization Plan, is considered a national showcase for environmentally-responsible community planning.

Amenities for the environmentally friendly mixed-use, mixed income development include the preservation of trees, on-site recycling, cellulose insulation, high efficiency air conditioning and heating units, and low flow water fixtures. The homes have 30 percent less energy usage and 40 percent less water usage than typical construction.

“Energy efficiency was a primary driver during design,” said Tommy Linstroth, Director of Sustainability for Melaver. “Energy efficiency translates directly into more money saved for our residents, which is doubly important in an affordable housing development.

The energy award is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy through its Building America program, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), in addition to the NAHB Research Center.

Finalists were selected from projects in three climate regions (cold, moderate, hot) and five categories (affordable, custom/demonstration, factory-built, multi-family, production). The award will be presented at a ceremony during the International Builders’ Show on January 18, 2010 at the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel.

Sustainable Fellwood is Silver certified in the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for Neighborhood Development pilot program and every unit will achieve LEED for Homes certification. Sustainable Fellwood is also registered in the EarthCraft Coastal Communities through Southface Energy Institute.

The NAHB Research Center promotes innovation in housing technology to improve the quality, durability, affordability, and environmental performance of homes and home building products. Go to National Association of Home Builders Research Center for more information.

Sustainable Fellwood is a mixed use, mixed income Housing Authority of Savannah redevelopment. Master Developer: Melaver, Inc., in partnership with Parallel Housing, Progressive Redevelopment, and Vanguard Developers. In collaboration with: Lott Barber, Architecture and Planning, Catamount Constructors, Inc., City of Savannah, and CHSA Development of Savannah. Sustainable Fellwood

Affordable Housing project, Sustainable Fellwood, given Energyvalue Housing Award

http://www.sustainablefellwood.com

(SAVANNAH, GA) The National Association of Home Builders Research Center has given an Energyvalue Housing Award to master developer Melaver, Inc., for the green affordable housing development Sustainable Fellwood. The award is one of 20 given to projects from 15 different states and will be presented at a ceremony on January 18, 2010.

http://www.melaver.com

Sustainable Fellwood, which serves as a principal component of the City of Savannah’s Westside Development Revitalization Plan, is considered a national showcase for environmentally-responsible community planning.

Amenities for the environmentally friendly mixed-use, mixed income development include the preservation of trees, on-site recycling, cellulose insulation, high efficiency air conditioning and heating units, and low flow water fixtures. The homes have 30 percent less energy usage and 40 percent less water usage than typical construction.

“Energy efficiency was a primary driver during design,” said Tommy Linstroth, Director of Sustainability for Melaver. “Energy efficiency translates directly into more money saved for our residents, which is doubly important in an affordable housing development.

The energy award is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy through its Building America program, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), in addition to the NAHB Research Center.

Finalists were selected from projects in three climate regions (cold, moderate, hot) and five categories (affordable, custom/demonstration, factory-built, multi-family, production). The award will be presented at a ceremony during the International Builders’ Show on January 18, 2010 at the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel.

Sustainable Fellwood is Silver certified in the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for Neighborhood Development pilot program and every unit will achieve LEED for Homes certification. Sustainable Fellwood is also registered in the EarthCraft Coastal Communities through Southface Energy Institute.

The NAHB Research Center promotes innovation in housing technology to improve the quality, durability, affordability, and environmental performance of homes and home building products. Go to National Association of Home Builders Research Center for more information.

Sustainable Fellwood is a mixed use, mixed income Housing Authority of Savannah redevelopment. Master Developer: Melaver, Inc., in partnership with Parallel Housing, Progressive Redevelopment, and Vanguard Developers. In collaboration with: Lott Barber, Architecture and Planning, Catamount Constructors, Inc., City of Savannah, and CHSA Development of Savannah.

RehydrateUS Aims to Conserve 1 Billion Gallons a Day with 3 easy steps

A Bold New Water Challenge for US:
RehydrateUS Aims to Conserve 1 Billion Gallons a Day with 3 easy steps

(USA) A bold — yet simple — water challenge is being launched at Greenbuild.  The RehydrateUS initiative, founded by sustainability guru Tommy Linstroth of Savannah based Melaver, Inc., calls for home and business owners to reduce their water consumption through three easy steps:

1) Replace existing toilets with ultra-high efficiency toilets
2) Switch out standard faucet aerators to ultra-low flow aerators
3) Swap existing shower heads with water efficient models.

These three steps can reduce household or business water consumption by 30-60%, and will result in saving 1 billion gallons of water per day.  The RehydrateUS Initiative is supported by a website, www.rehydrateus.org, which provides an easy to use calculator and a pledge form for you to use in making your commitment.

Tommy Linstroth is available for interviews on the billion gallon challenge.  For more information on The RehydrateUS Initiative, visit:

Contact Tommy Linstroth:
tlinstroth@melaver.com

Melaver, Inc.

http://www.melaver.com

http://www.athensdowntownhotel.com

(SAVANNAH / ATHENS, GA) – Hotel Indigo Athens has achieved LEED Gold certification for its cutting-edge green development strategies, including an energy conserving regenerative elevator, a high efficiency heating and air conditioning system and a water efficiency program, which cut water use almost 40 percent.

Co-developed by Savannah-based Melaver, Inc, and Atlanta based Rialto Partners, the unique hotel located at 500 College Avenue is among the first six hotels in the world to achieve LEED Gold status given by the U.S. Green Building Council. The hotel is also the first privately owned development in Athens to achieve LEED certification.

Melaver Sustainability Consulting provided the guidance on green strategies and oversaw the LEED certification process.

“Our starting goal was LEED Silver. Being one of only a handful of LEED Gold hotels in the country is a testament to the owner’s and our entire team’s commitment to sustainability” said Tommy Linstroth, the Director of Sustainability for Melaver, Inc.

The design of the 80,0000-square-foot Hotel Indigo incorporates green technology such as a regenerative elevator from Otis Elevators, keycard activated room lighting, and a variable-refrigerant-flow-zoning heating and air conditioning system from Mitsubishi Electric. Improved indoor air quality is achieved through the use of low VOC paints, adhesives, and sealants, as well as filtered fresh air provided through an energy recovery ventilator. Low flow plumbing fixtures are used throughout the building, which reduce consumption by nearly 40 percent and an outdoor water cistern collects condensation from air conditioning and supplies the exterior water feature. Priority parking is available for hybrids and carpool vehicles.

Each of the 130 guest rooms features hardwood floors, oversized beds, plush furniture, and spa-inspired showers. Locally printed and framed concert posters featuring bands and musicians from Athens appear in each room with frames constructed from reclaimed barn wood.

About Melaver Inc.
Melaver, Inc. is a third-generation, family-owned business based in Savannah, Georgia. The sustainable real estate developer currently has ten LEED certified projects in their portfolio and is developing Sustainable Fellwood, one of the largest green affordable housing projects in the country.
Contact: 912-236-0781

Melaver, Inc.
Melaver Consulting

About LEED

The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System is a feature-oriented rating system that awards buildings points for satisfying specified green building criteria. The six major environmental categories of review include: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality and Innovation and Design. Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum levels of LEED green building certification are awarded based on the total number of points earned within each LEED category. LEED can be applied to all building types including new construction, commercial interiors, core & shell developments, existing buildings, homes, neighborhood developments, schools and retail facilities.  Incentives for LEED are available at the state and local level and LEED has also been adopted nationwide by federal agencies, state and local governments, and interested private companies. For more information, visit www.usgbc.org/LEED

2010 $50,000 Savannah Challenger returns to the Franklin Creek

www.savannahchallenger.com

(SAVANNAH, GA) The Landings on Skidaway Island will once again welcome tennis professionals from around the world when the 2010 $50,000 Savannah Challenger returns to the Franklin Creek Tennis Center May 1-9. A portion of the proceeds from the 2010 tournament will be donated to The Savannah Community Foundation to be distributed among local charities. The 2009 tournament, which was held May 2-10, attracted more than 3,200 fans and featured 64 world-ranked tennis professionals vying to win highly coveted ATP ranking points in addition to prize money.

“We are pleased that after the success of last year’s tournament, the USTA has awarded the Challenger to Savannah for 2010,” says Robin Gold, chairperson of the Savannah Challenger. “The players and USTA staff all raved about how much they enjoyed their stay in Savannah, from the tournament hospitality to the nightlife downtown. It will be fun to host the USTA again and be able to see more world-class tennis.”

The Savannah Challenger is not only a great opportunity for tennis fans around the Savannah area to watch world-class tennis players in action, it is also a good warm-up for the players themselves, who go on to compete in some of the world’s top tennis tournaments.

Following the 2009 Savannah Challenger, 28 percent of tournament players went on to participate in the qualifying rounds or better of the French Open, while 21 percent of the players participated in the qualifying rounds or better of Wimbledon. Forty-three percent of 2009 Savannah Challenger players went on to participate in the qualifying rounds or better of the U.S. Open.

Among the noteworthy individual achievements of 2009 Savannah Challenger participants was quarterfinalist Jesse Levine, who went on to defeat 24th-ranked Marat Safinon at Wimbledon. Another Savannah Challenger quarterfinalist, University of Georgia graduate John Isner, made headlines when he defeated 5th-ranked Andy Roddick in the U.S. Open.

For more information on the 2010 $50,000 Savannah Challenger and to learn about sponsorship opportunities, please visit Savannah Challenger