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June 14, 2007 issue

RE/MAX Offers Summer Info Series

Green Building in the Mountains June 27

Think “living green” means suffering and doing without modern conveniences? Not so, according to Gerry Tygielski, who will present free workshops in Boone this summer. Tygielski, Ashe County resident and president of the New River Earth Institute, will speak to area residents about how to live comfortably while having less of an impact on our environment and natural resources.

The RE/MAX realty group in Boone located at the Shops at Shadowline is offering a Summer Informational Series as a free public service. Tygielski will be the featured speaker for the first two meetings, both from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m.

The topic for Wednesday, June 27, is Green Building & Design: Making Homes More Environmentally Friendly. This program is beneficial for not only for those designing, buying or building a new home, but also for anyone who is already a homeowner. "Even if you have an existing home, there are many things you can do to retrofit it to make it more energy efficient and lessen its impact on the environment," said Tygielski.

The second presentation on Wednesday, July 25, will be Is it Possible To Live for Free? Come Find Out How Others Are Doing It! Who doesn't want to save money? There are a multitude of things anyone can do to lower energy costs, homeowners, renters, business owners and even places of worship. "Basically, if you pay utility bills and want to spend less money, this is the workshop for you," Tygielski said.

Sustainable living is a topic Tygielski, a licensed general contractor and instructor at Wilkes Community College, knows well. “My wife Jeannie and I came to this area in 1999 to seek a better formula for living. We believed that we could make better choices in how we built and how we spent our time,” Tygielski said. “I walked away from a business that forced me to work 14 to16 hours, seven days a week. I was killing myself.” He set out to build a sustainable home and to develop a small farm to live off the land. “I wanted to learn all the skills to be able to put a house like this together. The more I explored and the more people I met, the more I found that the solution had to encompass multiple disciplines which involved everything from site planning to protection of the habitat,” he said. “Now we spend our time living better while having more time to contribute to our community. It is all about setting priorities and doing things a better way.”

If you’re expecting Tygielski’s house to resemble a dome, underground bunker, or perhaps to be constructed of recycled tires, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. At first, his spacious home looks just like any modern home, complete with cathedral ceilings, ceiling fans, a modern kitchen and all the usual amenities. Closer inspection reveals Tygielski has used innovative and sustainable building techniques such as recycled materials, aluminum roofing, concrete walls, alternative power and locally logged wood. Even the siting of the home takes advantage of natural lighting and solar heating. “I have found that there are a wide variety of options and opportunities to build and retrofit homes that can allow them to operate at or near a zero net energy cost. This means that by implementing the right construction techniques and renewable energy systems, after the initial investment, you can live comfortably for free—all of this while protecting the natural habitat.” he said.

Tygielski has begun building a model off-grid community near West Jefferson called Mountain Mission Farms that has turned into an educational center as well. Nearly 3,000 students from eight colleges and universities and visitors from across the United States and seven foreign countries have visited the farm to learn about green building technology, alternative energy products and starting sustainable communities in their own areas.

New River Earth Institute allows him to share concepts related to sustainable living. “Our primary purpose is to help people recognize their impact on the earth, to take responsibility for their actions, and to make a positive commitment for change,” he said. The group accomplishes this primarily through encouraging community participation in a series of free courses. This is a labor of love for Tygielski, who feels that we are putting future generations at risk by our actions today. “It’s the right thing to do,” he said. "I’m excited to see so many people interested in green building and show so much enthusiasm for such an important topic. Workshops like these show that like-minded people can come together, learn from each other, and take with them the lesson of stewardship of our natural resources.”

For more info about the Summer Informational Series, call the Boone RE/MAX realty group at 828-262-1990. For more info about green building, additional workshops, tours of Mountain Mission Farms or courses, call Gerry at 336-877-1860 or click to www.NewRiverEarthInstitute.org and www.mountainmission.org.