April 18, 2007

USC-Beaufort to Host Sustainable Living Symposium April 27
Free and Open to the Public But Reservations are Required 

(SAVANNAH) – Learn about energy efficient and sustainable design at the University of South Carolina-Beaufort’s Sustainable Living Symposium Friday, April 27. This special program is free and open to the public, but space is limited. Reservations are required; call (843) 208-8201.  The event will run from 12:30 p.m.-6 p.m. 

The symposium will feature speakers from the residential, public, and governmental sectors on energy efficient and sustainable design. Speakers include the designers of the EcoManor discussing this ultimate in residential design. A proponent of wind energy will speak about the potential of wind energy in the Low Country, and there will be a display from the Solar Decathlon 2007. Other topics will include landscape design and sustainable green development through intelligent design; sustainable land practices; an introduction to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification and sustainable design; and a commercial case study of of Abercorn Common retail center in Savannah, the first all-retail LEED shopping center in the nation.  The USCB Office of Community Outreach is presenting the symposium as part of its Coastal Life series.

The symposium will be held in the Hargray Building on the USCB South Campus on Hwy 278 in Bluffton. Colin Coyne, Chief Operating Officer of Melaver, Inc., will be the keynote speaker. Coyne will speak about sustainability in a broader context than environmentally friendly, or “green,” building.   “Sustainability begins and ends in the community fabric,” he said. “Frankly, without that community fabric what we’re doing is irrelevant. Sustainability isn’t just buildings or even the air we breathe – it’s sustaining and nurturing that sense of community, and that’s why people should care about it. It’s protecting and nurturing the community fabric, the sense of oneness.” 

Wayne Robertson, President of Energy Ace, Inc., and Monica Mastrianni, president of Greenline Architecture, will give an introduction to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification and sustainable design. LEED is the internationally-recognized standard for high performance, low water and energy use buildings awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council.  Randy Peacock, Project and Construction Manager for Melaver, Inc., will present a commercial case study of Abercorn Common retail center in Savannah, the first all-retail LEED shopping center in the nation.  EcoManor’s Lead Designer and Project Manager, Rick Hatch, and Interior Designer, Jillian Cooke, will discuss residential luxury and sustainable design.  Landscape design and sustainable green development through intelligent design will be discussed by John R. Thomas and J. Edward Pinckney of Edward Pinckney Associates, Ltd. Paul Wolff, Tybee City Councilman, will cover the governmental angle of sustainable design as he discusses the City of Tybee and alternative energy sources.  Allen Ward, President of Ward Edwards Engineering, will discuss sustainable land practices.  There will be information booths for the US Green Building Council and Georgia Tech’s Team DesignSolar Decathlon 2007.  “The mission of the Office of Community Outreach at USCB is to find ways to apply the intellectual resources of the university to issues and concerns of the community,” said C. Leary Bell, Ph. D., Associate Chancellor at USCB. “This symposium is a very good example of the university bringing experts on a topic of particular concern to the coastal region to share their expertise with the community.”

Coyne serves as on the Melaver Senior Management Group, where he oversees all aspects of day-to-day operations of the firm, including development and portfolio management, while helping shape the guiding long-term business strategy. Coyne has been a featured speaker at the annual U.S. Green Building Council’s Greenbuild Conference, the CoreNET International Conference, Southface Energy Institute’s annual Greenprints Conference, the Southern Environmental Center’s Livable Cities Conference, and has most recently published articles on green development in the Southface Journal; Environmental Construction & Design; and, EcoStructure magazine. He has served on the faculty of the International Council of Shopping Centers’ Shopping Center University and is a graduate of the Institute for Georgia Environmental Leadership’s Class of 2006.

Melaver Inc. is a third-generation, family business devoted to commercial real estate: office, retail, showroom, and warehousing. Melaver was awarded the first LEED certification in Savannah for their historical renovation of the Whitaker Building, located on the corner of State Street and Whitaker Street, received LEED CI (commercial interiors) certification for its corporate offices on Barnard Street. 
www.melaver.comContact: (912) 236-0781