Photovoltaic Systems

Denmark50, located in Los Angeles, is comprised of a showroom and warehouse full of vintage Danish Modern furniture and accessories.  And of course, buying vintage is such a green way to go.  The showroom (below) is a nice display of what the company has to offer, but the warehouse (also below) is the really amazing part.  Mid-Century Danish furniture is stuffed into the large space as far as the eye can see: couch after couch, chairs, tables, and any other piece one could imagine.

For a Danish Modern design lover, Denmark50 is heaven. For those of
us who don’t live in the area, we might have to plan a trip and ship
our finds home. Prices are not shared on their site and I’m sure they
aren’t cheap, but this is incredibly high quality, beautiful, and
collectible furniture.  And if you can afford it, I would say it’s worth
almost any price.

Denmark50 also carries a large collection of
collectible ceramics in the earthy tones that the style is known for.
One thing to consider is that many of these items are shipped from
Denmark, which does make them considerably less green in the end.  As
always, you have to weigh the pros and cons.  But, if you’re a
Mid-Century Modern design lover, Denmark50 will blow your mind.

Serenbe is located in Palmetto, Georgia, about 30-45 minutes southwest of Atlanta.  The 900 acre community will preserve 70% of it’s land and eventual plans include about 600 homes.  All Serenbe homes will be EarthCraft certified and the community offers a variety of options including work/live townhomes, cottages, and estates.  The architecture is diverse and charming and is often inspired by historical buildings.  There’s a Dwell Home being built (see below), and the above home by Redbone Construction was featured in various green building articles in local Atlanta publications. 

As you can tell, Serenbe made the cover of Cottage Living Magazine as a Top 10 Cottage Neighborhood.

Prices supposedly start around $300,000, but if you peruse the real
estate for sale on their site, you won’t see much below the $500,000
mark.  I think this is one of the drawbacks of the community — I would
like to see more opportunity for economic diversity. 

Another consideration
is the lack of public transportation.  Unless you are
retired or using the live/work residences, Atlanta is most likely where you would end up working and driving
that distance everyday is not very "green".  Of course, the community
could develop a carpool program as well as promote biofuels and
electric cars — something to make up for this less green feature. 

Other
than that, there are stores, restaurants, a farm and an inn all within
walking distance, made easier by planned footpaths.  Future plans even
include a juice bar, holistic medical services, and assisted living.
Serenbe is big on community activities and events and really aims to
bring people back to a simpler time when there was a much stronger
sense of community living.  Serenbe
is a truly idyllic-looking community and the type of life it promises
would make most people jump to buy a home there, if you can afford it.

Prairie Crossing is located in Grayslake, Illinois about 40 miles north of Chicago.  This beautiful, nature-focused community has preserved more than 60% of its 677 acres.  An impressive measure which clearly points to the good intentions of the "developers", a group of neighbors who bought the land in the 1980′s with the goal of truly responsible development.  The community has 359 homes and 36 condos versus the 2400 homes that another developer had plans for.  The condos have received the highest energy star rating possible.

Prairie Crossing has a lake which is beautiful for swimming thanks to
their storm water filtering system.  There are 165 acres of restored
prairies, hence the name, and 20 acres of restored wetlands.  The
community also houses a decade-old organic farm which provides healthy
produce and fresh eggs. 

Prairie Crossing is even linked by trails to
another 3,200 legally protected acres.  Just a few minutes walk from
the community lies a commuter train station with access to Chicago and
O’Hare International Airport.  One of the unique pieces of the
community is a charter school, where learning is focused on the natural
environment and global citizenship. 

Homes start at about $330,000. 
Condos are available, but all the homes have been sold and you’ll have
to wait for one to come back on the market.  But with all the wonderful
things this community has to offer, it doesn’t seem like that will be
happening very often!