BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. (Aug. 23, 2001) - The Bonita Bay Group is the first master-planned community developer in Florida to recruit the majority of its home builders to participate in a program designed to help builders construct energy-efficient and environmentally sensitive homes. A two-day "Build Green & Profit" seminar held on Aug. 20 and Aug. 21 at The Brooks in Bonita Springs, was attended by all participating builders currently building homes in Bonita Bay ; Shadow Wood, Spring Run and Copperleaf at The Brooks ; Mediterra ; and The Estates at TwinEagles . The program, one of a series developed by the University of Florida being introduced in other states across the country, is part of a continuing education program for builders that pivots on sustainable development.
"Build Green & Profit" is a program designed to provide new information about building energy efficient homes, landscaping in environmentally friendly ways and other methods to meet the needs of new-home buyers while protecting, and in some cases enhancing, the area's environmental treasures.
"Last year, The Bonita Bay Group became the first master-planned community developer participating in the Green Advantage Project to step up to the plate and ask builders to make an additional commitment to environmental sensitivity and energy efficiency," said Dr. Pierce Jones, director of Florida Energy Extension Service at the University of Florida. "This year, with nearly 100 percent builder participation, there is no superlative to describe the level of commitment," Jones added. "To my knowledge, The Bonita Bay Group is the only master-planned community developer in the Green Building Project to achieve participation of this magnitude."
In 2000, all of Mediterra's participating builders completed the program and received 14 continuing education units required by the state of Florida for contractor recertification. All Mediterra builders passed the voluntary examination and earned Green Advantage certification, outdistancing the overall averages - only half the participants statewide choose to take the exam, and the pass rate is 70 percent. The Bonita Bay Group earned the first-ever Green Advantage Outstanding Corporate Commitment Award for "exceptional organizational commitment to green development policies."
"The Bonita Bay Group has always been a leader in environmentally sensitive development and preservation, but this is the first time we have approached it from a 'vertical' standpoint," said Dennis Gilkey, president/CEO of The Bonita Bay Group. "The preferred builders who do work in The Bonita Bay Group communities have already demonstrated their commitment to responsible development. We are very proud to be able to say that the majority of these builders have participated, another affirmation of the quality and caliber of their work."
"The unprecedented level of participation by our preferred builders is one part of a two-fold program," said Susan Hebel Watts, vice president of The Bonita Bay Group and general manager of Mediterra and The Estates at TwinEagles. "We hired a 'green construction' consultant to help us take planning, design and construction of our amenity buildings to a new level with environmental enhancements. The consultant also helped us create opportunities for our participating builders to enhance their approach to environmentally friendly construction."
"The Bonita Bay Group introduced to us last year the concept of encouraging builder participation through the support of the community developer," Jones explained. "It's a direction we are now taking with other developers, and I will be introducing this approach to a group in Tucson, Ariz., this month. We are also now working with other master-planned community developers in Florida, and we are using The Bonita Bay Group, their builders and the intensified builder requirements in The Estates at TwinEagles as models of success." A new Green Advantage Web site is under development that will feature The Bonita Bay Group's communities.
The Green Advantage Project is completing a study in Alachua County of 1,400 newly constructed homes that incorporate "Build Green & Profit" principles. The final results will be available shortly, but the preliminary reviews said the homes reflected a 15 percent reduction in energy use, according to Jones.
The Bonita Bay Group is a diversified company involved in the planning, development, sales and management of master-planned communities and free-standing recreational facilities throughout Southwest Florida. The company employs more than 1,200 individuals and operates five master-planned communities - Bonita Bay, The Brooks, Mediterra, The Estates at TwinEagles and Verandah - along with 11 golf courses and two marinas. The Bonita Bay Group team shares a dedication to exceptional customer service as defined in its E5 program: Ethics, Execution, Environmental Sensitivity, Excellence, Every Day. Additional information about the company is available at www.TheBonitaBayGroup.com.
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