The village of Lemont will co-star in the second season of Built to Last, a television series that will follow the building of a “green” home in the upscale Briarcliffe subdivision.

Representatives of Lakeshore Public Television, the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters and the architect/planner of the home presented an overview of the project to about 15 audience members in the Lemont Police Department meeting room Thursday night.

Filming is planned for September through December, said Todd Pflughoeft, field producer and project manager for Lakeshore Public Television, which is based in Indiana.

Pflughoeft said the “docu-reality” show will be a mix of sit-down interviews with the tradesmen who are building the home and footage of construction. Scenes of Lemont will also be incorporated.

The station is trying to promote the green home concept, a movement “that has advanced well beyond the 1970s idea for recycling,” Pflughoeft said.

The village of Lemont’s green initiative also will be discussed on the show, with such examples as the use of porous pavers for sidewalks that allows water to sink in rather than run off. Permeable pavers are used at the Police Department building.

In a segment that follows the path of waste material from the site, the village’s recycling program will be examined, Pflughoeft said.

"A bonus of being in Lemont is being able to feature the village's green plan," he said.

The property was purchased three weeks ago by the carpenters union, but a builder has not been selected yet, said Bruce Obora of Obora Phillips and Associates, a planning and architectural firm.

Obora said a building permit request will be filed with the village in about two weeks.

Homes in the Briarcliffe subdivision are in the $650,000 range, he confirmed.

For the show, a 2,600-square-foot, five-bedroom house should be completed at a comparable price. The TV show will keep track of building costs, especially for renewable and recyclable materials.

“There are a lot of home shows out there but, in the end, they don’t say what was spent,” Obora said.

To qualify as a LEED-certified home (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), the Briarcliffe house must be built in a way that reduces the negative impacts of buildings on occupants and the environment in five general categories: sustainable site planning; safeguarding water and water efficiency; energy efficiency and renewable energy; conservation of materials and resources; and indoor environmental quality.

Other ideas are a cistern system for collecting rain water to use in a garden and a landscape design of drought-resistant plants.

Obora said the aim is to give ideas that a homeowner can do “without making it a headache or hassle.”

Susan Shelley, executive producer of the show, said the carpenters union “did an extensive search,” found Lemont and then looked for a subdivision.

Briarcliffe was chosen for its aesthetics and its proximity to tollways and public transportation, said Anthony Janowski, director of sustainability/marketing for the union.

Briarcliffe is directly west of Interstate 355 and north of 127th Street.

Janowski, a Tinley Park resident, said the show will “promote skilled craftsmen and best practices” in building in addition to the green concept.

Lakeshore Public Television can be found on Comcast Channel 21. The first season of Built to Last airs at 11 a.m. Saturdays.

Source: http://lemont.patch.com/articles/lemont-gets-starring-role-in-pbs-show

A new nonprofit program will give seventh-and eighth-grade students in Lemont’s public and private schools the opportunity to learn about sustainable energy sources from some of the area’s leading authorities in their fields.

At a special kick-off event next month, Project Infinite Green will launch an after-school pilot program at Lemont High School that will give fifteen students the opportunity to participate in field studies, research projects and think tanks related to environmental sustainability. The program was initiated by Lemont resident Catherine Greenspon, who has recruited a long list of sponsors that includes the U.S. Department of Energy, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, Sen. Christine Radogno (R-Lemont), Rep. Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs), Argonne National Laboratory, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and CITGO, which donated $10,000 toward the development of the curriculum

Read more here: http://lemont.patch.com/articles/new-program-gives-lemont-kids-inside-look-at-clean-energy-solutions

Beginning in August, the syndicated show Built to Last will follow the construction of a home in the Briarcliffe subdivision.

The construction of new home in Lemont's Briarcliffe subdivision will be filmed for a syndicated television show, village officials announced Monday.

Built to Last, a new carpentry construction show produced through the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters' Labor and Management Committee, will feature the entire building process of the new home, which is tentatively scheduled to begin in August.

According to the show's Facebook page, the series features residential and commercial construction projects "from the ground up, highlighting what it takes to execute those projects using skill, expertise and the latest technology."

The show is aired through Lakeshore Public Television, which brings "PBS television and original programming to viewers in the lakeshore region of Northwest Indiana and Chicagoland."

Lakeshore Public Television airs in more than 200 communities, according to the Built to Last website. In Lemont, programs air on Comcast Channel 21.

Village Administrator Ben Wehmeier said during the Village Board meeting Monday night that the 13-episode series will highlight the construction of a new "green home" in Briarcliffe.

Each episode features a different aspect of the building process, from foundations to flooring.

Wehmeier and Mayor Brian Reaves met with representatives from the show June 13 to finalize plans, according to village documents.

"It's an exciting opportunity to feature Lemont as a whole," said Reaves said.

A public information meeting on the show is tentatively scheduled to take place at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 28, at the Lemont Police Department, 14600 W. 127th St., Wehmeier said.

Read more here: http://lemont.patch.com/articles/home-building-tv-show-coming-to-lemont

Construction is underway and soon the home will be featured on a 13-week "docu-reality" show called Built to Last.

In August, the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters' Labor and Management Committee and Lakeshore Public Television selected Lemont as the location for the show after more than a year of searching across the United States.

The show is a series that will follow construction of a home from the ground up, incorporating affordable green materials.

Lemont was chosen because of its "Green Lemont Initiative" that was created in 2009 by Planning and Economic Development Director Jim Brown.

Bruce Obora, project manager and architect from Obora Phillips & Associates in Chicago — the architect on the project — said in December that the foundation and basement wall construction has been completed in the home.

"In the coming weeks we will continue with the construction to enclose and complete the house,” Obora said. "We will work through the winter to complete the project."

The goal of the project is to get platinum status from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system, Obora said. He said they are currently on that track with the home.

To view the progress of the home construction, visit the Facebook page Built to Last Television or the show’s website at BuilttoLastTV.com.

The home is expected to be complete in spring 2012. The show is expected to air on Comcast Channel 21 on Saturdays at 11 a.m. in the fall.

Read more here: http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/lemont/topstories/x713187647/What-to-watch-for-this-year

The Illinois Senate Energy Committee unanimously approved a resolution March 1 that declares the state's support for Argonne's bid to house an innovative energy storage and research facility.

The state of Illinois took the first step Thursday in supporting a federally-funded energy storage hub at Argonne National Laboratory.

Illinois Senate Energy Committee unanimously approved Senate Joint Resolution 53—introduced by Sen. Christine Radogno (R-Lemont)—to declare the state's support for Argonne's bid to house a new, innovative energy storage hub and research facility.

Radogno testified before the committee, outlining the many benefits of the hub. According to a news release, the hub will employ world-class researchers to identify green, cost-effective ways to harness energy created from renewable resources and smart grid technology.

"Illinois is home to cutting-edge research and development facilities, and highly-respected and capable scientists and engineers," Radogno stated in the release. "For many years our state has been viewed as a leader in science and technology research and development, due in no small part to the outstanding work we’ve seen produced by Argonne National Laboratory, Northwestern University, the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois. I know that collaboration on the Energy Hub between Argonne and its partners at these institutions would produce ground-breaking innovations in the area of energy storage."

Radogno was joined by Edward Fetters, director of program management for the Illinois Science and Technology Coalition.

"Argonne National Laboratory’s proposed Joint Center for Energy Storage and Research (JCESR) provides a clear path for Illinois to organize around an emerging technology and a burgeoning global market in a way that has been unrealized in the recent past," Fetters said. "It will bring together universities, industry and national labs, to build an infrastructure and create an ecosystem that will advance job creation and economic development in Illinois."

Radogno said the energy hub would establish Illinois as a national leader in the green energy industry, and will also create much-needed jobs.

"As a state, we need to be thinking innovatively, while constantly pursuing opportunities that will bring good-paying jobs to the state," she said. "If Illinois is chosen to house the Energy Storage Hub, it would establish our state as a leader in a multi-billion dollar, developing industry that has potential to stimulate substantial employment and economic growth."

Read more here: http://lemont.patch.com/articles/radogno-resolution-declares-state-support-for-argonne-energy-hub

A recent study in Portland and Seattle that compared certified home values to conventional home values showed that Portland certified homes fetched 3-5% more than conventional, while Seattle homes commanded up to 10% more. The most recent RMLS data for greater Portland and Vancouver, Washington (May 2010) shows the average new home sold for 18% more than a conventional home, while the average existing certified home fetched a sales price of 23% more than a conventional home, even during a slow market. This is good news for builders and homeowners.

• Lower Your Energy Costs

The energy-saving features in a certified green home reduce energy consumption by at least 15% compared to a home built to code, and often reduce costs considerably more. Certified projects are constructed as a system, combining insulation, high R-value windows, weather sealing, efficient hot water heating and other features that minimize energy use. Certified commercial buildings are also designed to exceed standard building practices and minimum code requirements in important areas such as health, materials, land and water use. Green home owners and building occupants can expect to see lower energy bills and lower water bills.

• Lower Your Maintenance Costs

Certified structures are tightly sealed, well framed, allow maximum air circulation, and use durable materials. This means that building and home maintenance costs over the lifetime of the structure can be greatly reduced – the building is less susceptible to moisture, rot, and mold and requires fewer replacement parts.

• Builders Save, Too

Builders and developers can get paid to build green. There are many financial incentives to sustainable construction. When a builder’s home or a developer’s building achieves certification, they are eligible for a variety of financial incentives that cover – and can surpass – the cost of the certification fee. When this is added to the sales premium that is often paid for the certified building, builders find it more advantageous to build green.

Read more here: http://www.earthadvantage.org/building-green/value-of-building-green/economic-benefits/