Green Home Sees Big Numbers

3/26/2008 12:04:00 PM

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Visitors line up to tour the HGTV Green Home which opened to the public on Moday and will be available daily until May 18. Close to 300 tours were conducted on the first day.

The Home’s first visitors were Kristen Bronke and her Mother Melanie Coffman, both of Chicago. shown here with Martin Sauls IV (left), Tradition Hilton Head Director of Public Relations and Matt Amman, the community's vice president.

Green Home Sees Big Numbers
(HARDEEVILLE, S.C.) Under brilliant blue skies, nearly 500 visitors from as far away as Chicago and Boston toured the first HGTV Green Home at Tradition Hilton Head on Monday and Tuesday.

"We are excited about the start of public tours," said Martin Sauls IV, Public Relations Director for Tradition Hilton Head. "The initial day was fantastic. Visitors were impressed with the HGTV Green Home, as well as our new Green Preview Center, a first for the region."

"We look forward to the thousands of visitors over the coming months," he added.

Melanie Coffman and her daughter Kristen Bronke vacationing on Hilton Head Island from Chicago were the first to tour visitors to step onto the veranda of the Lowcountry-style home which has achieved the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Gold certification.

"This tour is a great opportunity to learn about green building and interior design and lifestyles that help protect the environment," said Bronke, a high school teacher. "We definitely will be entering to win the home."

United Way of the Lowcountry is the charitable recipient of proceeds from the HGTV Green Home public tours, and local United Way volunteers are guiding the tours.

On Monday, volunteers from United Way-funded agency Access Network were on hand to give the tours. A total of 150 United Way volunteers will assist in the HGTV Green Home tours.

The home is open Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m., and tickets are $20 per person. The tours will continue daily through May 18.

With Melanie Coffman and Kristen Bronke in the first group to tour the HGTV Green Home Monday morning were David and Cathie Townsend of Greenville, S.C.; Bob and Rita Lindberg of Waterford, N.Y.; Joanne Dahl of Waterford; and Jane Gasser of Muncie, Ind.

By the end of the first day nearly 300 visitors had toured the home which features cutting-edge environmental design and construction, energy- and water-saving appliances and technology, recycled materials and other innovations.

Visitors also are invited to walk through the region's first-ever Green Preview Center located next to Tradition Hilton Head's Welcome Center, where shuttle vans pick up the HGTV Green Home tours.

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