Bluebonnets and Wild Flower Fever in Texas The Greening of Jacksonville Florida

Bluebonnets

Prairie Sunset in San Antonio

Bluebonnet fever is running high in Central Texas. If you are lucky enough to drive through Central Texas in March and April you will see lakes of bluebonnets along the roadways and in the meadows throughout the hill country and Central Texas. Many families have spring rituals of Sunday car rides to enjoy this Texas treasure. These rituals may go the way of the Edsel with gas at about $3.00 per gallon. This year I am using the Internet to view the pictures posted of Bluebonnet sightings.

I had the opportunity to drive between Waco and Dallas and Fort Worth since the middle of March. The bluebonnets are spectacular this year along I-35E and I-35W. We drove to Lake Waco this week and were overwhelmed with the sightings. Jack Maguire, the historian, is quoted as saying that “bluebonnets are to Texas as the rose is to England, the tulip is to Holland and the cherry blossom is to Japan.”

Visiting Central Texas this spring or summer, include these places in your itinerary:

The Wildflower Center in Texas : Phone 512-292-4100 for the best sites to view bluebonnets

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center www.wildflower.org

Burnet Bluebonnet Festival www.burnetchamber.org

Wildseed Farms www.wildseedfarms.com

For fantastic pictures visit http://www.dannyburk.com/texas%20landscapes.htm

www.fotosearch.com/photos-images/bluebonnets.html

www.photohouston.com/texas-wildflowers-photos/pictures-of-texas-wildflowers.html

Explore the internet for bloggers who are posting their own pictures. The wildflowers of Texas are just a click away.

We had the opportunity to visit Jacksonville Florida during the spring of 2007. We attended the Jacksonville Home and Patio Show held at the Prime Osborn Convention Center. A major theme of this show was introducing green friendly products to the Jacksonville population. We learned a lot about Jacksonville during this stay and about Jacksonville’s commitment to joining other communities in using Green technology.

James Angelo, wrote an article about this subject and I am including a summary of that article here: For the full article please visit : http://www.locatehomesflorida.com/news-article.asp?Id=3050707&blogPostID=223&label=&link=&relatedId=


Jacksonville Florida has seen an impressive population and building growth in the past 20 years. Visitors come to Jacksonville Fl because of the temperate climate, the growing economy, the beaches, the vibrant arts and culture scene and to enjoy a park system that is the largest in the nation. They stay for those reasons; they desire the quality of life available in this Northeast Florida city.

The population has grown nearly 80 percent since 1970 with an additional 60 percent increase projected by 2030. Jacksonville is faced with providing services to that growing population. Jacksonville has seen 33,000 housing starts since 2000.

The Mayor’s Growth Management Task Force has studied the need to plan for providing the new roads, electrical power, water and waste disposal that this growth requires. They recognize that the community is faced with a crisis because of the need to provide for these services. Jacksonville must address this issue because with the projected growth the community will find that water and electricity are finite resources. The Mayor’s Growth Management Task Force issued a report last year that supports the need to incorporate Green Friendly building practices in planning for the continued growth of Jacksonville.

Many communities have spearheaded the use of Green Friendly practices to reduce the demand on their resources. Jacksonville builders and homeowners are joining that battle. Incorporating building standards such as Energy Star, Florida Water Star, and Florida Green Building Coalition green home certification accomplishes that objective. The best news for homeowners is that using these practices not only saves them money in the long run but also benefits the community and the planet.

Last year JEA and the Northeast Florida Builders Association announced new standards for those homes labeled “Green Built Homes”. The homes are required to be Energy Star, and Florida Water Star. Energy Star homes use at least 15 percent less power than homes built to regular code; Florida Water Star homes conserve millions of gallons of water a year. They must also meet the standards set by FGBC Homes (Florida Green Building Coalition Homes) which are even more energy saving.

In March 2007 at the Jacksonville Home and Patio Show at the Prime Osborn Convention Center, a JEA Extreme Green Home was built that demonstrated energy efficient products and practices. The JEA Extreme Green Home offered information about products and practices that make a home “Green”. Today home owners can choose energy efficient appliances and technologies, exterior landscaping and irrigation, water saving devices, and green building materials. Homeowners were given the opportunity to see the value of incorporating these practices in the building and remodeling of Jacksonville homes.

The good news for homebuyers is that many local builders are constructing homes using Green Friendly products and construction processes. While Jacksonville builders are meeting the challenge, homeowners must demand these products when building new homes.

For additional information about “Green Friendly” building practices and products explore these websites:
http://www.jea.com/community/conservcenter/programs/greenbuilt.asp
http://www.energy.gov/forconsumers.htm

We hope that in the future Jacksonville Florida as well as other communities in Florida will compete with California as the “Green” friendliest areas in the United States. We recommend that you attend your communities’ Home and Patio Show. You will be astonished with the wealth of material offered that deals with “Green Friendly” products and technologies.

Visit www.locatehomesflorida.com to locate properties for sale in the Greater Jacksonville Florida area, Northeast Florida, Ponte Vedra, Saint Augustine, and The Beaches. Investors and home buyers can locate property that meet their business plans using the resources of this website. James Angelo, the owner of this website, is one of the top Jacksonville Florida real estate agents; he is highly recommended by the top movers and shakers in Jacksonvile; he would love to assist you in locating property that meet your needs.