One of the greatest things about living in Buncombe County is the natural beauty of the area; that’s why preservation is so important to so many residents ot the area.

In order to make sure that homeowners in Buncombe County are doing their part to keep the environment clean and remaining for generations to come, there are workshops available to help preserve the beauty of the area on the whole as well as the area that you call your front yard:

(Source)The North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service will sponsor the WNC Clean Streams Workshop 9 a.m.-4:45 p.m. Feb. 26 at the North Carolina Arboretum.

The workshop will cover steps that homeowners and landscape professionals can take to protect mountain water resources from soil erosion, pesticides, fertilizers, household products and other contaminants that find their way into streams and water supplies.

Living in Buncombe County is such a rewarding experience for so many people; shouldn’t we all be doing our parts to keep it that way? It’s possible to make an effort to keep the environment clean without having to compromise a great looking lawn and a great looking home; you just need to make sure that you’re aware of the process and willing to contribute.

When you live in Buncombe County, you’ll find that it’s extremely difficult to separate from all that nature has to offer. This is particularly true for those who enjoy gardening who are starting - already - to look towards spring when they can plant and tend to their gardens to enhance that beauty even more.

Those of you who live in Buncombe County know that there’s more to capturing that beauty than just gardening. That’s why so many look to The Gardener’s Cottage in Biltmore Village:

(source)“We try to bring the outdoors in, but it’s a home and garden décor shop.”

Set in a historic brick structure, which, like a lot of Biltmore Village shops, used to be a home, the shop rambles from one room to the other, even to the upstairs. Tables spill over with statuary, topiary, stemware, urns and fresh flowers.

Inspiration comes in many forms. For some, fresh cut flowers from the store are a great complement to the dining table when they are entertaining friends. For others, guides that help them to learn more about native wildflowers and forcing bulbs leave then thinking that the best inspiration comes from nature itself and bringing it indoors just doesn’t quite feel right.

Whichever side of that coin you’re on, the good news is that there’s color, beauty and joy to be found - but then, for many that often just comes from living in Buncombe County.

The beauty of the Smoky Mountains in from Buncombe County has, on many levels inspired those who live in the area to do their part to go green and to preserve the environment so that their kids - as well as their kids and their kids - will all be able to enjoy it as much as they have.

(Source)The former Waynesville biology teacher said he wanted to do more to help the environment, which gave him the idea to start building green homes. . .His business was the first to build a healthy built home, a certification that a home can receive from the WNC Green Building Council.

A healthy built home is a structure that features many eco-friendly design practices, which reduces the amount of waste produced when building a home. Moody is currently building eight eco-sensitive homes in the Buncombe County area.

“This area has a lot of people interested in green building,” Moody said “It’s an excellent place to be.”

Of course, you do not need to buy a newly built home in order to experience green living in Buncombe County. There are updates that you can make to your current home - small improvements - that will help you to lessen your impact on the earth and improve your energy efficiency (lowering costs in the process).

Whether you install a more efficient water heater, or you upgrade the heating and cooling system in your home or even if you just by new, more energy efficient appliances, you’ll find that you are able to feel better about what you are doing and keep enjoying the life that you’ve built for yourself.

When it comes to living in Buncombe County,, there are a number of reasons that you’ll hear for why the residents love the area. Here are are five of them.

1. Neighborhoods in Buncombe County are filled with people who are neighborly. The people and their sense of community provides a great foundation for the good life.
2. There’s always something going on in Asheville - in a good way. When you’re able to find great art, shopping and good restaurants all in one place, no matter what you are in the mood for, you can find it.
3. It’s easy to just get out and do something. Outdoor sports like canoeing and kayaking and hiking are popular and easy to fit into your schedule.
4. The Blue Ridge Parkway is a great scenic drive.
5. Schools and education are important. Neighborhood schools even make it so that your kids won’t have to travel far to get to school.

As I said, those are just a few of the great things about living in Buncombe County - if you’re in the area, feel free to comment and add to the list.