According to August 9th’s Multi-Housing News’s Out & About, United Community Bank has announced a financing program for green building projects. This is fantastic news for Savannah and it’s growing group of green lovers (Melaver, Savannah Country Day School).

“In the spirit of stewardship and sustainability, United Community Bank – Savannah wants to do its small part to promote a greener, a healthier approach to development, an approach that fosters better stewardship of our limited natural resources,” says United Community Bank – Savannah President, Mike Lee. “The longterm ‘greening’ of our communities must begin one person and one structure at a time. Through this special initiative we hope to motivate and facilitate green construction and help secure a healthier Savannah for decades to come.

United Community Bank will join six plus large-scale LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) projects, over 30 planned homes to be built to EarthCraft energy specs, a LEED building in the historic district and the country’s first all-retail LEED core & shell project. Quite an accomplishment for a city to be this green without a curbside recycling program!

I’ve blogged before with 12 Podcasts for the Creative Class and have asked you what music inspires your creativity, but now I can ask ‘What music makes you think Savannah?’

I found a blog the other day (ok, yesterday morning before work coughNERDcough) that features a list started with songs about Savannah. The blogger credits Savannah Underground‘s thread where people are adding to this compilation. I may or may not want to go on to iTunes this weekend and create a ‘Creative Coast’ playlist.

1. “West Savannah,” Outkast
2. “Hard-hearted Hannah,” Ray Charles
3. “Georgia,” Ludacris, Field Mob (mostly about Georgia as a whole)
4. “Down by the River,” Camoflauge (I’d never heard of Camoflauge [r.i.p.] until I visited Savannah for the first time in July. I’m guessing most of his stuff is about the town.)
5. “Savannah (Part One),” Band of Horses
6. “Savannah,” Ted Weems
7. “Sunday in Savannah: Martin Luther King Suite, Part 1,” Nina Simone
8. “Stomp Down Rider,” Blind Willie McTell
9. “Good Little Thing,” Blind Willie McTell
10. “Got Three Women,” Blind Willie McTell
11. “Savannah Mama,” Blind Willie McTell
12. “Get Up Jake,” The Band
13. “Delia,” Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, et. al.

“Best of the Big A”, eh?

According to Monday’s Business Report & Journal’s Coastal Business Wire, Savannah was voted “Best Place To Go On A Weekend Getaway” by Atlantans. Over 75,000 people voted on their favorite Atlanta faces and places in more than 50 categories in the AccessAtlanta 2007 contest presented by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“Atlanta is our number one feeder market for leisure visitors, so it’s a great honor to have our city named their number one choice for the perfect weekend getaway,” said Joseph Marinelli, Savannah CVB President. “Savannah truly has so much to offer during every season of the year and we hope Atlantans continue to make us their destination of choice.”

Very cool! Now where do Savannahians enjoy going for a weekend getaway?

An article in the Savannah Morning News last week notes that Jepson Center provides an alternative to weekend cartoons for kids and their parents.

Your kids can expand their minds as they play in the ArtZeum, which is full of interactive stations that are child-friendly, designed so children can engage themselves without a lot of parental assistance. It’s a great opportunity for parents to play with their children or just enjoy watching your children play with the other kids in the interactive children’s museum.

Show your children the gallery, check out the studio workshops and even watch a movie about a giant robot all for the price of the adult tickets in the group. What a great way to foster creativity with your child and inspire yourself as well. Remember how easy it was to be creative as a child?