With over 30 years of active participation in the vibrant Asheville community, Robin Cape brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the world of real estate.
Robin played a pivotal role in the renovation of numerous buildings across the region. Her first project in the mid 1980s involved the renovation of an 1880s log cabin and its reconstruction as an off grid homestead. Solar PV and hot water were the dominant features along with an organic garden and started her on her lifelong journey for sustainability.
After moving to Asheville NC in 1988, she opened Preservation Hall, an architectural Salvage Company to offset the building materials waste within the community and help support the reuse of valuable architectural materials.
Her unwavering passion for the environment led her to serve on the Woodfin Water Board where she helped place the watershed into conservation and restructured the water company to be more transparent and functional.
She moved to Asheville City Council where she championed sustainability as a fundamental principle in building a thriving community and created the City’s long running citizens’ committee (SACEE) that evaluates sustainability practices and adaptations for the City. During her time on Council she worked with numerous local and national organizations to promote climate aware programming, including but not limited to Applied Solutions,
She was the creator and driving force behind Reading Riding and Retrofit, a school- based climate program that won a $500,000 Climate Showcase grant from the EPA for implementation, “which included an annual reduction of 1,315 metric tons (MT) of GHGs. Public awareness and engagement was also a priority for the project: website updates and a visually-appealing brochure promote the project’s activities and highlight key results. The momentum gained with RRR has led to the adoption of additional energy- and sustainability-related projects, multiplying the effect of initial efforts. Funding from the EPA Climate Showcase Communities program leveraged Federal Energy Conservation Block Grant Funds and rebates from the local electric utility to gain even larger savings.” (EPA website) As an outgrowth of the regional program, project staff developed a statewide NC Green Schools Program, which currently is being administered by Catawba College in Salisbury, NC and has recognized the efforts of over 25 schools across the State since 2013.
Robin has a Master’s Degree from UNC Asheville with a Concentration in Climate and Society and was the cofounder and lead developer of a Climate Business Center in downtown Asheville, the Collider. She served on the Board of the Green Built Alliance as a member for seven years and as Chair for two of those years.
Robin and her husband live on an urban homestead with 33 solar panels, 2 batteries, a geothermal HVAC, a remodeled home with increased building envelope, 3000 gallons of rainwater collection, an electric car, a sprawling garden and 4 chickens.
